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katikatBroken and Fixed
AU, Angst ~ 1+2 ~ Heero is the new kid in the Maxwell Orphanage.
"Children!" Sister Helen called to get the children’s attention as she stepped into the big playroom in the Maxwell Orphanage. She pushed a small boy in front of her dressed in blue pants and blue sweater and white tennis shoes. He had dark brown hair, cobalt blue eyes and a sullen expression on his face.
The children gathered around her watching the boy curiously. "This is Heero. He is five and he will be living with us from now on. I hope you will be good to him." The children nodded vigorously. Sister Helen turned Heero to face her and crouched in front of him. "I hope you will like it here, Heero. If you should need something, anything at all, just come to me, all right?"
The boy just looked at her, not even blinking. She sighed. She feared that this one would be really difficult. She read his file and what she saw she didn’t like at all. The boy’s parents had gotten killed when thieves had broken in their house. Since then he had lived with his uncle, some scientist or something. Nobody had known that he was abusing the child until his teacher in the kindergarten saw the bruises on his arms and torso. The social worker immediately took him away from his uncle, bringing him to the hospital first. As soon as he was in a better physical state they called her. The nun managed the small Maxwell Orphanage together with Father Maxwell and she loved the children with her whole heart and soul. She just hoped that Heero would be okay here.
"You can now go and play, dinner will be in approximately two hours so you have a lot of time to make some friends here," she said to him, caressing his shoulder lightly. She sighed when she saw that the boy didn’t move at all and looked around for help. A little boy with long rope of chestnut hair and big violet eyes clutching an old wooden doll caught her eyes. He was standing nearby watching the newcomer with sad eyes. Duo... the child who had been here the longest time. He had been brought here as a newborn and sadly nobody had wanted to adopt him since then. A couple of pairs tried to take him in but they thought him to be too exuberant and always brought him back, never finding out how much that hurt the bright, lonely boy. Duo greeted every new child first, trying to make them happy, to make them smile. But he himself always had a sad look in his eyes, understanding that another child had been left alone in this world.
"Duo," she called. The braided boy dressed in violet sweats and brown softies trotted over to her, clutching the wooden toy tightly to his chest. "Duo, would you take care of Heero? Show him around, where everything is?" she asked him.
Duo nodded excitedly. "Will do, Sis’ Helen."
Helen smiled and got up. Yes, Duo will take good care of the boy. She turned around and walked out of the room.
The braided boy turned to Heero and smiled brightly. "Hi, I’m Duo. What’s your name?"
The other boy didn’t bother to reply; instead he turned around and went to one of the big windows leading outside to the small garden.
"Hey, you didn’t answer me and that’s rude." Duo skipped alongside him. "Your name is Heero, right? What do you like to do?"
Heero frowned. Couldn’t the boy just go away? He just wanted to be by himself. But the loudmouthed idiot was following him around the room, talking about all and nothing. Heero sat down on the carpeted ground under the window and pulling his knees to his chest, laying his arms on them. He still couldn’t believe that they took him away from his uncle. Yeah, life wasn’t peachy with him, but he had had a stabile point in his life. But now... And the braided fool was still talking to him.
Duo dropped next to Heero on the ground. "You don’t talk much, huh?" he asked when the boy didn’t bother to acknowledge him at all. He looked down at the wooden doll in his arms. It was a simple toy. A hard trunk with long dangling limbs. But what brought Duo the most comfort was the smiling face of the toy. The doll was his only real friend - he called him Shini - and it’s smiling face had always been able to cheer him up. ‘Maybe it would be able to cheer the other boy too?’ He thought to himself. Caressing its face he offered the toy to Heero. "Would you like to play?"
The longhaired idiot - what was his name? Duo - was still bothering him and his cold attitude didn’t help Heero in getting rid of him. Maybe it was time to take more drastic measures? He looked at the battered old wooded doll Duo was offering him. What a stupid toy. He took it from him and didn’t even bother to look at Duo’s bright smile. But instead to play with it he threw it away with all his might. He watched the doll slam against a wall and fall down to ground - broken. That brought him out of the uncaring coldness that surrounded his heart and mind. He didn’t... he didn’t mean to do that. He didn’t mean to break it...
Duo watched his doll drop to the ground broken in two pieces - and he couldn’t believe it. His toy... His friend... Heero had broken it... He crawled over to the shattered doll and picked it into his arms. The head... the smiling face and carved hair... the doll’s neck was broken and the head had fallen off. He clutched both of the pieces to his chest uncaring about the other children chasing each other around the room or playing with the other toys. His friend, Shini, was dead...
With a clenched heart Heero watched the braided boy embracing the toy he had destroyed. Duo’s big violet eyes filled with tears and his shoulders shook with tiny sobs. Heero could feel his eyes burning too. He didn’t mean it... He didn’t mean to do it. He just wanted to be left alone. He didn’t want to hurt the boy.
Heero embraced his bent legs, pulling them tightly to his chest. He didn’t mean it... He didn’t...
***
Helen yawned as she made her way down the hall from her room to the big sleeping room the children shared, the moon light her only source of light. She always checked on them a couple of times during the night just to make sure they were alright.
She was worried about Duo tonight. She had found out that Heero had broken Duo’s doll. Helen knew that the toy was Duo’s most precious possession. Father Maxwell had given it to him on his first Christmas here. Even as a toddler he had always been dragging the doll with him everywhere. She knew that it brought him comfort when even she or Father Maxwell couldn’t help. But now...
She sighed and brought the bathrobe even closer to her body. With little money to spare, they couldn’t afford to heat the whole orphanage up and mainly at night it was getting chilly within the corridors. She stepped to the door leading into the children’s sleeping room when she saw a light under the door of the small office where Father Maxwell usually worked. She frowned, knowing that it wasn’t him in there. Father Maxwell had to leave for a couple of days unfortunately. Now, when Duo would need him the most.
She crossed the hall to the office curious about whom it might be in there. She opened the door and peered inside. Her eyebrows shoot up when she recognized Heero sitting on the chair behind the table, dressed only in his blue pajamas with little red cars and with the tennis shoes on his feet, working on something in the light of the small table lamp. He was concentrating so much on his task that he didn’t even notice her when she approached him.
"What are you doing, Heero?" she asked quietly while peeking over his shoulder.
The boy jumped up in the chair and looked up at her. "I... I..." he stammered and looked back at what he had been doing.
The doll, she realized. He was repairing Duo’s doll. With a paste and an adhesive tape he had found on the table he had been able to attach the head back to the trunk. Helen had to admit that he was quite skilful. Only the bright piece of tape covering the doll’s neck revealed where the brake had been. "That looks good, Heero," she praised him laying one hand around his small shoulders.
He lay the toy on the table softly, his hands resting in his lap. "I didn’t mean to break it. Really. I didn’t mean to make Duo sad," he admitted quietly.
Helen sighed and kissed the boy on the top of his head. "I know, Heero. I know. But you must know that this doll means the world for Duo. It’s something that belongs only to him where everything else he has to share. He considers the doll his best friend. You hurt him really badly when you broke it."
Heero was quiet but he hung his head a little. "I’m sorry."
"You don’t have to say it to me. Apologize to Duo. He will forgive you, I’m sure of it. But you should really go to bed now. It’s late and you shouldn’t even be awake." She helped him get down from the chair and laid the doll in his arms. She smiled when she saw him clutch it tightly to his chest. With her hand on his shoulder they left the small and quite messy office after she had turned off the light.
They stepped into the sleeping room where rows and rows of beds on both sides of the room stood. In most of them small children where sleeping peacefully. Heero scrambled up his bed that was positioned next to Duo’s and Helen covered him up to his neck. She stopped when she saw him still gripping the toy tightly in his left hand.
"I will return it to him in the morning. I promise," he said seeing her looking at the toy.
She nodded. "Okay, I trust you, Heero." She bent down and kissed him on his forehead. "Goodnight. And no other night journeys, okay?"
He nodded and with a light caress to his face she turned and checking on the other children she left the room closing the door behind her.
"His name is Shini, ya know."
The voice coming from Duo’s bed startled Heero. He thought that the other child was asleep. He turned on his side and looked over at Duo seeing his big violet eyes shining in the moonlight. The braided boy was laying on his side too, one hand bent under his head.
"I named him Shini and he is my best friend," Duo whispered not wanting to wake the others.
"I didn’t want to steal him," Heero whispered back. When he had gone to try and repair it he had taken the doll from then small nightstand next to Duo’s bed where the other boy had laid it before going to sleep. "I wanted to fix it."
"Did it go well?"
Heero nodded and sat up in his bed. He raised his hand with the doll and offered it to Duo. The violet-eyed boy sat up too and reaching over the small gap between the two beds he took the toy back from Heero. He looked at the fixed neck, caressing the tape there. Then he raised his eyes back to Heero. "Thank you."
Heero shrugged and lowered his eyes to his blanket. Then remembering Helen’s words he said quietly: "I didn’t mean to break it. I didn’t."
Duo only nodded, clutching the toy to his chest.
"I... I’m sorry..." There were tears in Heero’s voice. He felt so lonely. Even living with his bad uncle was better than being all alone in the world like he was now.
After a moment of silence there was a rustle coming from Duo’s bed and then the sound of bare feet on the ground. When he looked up, Duo was standing next to his bed in his white pyjamas with small green frogs. Some of his hair had escaped the loose braid and he looked adorably cute. "You want me to sleep with you tonight?" he offered. "You won’t feel so lonely anymore."
Heero blinked uncertainly. He would like to but... Would Duo really... Would he do it for him after what he had done? Heero couldn’t believe that Duo would be so forgiving even though Sister Helen had told him that he was. "Would you?" he asked finally, quite shyly.
Duo nodded, smiling brightly once again. Heero lifted his blanket and moved a bit to the right, allowing Duo to climb under the covers with him. They lay down on their sides facing each other, the doll lying on the pillow between them. They were watching each other for a while before Duo broke the silence with a whisper: "Y´know, Shini is great, but sometimes... sometimes he isn’t enough anymore. Maybe... maybe we could have each other," he suggested carefully.
Heero thought about it for a while. It would be great to have somebody who would belong only to you. Just like Shini belonged to Duo. If Duo would be his and he would be Duo’s they wouldn’t be lonely anymore. Heero could feel a warm feeling spreading all over him just thinking about it. To have somebody who would really care...
"Yeah, it would be great," he answered, the longing evident in his voice.
Duo smiled brightly and reaching over, he caught one of Heero’s hands in his own and squeezed it. "Kay."
"Kay." Heero smiled too, for the first time in years. He wasn’t lonely anymore because now he had Duo. And he would never let him go...
The End
===
Christmas Eve
AU, Humor ~ 1+2 ~ Heero and Duo are waiting for the Santa Claus.
The two small boys were sitting on the bench under the window. They were curled up together sharing a big warm blanket. It was Christmas Eve and they were determined to see Santa Claus no matter what. So when Sister Helen finished her nightly check up, they snuck out of their beds, leaving Shini safely tucked under Heero´s warm covers and made themselves comfortable on the small bench. The window was frosted over and they had to breathe on it to clear two small "lookie holes" as they called them, just big enough for them to see through. The place at the window was fairly cool and they shivered from cold from time to time but instead of going to bed - where they should have been sleeping like all the other children - they just snuggled closer together, hugging each other around their waists and peering outside in hope to spot the magical gift bringer.
"Heero, you up?" Duo asked as he blinked sluggishly. The warmth he felt right then and the comforting thumping sound of Heero´s heart as he laid his head against his chest were making him sleepy. But he didn´t want to sleep. He wanted to see Santa Claus.
"Huh?" answered Heero after a couple of seconds. "Yeah, I'm awake. Not sleeping." He shook his head a little to emphasize his statement. "You?"
Duo opened his eyes very very wide to prevent them from closing. "´wake. No sleep," he answered. "See?"
"Hm."
They were quiet for some time and Duo´s eyes started to close again when Heero asked in a hushed tone: "Duo? D´you really b´lieve that Santa exists?"
Duo forced his eyes to open just a bit again but the strain he was putting on them was starting to make his head ache a little. "Yeah, he ´xists really."
"Huh?" Heero yawned and snuggled closer to Duo, hugging him tightly. "How c´n you tell?"
"He gave you to me," Duo reasoned in a thick, sleep filled voice.
That seemed to startle Heero and it roused him from his sleepy state - well, just a little bit. "But, I didn´t come ´ere on Chris´mas Eve."
"I know, dummy." Duo patted Heero´s arm and brought the blanket - that slipped away a little during his moving his arm - closer around them to ward off the chill that was coming from the window. "Santa comes even during the year and brings you presents but you just don´t know it´s him. It´s a big secret," he added in a very hushed whisper. After that his eyes closed again and this time he didn´t fight to open them again. He would just rest them for a while.
"´ro? You ´wake?" he asked a couple of minutes later.
"Huh..." was the only answer that came. Heero - who was propped against the wall and was holding Duo practically in his lap - just couldn´t open his eyes no matter what. They seemed like they were superglued. And so - after he gave it a second of thinking - he decided to just try it a little bit later. Maybe they will work then.
"Is good. Would really hate to miss Santa," Duo managed to say before he fell asleep leaning against his best friend, being held and holding him in his small arms.
And so they slept. Unnoticed, their small "lookie holes" frosted over again, and the snow began to fall, covering everything in a shiny white blanket and the cheerful sound of jingle bells could be heard in the silent night.
The End
===
Itch and Scratch
AU, Humor ~ 1+2 ~ Chicken pox!
*scratch, scratch*
"Duo?"
"Huh?"
"What are you doing?"
"Well... scratching."
"You know you shouldn´t do that. It only makes it worse."
"I knooooooow, but it itches!"
*scratch, scratch*
Heero walked over to the other bed in the orphanage´s infirmary and caught Duo´s sock clad hands in his. Sister Helen had dressed Duo´s hands in thick socks not knowing what to do with him anymore besides tying him down to the bed.
"Stop!" said the blue eyed boy with all of the authority a five year old could have.
"But it iiiiitcheeeeees," Duo whined trying to pull away from the firm grip to scratch the offending red spots that covered all of his body. He even had one on the tip of his nose. He tried to look at the bright red spot and his eyes crossed funnily. "And the white stuff Sis Helen put on it is smelly."
Heero glared at him. "I know. I have it too. Thanks to you!" He didn´t really mean it but he was getting cranky too. Duo´s mood was infectious.
"Well, I didn´t know. How could I know that the small red dots on my skin were chicken pox? I've never had it before," the braided boy defended himself.
Heero let go of Duo´s hands hoping against hope that his best friend would stop to scratch himself. It made Heero´s spots itch even more. He folded his arms on his pajama clad chest and leaned against the pillow looking away from Duo. "Of course you didn´t have it. People get it only once in their life."
"Well, then you should be glad that you got it from me. You won´t get it in the future."
Heero frowned at the other boy´s twisted logic. He gave Duo a sidelong glance and saw his right hand sneaking up his left arm ever so slowly in an attempt to reach his chest and scratch. "Duo, I see you," he warned him without looking at him directly.
Duo pouted. "Then what should I do? I´m booooored," he whined again.
Heero sighed. He took the wooden doll sitting on the small nightstand and pushed it into Duo´s arms. "Here, scratch the doll."
Duo raised his eyebrows. "Huh?" He eyed the blue eyed boy warrily. Maybe his brain got chicken pox too.
Heero sighed and rolled his eyes. "You should scratch the doll and imagine that you scratch yourself."
The braided boy frowned. "And why should I do that?"
Heero frowned too. "Not sure. I heard the people in the hospital talking. It should help." Unconsciously he started to scratch his arm.
"Heero?"
"Yes?"
"You are scratching."
Hiding his hands under the blanket Heero´s cheeks coloured. "Was not."
&suot;Was too," Duo retorted. But today he quickly lost interest in their usual fight. He looked at the doll in his arms and sighed. "Well, at least Shini can´t catch it from us."
Heero didn´t even bother to answer that one.
"Heero?"
"Hm?"
"I´m bored."
Heero sighed. That was the fifth time in an hour that Duo said that. Okay, so he was bored himself. And he was cranky. And every part of his body itched. And he wanted a strawberry lollipop.
"What should I do?" Duo asked in a pitiful voice while trying to get the doll to stand on its head.
"Count."
Duo let the doll fall down on the bed and looked at his best friend. "Huh?"
Heero turned his head to him and pointed at his red dots. "Count the chicken pox. You know how to count, right?"
"Yeah, but only to twenty." He looked at his dotted feet that were sticking out from under the blanket. "And there are"a lot more. Twenty won´t be enough."
"It will do." Heero would do anything to forget the itching.
Duo´s bored face brightened. "Okay." He laid Shini safely aside and then he pushed the blanket aside and started to strip off his pajamas.
After a while only the sound of counting aloud could be heard in the big white room of the infirmary.
"One."
"Two."
"Four."
"Three, Duo."
"Huh?"
"Three comes before four."
"I knew that."
"Right. Six."
"You forgot five, Heero."
"..."
"Seven."
"Eight."
***
Sister Helen finally got all the children to take their afternoon nap and was on the way to the infirmary to check on her two patients. It was suspiciously quiet in there.
She opened the door quietly and peered inside. What she saw made her smile. The boys were soundly asleep. Duo was curled up on his side facing his best friend and Heero lay on his stomach, head turned in the direction of the braided boy. She chuckled. They were just so cute.
She stepped into the room and walked to the beds. With raised eyebrows, she looked at the naked bodies covered with red dots. ´What were the two of them doing here?´ she wondered. Shaking her head, she bent down to pick up their pajamas and to retrieve the blankets that had fallen to the floor. She laid the pajamas aside and covered both boys thoroughly. The last thing they needed were for the two of them to catch colds.
She thought about how unusual it was that only the two of them had caught the chicken pox. When Duo came to her with an aching head and "itchy dots" she mentally prepared herself for an epidemic in the orphanage. But in the end only Duo and Heero caught them. She was convinced that Heero got the chicken pox only out of solidarity to his friend. She never saw two people who would be as close to each other as these two were and she prayed to God that nothing unexpected would happen to any of them. She knew that should they lose each other, it would kill them. Of that she was sure. It was as if they shared one soul in two bodies.
Tucking the blankets tightly around the boys she kissed them on their slightly warm foreheads and with a last glance she left the room.
And the boys slept peacefully, dreaming about wonderful things like lollipops and backscratchers.
The End
===
When I Grow Up
AU, Humor ~ 1+2 ~ Future plans? :-)
"When I grow up I´m gonna be a pilot," said the small boy. "I´m gonna have this really biiiiiig plane and am gonna fly all over the world with it."
Sister Helen smiled. "That´s a really nice dream, Kenny. I am sure you will reach your goal one day."
The boy looked at her with an eager expression on his face and nodded happily.
Sister Helen, sitting on the floor of the play room in the orphanage together with the children, looked around the small group. Whom could she ask now? She didn´t want anybody to feel left out. Ah, Heero! "And what about you, Heero?"
The small boy in white sweats looked at her through his unruly bangs for a moment as if thinking about her question thoroughly. Then he threw a glance at his best friend, one Duo Maxwell. The other boy with a long braid, dressed in black sweats looked at him curiously. "I´m gonna marry Duo," said Heero finally very seriously, his gaze still locked on the violet eyed boy.
The children giggled and Sister Helen gulped. What? Well, she didn´t expect *that*. "Uh, Heero..." What should she say to this? "I´m not sure if you know what exactly it means to marry someone."
Heero glared at her. "Of course I know. I´m not a stupid little kid."
"Ah... right..." Helen had the urge to scratch her head while the wheels in her mind turned with an alarming speed. "Well, that´s... uh... a really unusual wish. Why do you want to marry him?"
Heero looked back at Duo who was watching him with huge eyes, his mouth agape. For once the chatter box was silent. "I don´t want to ever leave him and I don´t want him to ever leave me. When I marry him he´ll have to stay with me."
Ooooookay, she could handle that. "Heero, you don´t have to marry him to keep him with you. You could just ask him not to leave," she suggested gently.
Heero glared at her again. "Won´t work. Someone could come and snatch him away. Won´t allow that. He is mine!" He looked around, the glare still in place, as if to dare the children to say otherwise. When no one uttered a word, he nodded to himself contently.
Helen smiled nervously. Where was Father Maxwell when she needed him? She shifted her eyes from Heero to Duo, who was still sitting quietly watching his best friend with silent adoration. He didn´t look as if had any intention to protest. Okay, no help there.
"Heero, you can´t just claim Duo as yours," she berated him.
He folded his arms on his chest. "Why not?"
"You are still young and you might change your mind in the future. Or forget about it or..." she stopped as she saw Heero tilt his head to the right as if contemplating her words. Then he unfolded his arms and reached in his pocket pulling out a bright violet ribbon.
"I found it. Didn´t steal it," he said to her before she could open her mouth. Then he reached over and gripped Duo´s braid tightly, tying the ribbon around the end of his braid. "There," he nodded to himself, "this way I won´t forget."
She blinked. Okay, that didn´t went as she thought it would. She watched Duo play with the ribbon. Maybe... maybe she should just skip this problem and let the Father handle this one. She had enough stress in her life.
"Very well, Heero," she said to Heero and hoped that it sounded properly cheerful.
Then she looked around the room to find anybody who didn´t answer yet. Finding out that Duo was the only one who still didn´t speak about his dreams she took a deep breath. She just knew that it was not the best idea to ask the boy who was now snuggled closely to his friend, the devotion of a puppy in his eyes every time he looked at Heero. She knew she would regret it but she couldn´t leave him out.
"And what about you, Duo? What do you want to be when you grow up?" she asked crossing her fingers.
Duo looked at her and she could swear she saw little hearts in his eyes. "I´m gonna be his bride!" sounded the excited answer as he snuggled even closer to the white clad boy.
Sister Helen groaned. She knew it!
The End
===
The First Day of School
AU, Humor ~ 1+2 ~ The first day of school is never easy.
The nondescript black car with the "Maxwell Orphanage" logo drawn on it´s door stopped with screeching tires in front of the elementary school. Sister Helen jumped out of the car and heedless of the weird looks the people moving up and down the side-walk were giving her, she ran up the steps leading to the front door of the school.
She knew this wasn´t the best way for a nun to arrive anywhere much less a school and silently she asked Father Maxwell for forgivness, but she was worried and anxious to see her boys. When the school principal called to tell her that two of her children got into a fight at school she didn´t believe it. Not her boys. They were so well behaved. But when the names Maxwell and Yuy were mentioned, she stopped wondering. Nothing could surprise her with these two.
She reached the top floor where the principal´s office was situated in a death run, her breath coming in short puffs. She bent at the waist, propped her hands on her knees and took a deep breath - it was three flights of stairs and she wasn´t quite as young anymore - thanking God that she arrived during class and the halls were deserted. Seeing a nun shoot through the corridor in a mad dash could be traumatizing for some children - and she would never hear the end of it at the orphanage.
Catching her breath finally, she straightened and walking to the door of the principal´s office she raised her hand and knocked. Following the muffled "come in" she opened the door, stepped in and froze at the sight that presented itself to her. On an old couch to her right were Duo and Heero huddled together. On the other old couch to her left was sitting a Chinese boy approximately the boys´ age. Heero and the Chinese boy looked haggard, their clothes torn, faces bruised. They were glaring at each other, their looks promising revenge. Duo didn´t look hurt, his clothes neat and clean - for once. He was plastered to Heero´s side, clutching the ever present violet ribbon that adorned the end of his long braid. And he was looking at Heero with silent adoration in his eyes. She snorted silently. What else was new?
"Sister Helen from the Maxwell Church?" the pleasant looking man behind the heavy wooden table stood and walked around the table, then offered her his hand.
She shook it. "Yes, Mr. Noventa. I came as soon as possible. I apologize for any inconvenience my boys caused you." He nodded silently and so she continued: "Can you tell me what happened here?"
"Well, I would like to hear that myself," he answered a hint of amusement in his voice. "I´ve been here at this school for some time, but to have a fight among our new ones on the first day..." He shook his head. "I think these boys broke the school record."
Helen sighed in relief. At least Mr. Noventa seemed more amused than angered by what happened. Two boys thrown out of school on their first day would be the last thing the orphanage needed.
She turned to the children. "Can you tell me what happened here?"
The glaring match and the silent adoration continued.
"Heero!" she snapped a little bit more sharply than she intended.
The boy blinked and turned to her, suddenly managing to look completely innocent - even through the ugly bruise that marrred his left cheek. He had to have learned it from the braided boy! "Yes, Sis Helen?"
She sighed. "Can you tell me what happened here?" she repeated more slowly.
"He kept pulling on Duo´s braid," he answered and frowned at the Chinese boy again.
"Did not!" the Chinese boy jumped in.
"Did too!" Heero replied.
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
Duo just sighed and kept on watching his hero.
"Enough!" Noventa shouted, to stop the bickering. He turned to Duo. "Duo, is it true? Did Wufei pull your braid?"
The little boy turned his big innocent eyes to the tall principal. "Heero said he did. Then he did."
Sister Helen just shook her head. It was hopeless with these two.
"But you didn´t see Wufei doing it?" Noventa repeated.
Duo frowned. "Heero did. Heero never lies," Duo said in a tone as if he was talking to a less intelligent being. Then he turned to Heero and snuggled closer to him happily.
Now was the time for Noventa to sigh. It was obvious that they wouldn´t learn anything here. "I would suggest we forget this whole thing. It was their first offense so I will let it go. But should it repeat itself they will be punished according to our rules," he said to Helen and she nodded seriously.
"Okay, boys. I think you should make up now," Noventa said as he turned back to the children.
Three heads turned to him in confusion. A silent "huh?" echoed through the room.
"You know - shake hands, put it behind you, start from the beginning. I´m sure this whole thing was just a misunderstanding and everything will be okay from now on." The principal seemed really pleased with himself. "Go on, get up, shake your hands."
The boys stood up slowly and reluctantly met each other in the middle of the room. It was like two mortal enemies meeting. Wufei was the first one to stuck his hand out, head raised with pride. "I´m sorry," he mumbled through his clenched teeth. What a degradation.
Heero just glared at him, making no move to meet him half way. And so Duo jumped in. He caught Wufei´s hand in his and pumped it vigorously. "No prob, Wuffers," he said seriously while his eyes were laughing.
The Chinese boy scowled at him and pulled his hand away from the pumping motion. "My name is Wufei!"
Duo laughed. "Okie, Wufie."
"WuFEI!"
"I understood, Wu-bear."
"You...!" Wufei was out of himself. The stupid braided brat was laughing at him. There had to be justice. He reached out and pulled hard on Duo´s braid that was hanging over his shoulder and down his chest.
"OWW! Heero!" Duo pulled his poor braid from the vicious grip and patted it, a hurt look on his face.
"Hands off!" growled Heero and slapped Wufei´s hand away.
"He started it!" Wufei said, trying to defend himself.
"I did not!"
"He did not!"
"He did!"
"He did not!"
"Did too!"
"Did not!"
Suddenly the two boys were rolling on the floor obviously trying to strangle each other. Duo - a soft pillow from one of the couches in his hands - was jumping around them, swinging the pillow like a dangerous weapon, yelling at Wufei to let go of his Heero..
Noventa and Helen groaned and dove between the fighters before they managed
to hurt each other. This was obviously going to be a really long year....
The End
===
One Moment in Time
AU, POV, Angst ~ 1+2 ~ One moment can change your whole life.
(Principal Noventa´s POV)
The shot that echoed through the halls of the school caused me to jump and drop the book I was pulling out of the bookcase in my office. I let it lay where it fell and threw the door open. The children were running up and down the corridor, some were screaming. Everyone was scared to death.
I stepped out in the corridor and stopped one of the students to ask him where the shot came from. The small boy was on the verge of tears as he pointed down the stairs. I let him go and ran down. Maybe it was stupid. Maybe I should have called the cops first, but I needed to check what happened. I was sure that one of the teachers who had been here longer than me and was more used to the ups and downs of a teacher´s life took care of that already.
I stopped on the second floor and looked around. Everything was silent here, no one was running or screaming. It was as if everybody was frozen in their places. Some stared at the small red haired boy who was kneeling on the floor, rocking back and forth, the smoking gun at his feet. Others seemed to have made a circle around something on the other side of the corridor.
I moved down the corridor slowly, checking on the boy with the gun first. He was in shock, crying and repeating over and over that he didn´t mean it. Later I found that he just wanted to show his friends his father´s gun. He just wanted to look important in their eyes. Poor boy.
After making sure that he was relatively okay I made my way down the corridor, pushing through the mass of students, asking them to let me through. Finally I arrived at the edge of the small circle and looked down at what everybody was staring at. And I could feel myself growing cold.
On the floor in the middle of the crowd laid two boys. I recognized them immediately. Maxwell and Yuy. The ones who caused the fight with the Chang boy on their first day here. Yuy... Heero was lying on his side, his eyes closed. He was incredibly pale, a pool of crimson blood spreading around his body. Next to him, as close as possible, the other boy - Duo - was lying. On his side, his one hand clutching the hand of his friend, while he was caressing Heero´s cheek with the other. His eyes were wide open, empty, almost void of life. He was as pale as his friend, but he seemed unharmed. I realized that he must be in shock.
I dropped on my knees next to them. I swallowed dryly. I was a teacher, a principal, not a doctor. Sure I knew how to bandage a knee or splint a broken leg, but a gunshot wound... I touched Heero´s shoulder to see how bad it was. He didn´t stir or make any sound. There - the bullet went clean through his shoulder. I just hoped that it went high enough not to damage
any vital organs. I just hoped that the paramedics would come soon because the bleeding didn´t seem to be slowing down. Oh God, so much blood...
Then I heard a whisper. It was so silent that I almost missed it. I turned to Duo and saw his lips move. He seemed to be repeating the same words over and over again, his eyes fixed on his best friend. I leant closer to hear better and I could feel tears burn on the back of my eye lids.
It was a silent stream of "please wake up please wake up please wake up please wake up please wake up..." and it broke my heart.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-
(Sister Helen´s POV)
Together with Father Maxwell we rushed down the corridors of the Mercy Hospital. Principal Noventa´s call caught us coming from the noon mass. I expected to hear about another fight Heero and Duo caused. I expected anything but the news he gave us.
He was in Mercy hospital. Heero had been shot and Duo was in deep shock. I swallowed painfully, forcing my tears down. Now was not the time to break down. The boys needed us now.
We found Mr. Noventa sitting in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs in the small waiting room. He stood up when he spotted us. He looked disturbed, maybe he was in a bit of shock himself. The St. Michael´s school had a good reputation, nothing like that happened there in a long time, not since he became the principal and started to clean up the school.
We sat next to him and he told us what happened. Some boy stole his father´s gun and brought it to school to look more important in the eyes of his friends. He didn´t want to shoot anybody, he was just showing it to his friends when it fired. And Heero, who was just coming out of his class with Duo, was just in the wrong place in the wrong time. He was hit in the shoulder and was bleeding badly when the EMT's came. And for the first time I noticed the dried blood on his white trousers. He must have been kneeling in it. I swallowed again when I felt the nausea starting to grow.
To take my mind off the blood, I asked about Duo. Where was he? For a moment Mr Noventa covered his face with his hands and when he looked up he suddenly looked twenty years older. Duo went into shock seeing his friend get shot. He latched onto his hand and refused to let go when the paramedics arrived. It was as if he didn´t hear them. His grip was so strong that the paramedics just couldn´t get him loose without seriously harming him. So they sedated him.
He was now resting in one of the rooms down the hall. And Heero... Heero was in surgery.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-
(Father Maxwell´s POV)
We had been here for hours now. Since the nursing staff allowed us to visit Duo, we moved to the small private room where he was sleeping. They even brought chairs for us. It was against the hospital rules but everybody knew what happened here and they were as touched by it as we were. So for once they made an exception for us.
Mr Noventa stayed with us. He wanted to wait for the surgery to end. He wanted to know how Heero was before he would take care of everything else in this case. Case... I sounded almost as impersonal as the policemen who visited us some time ago. There were even some journalists. They came to ask their questions and write about the school shooting. They didn´t bother us too long though. Nurse Matthews, an older, motherly looking woman, took care of them.
Helen was crying silently, holding one of Duo´s small hands in hers. I had to swallow painfully when I looked at him. He looked so small and forlorn in the big bed. They left him dressed in his brown T-shirt with a teddybear on the front. He was so pale, dark circles under his eyes. His breathing was shallow and he didn´t even stir since we arrived here. One of the young ER
doctors who stopped by told us that the sedative should wear off soon. I didn´t know what we would tell him when he woke up though. We still didn´t have any news about Heero. I just hoped... I prayed to God that he would spare the young lives because I knew that if Heero died, Duo would just fade away. They were so tightly bound together that they wouldn´t be able to survive on their own.
Suddenly the door opened and an old, tired looking doctor stepped in. We stood up and moved closer, urgently asking about Heero. Did he survive? Will he be okay? And when he smiled - even if just a little - we felt our hearts grow lighter, our hopes rise. He gave us the most wonderful news – Heero would be okay, he survived the surgery. The wound in itself wasn´t life
threatening. It was the blood loss that was making them still a little worried. His medical condition was still listed as serious, but it was more because of his young age than anything else. It was a major trauma for such a small body and he underwent a serious operation. But the doctor was convinced that our Heero was out of the woods.
Sister Helen hugged me, sobbing with happiness and even Mr. Noventa looked a little bit too bright eyed. And for the first time in many years I cried too.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-
(Nurse Matthews´ POV)
It was already late and my shift was ending soon. Today it was more tiring than usually. A shot kid always took its toll on everybody in the ER. And when it was an orphan too... And the other boy. They had to sedate him to get him to release his friend. They were so small, little kids. They should be sleeping in their beds now, hugging a teddybear and not to spend a night in the hospital.
This was my last round and the braided boy´s room should be my last too. I convinced the priest to go home some time ago. The nun wouldn´t go, so I at least forced her to take a break and go to the cafeteria. The food wasn´t much there, but it was food at least. Her dedication to her kids was unbelievable. I knew that she would do the same for any of her kids - God
forbid that it happened again - but I think she had a soft spot in her heart for these two boys. I heard her talking about them with such love and pride as only a mother could. It was touching.
I took the card that hung beside the door of the boy´s - Duo´s room. He should wake up any time now. I just hoped that he wouldn´t be scared or panicked when he woke up in a strange place. Maybe I shouldn´t have sent the nun away. But on the other hand, the poor woman really needed a break.
I opened the door, prepared to check on the boy quickly so as not to disturb him much. But then I froze. The bed was empty. I switched the light on and the harsh brightness filled the room. I checked under the bed, behind the cabinets, in the cabinets, but he just wasn´t there. He must have sneaked out when I wasn´t looking. But how did he manage to do it?
Before I had the time to panic the nun returned. Her eyes grew wide seeing the empty bed, and with fear she asked about the whereabouts of her boy. When I appologized that I didn´t know, that he slipped away when I wasn´t looking and promised to start a search party for him, she just smiled. She snickered and told me that it wasn´t necessary, that she knew exactly where Duo was. I must have looked pretty confused, because she just told me to follow her.
When we took the elevator and stepped out on the third floor it dawned on me. The other boy. But how would Duo know where to look for him? When I asked, the nun laughed. Duo had his ways she said.
We stopped in front of the door behind which the Heero Yuy slept. Nurse Williams at the nurse station looked at us and when I waved her closer she raised her eyebrows and joined us. Silently we opened the door.
The light was low but the two lumps on the bed were clearly visible. I heard Nurse Williams gasp in surprise and I felt somehow delighted that the sneaky little bastard didn´t manage to slip only by me. We moved closer to the bed to make sure that the braided boy wasn´t hurting his friend. The picture looked cute, but the patient´s health was more important. But what we saw made us smile even broader.
Duo was lying on Heero´s uninjured side, curled up around his hurt friend, their heads almost touching. He was lying on the covers only in his boxers and t-shirt, his feet bare, one hand clutching Heero´s hand tightly, his other arm curled under his head. And even though he was soundly asleep, he was mumbling something to himself. And when we moved closer to find out what it was, we had to stifle a laugh.
"... stup´d grow´ ups... don´ und´rst´nd anyth... hate needles..."
And since the nun - Sister Helen - offered to stay and watch over them we decided to let them sleep. I don´t know if we would have even managed to separate them without whacking them both over their stubborn heads, because as we watched Heero´s hand tighten around Duo´s, I could swear a little smile settled on his lips.
The End
===
Hurting
AU, Angst ~ 1+2 ~ Sequel to One Moment in Time
"Ah, Mary... I really don´t know what I should do anymore," Helen sighed, her voice tired and sad. She was standing by the window, where she could overlook the small garden that laid behind the orphanage. There under the big oak tree, her two favourite boys sat. Just looking at them made her heart ache.
The other occupant of the room, a tall, sophisticated woman dressed in grey flannel, with her hair tied in a bun on the nape of her neck - came closer. She stood next to her friend and looked out of the window too. "You are doing everything you can, my friend."
Helen looked at her. "Am I?"
Marry touched the nun´s shoulder. "Helen, you love them, you are there for them, you would die for them. There is nothing more you could do."
Helen shook her head and looked down at the boys again. Heero sat in a comfortable padded chair, bundled up in blankets. Even from this distance, she could see how pale he still was. Next to him on a plain wooden chair, his best friend, Duo Maxwell sat. But everything that was Duo - his brightness and cheerfulness - was gone now. His face as pale as his friend´s, drawn, no smile in sight except the ones he gave his friend. Seeing Duo glare at one of the boys who was playing with a ball and came too close to them, she sighed. "It´s not enough. I can´t reach them. Heero isn´t responding to anybody but Duo. He didn´t say a word to me or anybody else since he got out of the hospital. Not even the psychologists we brought him to know what to do with him anymore. And Duo? He won´t move away from Heero. He has to have him in sight at all times. They are like Siamese twins. They were inseparable before but now... When I came to the hospital for Duo because they´d discharged him... I´ve never seen him so angry, furious. He was screaming and fighting me. He didn´t want to leave Heero. Heavens, Mary, he tore away from me and ran out into the street," she said, her throat painfully tight. "He doesn´t care anymore for anything besides Heero. When we sent him to school, it was a disaster. The Principal called us to come for him because he beat up some boy. He broke the boy's nose, Mary!" She blinked a couple of times to get rid of the tears that gathered in her eyes. She turned her head and looked out of the window. "The boy´s parents demanded that he be expelled immediately. Said he is dangerous. Fortunately, the Principal managed to explain what happened. They understood, but demanded he not come back until his problems are solved, otherwise they will sue the school." She sighed again and pressed her forehead against the cool glass.
"Duo reacts really strongly to everything that happened. What about Heero?" Mary asked. She was studying the two boys in the shade, watching Duo fuss over his friend.
"It´s hard to say. He keeps everything hidden. The only reaction you can get out of him is when you separate him from Duo. The last time that happened, he was on the verge of a panic attack. It´s as if they lived in their own world, you know, completely separated from the outside, where only the two of them exist."
"What did the other therapeutists say?" Mary folded her hands on her chest.
"Nothing much. Something about typical signs of PTSD, but that was all. Every time they thought they made a breakthrough, they hit another wall." The frustration was clearly palpable in Helen´s voice.
"Why didn´t you continue to visit them? You know how substantial professional help is in these cases," Mary gently reprimanded her friend.
"I know but... The boys reacted badly to them. Duo got hostile and Heero just clamped down." She shook her head. "You are my last hope, Mary." Helen turned to the other woman. "They know you. They trust you and you are an excellent psychologist. I know that you are not practicing anymore, but you were there when Heero was brought here. You know his background and Duo´s too." Helen reached out and touched her friend´s shoulder. "You are the only one Duo talked to after Solo died..." she reminded her.
Mary sighed. She knew that Helen was probably right. She remembered how she took care of Duo after his friend, the boy he called brother, Solo died of cancer. Unfortunately, it was him who discovered the dead boy. Her heart still ached when she remembered being brought to the distraught boy who refused to let go of his friend, urging him to wake up over and over again. It took a lot out of her to put the broken boy back together. And now they were back almost in the same situation.
"Helen, I would like to help, but I too consider these boys my family. I might be too emotionally involved to be objective enough. There are excellent specialists I can recommend you..."
"Mary please...," the nun interrupted her. "Please talk to them. Just try it, okay? If it doesn´t work, I will do everything you will say. Just... I´m desperate here... Please."
Mary regarded her old friend, then looked out of the window at the two small boys damaged by an experience that had the power to destroy an adult and not just two 6-year-olds. Her heart went out to them.
"All right. I will try," she gave in.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Mary crossed the lawn, and headed in the direction of the big oak tree standing proudly in the middle of the garden. Some of the children shouted a greeting to her and she waved to them. When she came closer to the tree, she slowed her pace deliberately but still she saw Duo move closer to his injured friend and Heero glare at her. This wouldn´t be easy... but she didn´t expect it to be.
When she got to them, she smiled gently and dropped to her knees, heedless of the stains that immediately appeared on her light grey trousers. "Hello, Heero. Hello, Duo," she greeted them. "Do you remember me?"
For a long moment the boys just looked at her, then Duo nodded slowly. "´f course, Mrs. Mary," he said quietly. "You had the cute stuffed puppy in y´r office."
She nodded, remembering the big black and white stuffed puppy with long floppy ears she used in her therapy sessions. "Bonzo. He misses you. Would you like to visit Bonzo again?" she asked, holding her breath.
Duo frowned. "´ro doesn´t know Bonzo. ´e said ´e wasn´t there when ´e was there."
"Bonzo was with his friends at that time, but now he is back. Would you like to introduce Bonzo to Heero?" She looked at Heero, and saw the tiny flicker of interest pass through his eyes. Maybe...
Duo looked at his friend, then at her, then back to him. "I think ´ro ´uld like to meet Bonzo," he said reluctantly in the end.
She smiled, and turned to the pale looking Japanese boy. "What do you think, Heero? Would you like to meet Bonzo?"
She noticed how much effort he put into maintaining the scowl on his face. After a while when she didn´t push or insist, the scowl lifted just a little to reveal the true hurting boy beneath it. "´kay..." he whispered finally, looking away immediately.
She smiled again. The first step - no matter how small - had been made. But the journey ahead of them was long.
The End
AU, Angst ~ 1+2 ~ Heero is the new kid in the Maxwell Orphanage.
"Children!" Sister Helen called to get the children’s attention as she stepped into the big playroom in the Maxwell Orphanage. She pushed a small boy in front of her dressed in blue pants and blue sweater and white tennis shoes. He had dark brown hair, cobalt blue eyes and a sullen expression on his face.
The children gathered around her watching the boy curiously. "This is Heero. He is five and he will be living with us from now on. I hope you will be good to him." The children nodded vigorously. Sister Helen turned Heero to face her and crouched in front of him. "I hope you will like it here, Heero. If you should need something, anything at all, just come to me, all right?"
The boy just looked at her, not even blinking. She sighed. She feared that this one would be really difficult. She read his file and what she saw she didn’t like at all. The boy’s parents had gotten killed when thieves had broken in their house. Since then he had lived with his uncle, some scientist or something. Nobody had known that he was abusing the child until his teacher in the kindergarten saw the bruises on his arms and torso. The social worker immediately took him away from his uncle, bringing him to the hospital first. As soon as he was in a better physical state they called her. The nun managed the small Maxwell Orphanage together with Father Maxwell and she loved the children with her whole heart and soul. She just hoped that Heero would be okay here.
"You can now go and play, dinner will be in approximately two hours so you have a lot of time to make some friends here," she said to him, caressing his shoulder lightly. She sighed when she saw that the boy didn’t move at all and looked around for help. A little boy with long rope of chestnut hair and big violet eyes clutching an old wooden doll caught her eyes. He was standing nearby watching the newcomer with sad eyes. Duo... the child who had been here the longest time. He had been brought here as a newborn and sadly nobody had wanted to adopt him since then. A couple of pairs tried to take him in but they thought him to be too exuberant and always brought him back, never finding out how much that hurt the bright, lonely boy. Duo greeted every new child first, trying to make them happy, to make them smile. But he himself always had a sad look in his eyes, understanding that another child had been left alone in this world.
"Duo," she called. The braided boy dressed in violet sweats and brown softies trotted over to her, clutching the wooden toy tightly to his chest. "Duo, would you take care of Heero? Show him around, where everything is?" she asked him.
Duo nodded excitedly. "Will do, Sis’ Helen."
Helen smiled and got up. Yes, Duo will take good care of the boy. She turned around and walked out of the room.
The braided boy turned to Heero and smiled brightly. "Hi, I’m Duo. What’s your name?"
The other boy didn’t bother to reply; instead he turned around and went to one of the big windows leading outside to the small garden.
"Hey, you didn’t answer me and that’s rude." Duo skipped alongside him. "Your name is Heero, right? What do you like to do?"
Heero frowned. Couldn’t the boy just go away? He just wanted to be by himself. But the loudmouthed idiot was following him around the room, talking about all and nothing. Heero sat down on the carpeted ground under the window and pulling his knees to his chest, laying his arms on them. He still couldn’t believe that they took him away from his uncle. Yeah, life wasn’t peachy with him, but he had had a stabile point in his life. But now... And the braided fool was still talking to him.
Duo dropped next to Heero on the ground. "You don’t talk much, huh?" he asked when the boy didn’t bother to acknowledge him at all. He looked down at the wooden doll in his arms. It was a simple toy. A hard trunk with long dangling limbs. But what brought Duo the most comfort was the smiling face of the toy. The doll was his only real friend - he called him Shini - and it’s smiling face had always been able to cheer him up. ‘Maybe it would be able to cheer the other boy too?’ He thought to himself. Caressing its face he offered the toy to Heero. "Would you like to play?"
The longhaired idiot - what was his name? Duo - was still bothering him and his cold attitude didn’t help Heero in getting rid of him. Maybe it was time to take more drastic measures? He looked at the battered old wooded doll Duo was offering him. What a stupid toy. He took it from him and didn’t even bother to look at Duo’s bright smile. But instead to play with it he threw it away with all his might. He watched the doll slam against a wall and fall down to ground - broken. That brought him out of the uncaring coldness that surrounded his heart and mind. He didn’t... he didn’t mean to do that. He didn’t mean to break it...
Duo watched his doll drop to the ground broken in two pieces - and he couldn’t believe it. His toy... His friend... Heero had broken it... He crawled over to the shattered doll and picked it into his arms. The head... the smiling face and carved hair... the doll’s neck was broken and the head had fallen off. He clutched both of the pieces to his chest uncaring about the other children chasing each other around the room or playing with the other toys. His friend, Shini, was dead...
With a clenched heart Heero watched the braided boy embracing the toy he had destroyed. Duo’s big violet eyes filled with tears and his shoulders shook with tiny sobs. Heero could feel his eyes burning too. He didn’t mean it... He didn’t mean to do it. He just wanted to be left alone. He didn’t want to hurt the boy.
Heero embraced his bent legs, pulling them tightly to his chest. He didn’t mean it... He didn’t...
***
Helen yawned as she made her way down the hall from her room to the big sleeping room the children shared, the moon light her only source of light. She always checked on them a couple of times during the night just to make sure they were alright.
She was worried about Duo tonight. She had found out that Heero had broken Duo’s doll. Helen knew that the toy was Duo’s most precious possession. Father Maxwell had given it to him on his first Christmas here. Even as a toddler he had always been dragging the doll with him everywhere. She knew that it brought him comfort when even she or Father Maxwell couldn’t help. But now...
She sighed and brought the bathrobe even closer to her body. With little money to spare, they couldn’t afford to heat the whole orphanage up and mainly at night it was getting chilly within the corridors. She stepped to the door leading into the children’s sleeping room when she saw a light under the door of the small office where Father Maxwell usually worked. She frowned, knowing that it wasn’t him in there. Father Maxwell had to leave for a couple of days unfortunately. Now, when Duo would need him the most.
She crossed the hall to the office curious about whom it might be in there. She opened the door and peered inside. Her eyebrows shoot up when she recognized Heero sitting on the chair behind the table, dressed only in his blue pajamas with little red cars and with the tennis shoes on his feet, working on something in the light of the small table lamp. He was concentrating so much on his task that he didn’t even notice her when she approached him.
"What are you doing, Heero?" she asked quietly while peeking over his shoulder.
The boy jumped up in the chair and looked up at her. "I... I..." he stammered and looked back at what he had been doing.
The doll, she realized. He was repairing Duo’s doll. With a paste and an adhesive tape he had found on the table he had been able to attach the head back to the trunk. Helen had to admit that he was quite skilful. Only the bright piece of tape covering the doll’s neck revealed where the brake had been. "That looks good, Heero," she praised him laying one hand around his small shoulders.
He lay the toy on the table softly, his hands resting in his lap. "I didn’t mean to break it. Really. I didn’t mean to make Duo sad," he admitted quietly.
Helen sighed and kissed the boy on the top of his head. "I know, Heero. I know. But you must know that this doll means the world for Duo. It’s something that belongs only to him where everything else he has to share. He considers the doll his best friend. You hurt him really badly when you broke it."
Heero was quiet but he hung his head a little. "I’m sorry."
"You don’t have to say it to me. Apologize to Duo. He will forgive you, I’m sure of it. But you should really go to bed now. It’s late and you shouldn’t even be awake." She helped him get down from the chair and laid the doll in his arms. She smiled when she saw him clutch it tightly to his chest. With her hand on his shoulder they left the small and quite messy office after she had turned off the light.
They stepped into the sleeping room where rows and rows of beds on both sides of the room stood. In most of them small children where sleeping peacefully. Heero scrambled up his bed that was positioned next to Duo’s and Helen covered him up to his neck. She stopped when she saw him still gripping the toy tightly in his left hand.
"I will return it to him in the morning. I promise," he said seeing her looking at the toy.
She nodded. "Okay, I trust you, Heero." She bent down and kissed him on his forehead. "Goodnight. And no other night journeys, okay?"
He nodded and with a light caress to his face she turned and checking on the other children she left the room closing the door behind her.
"His name is Shini, ya know."
The voice coming from Duo’s bed startled Heero. He thought that the other child was asleep. He turned on his side and looked over at Duo seeing his big violet eyes shining in the moonlight. The braided boy was laying on his side too, one hand bent under his head.
"I named him Shini and he is my best friend," Duo whispered not wanting to wake the others.
"I didn’t want to steal him," Heero whispered back. When he had gone to try and repair it he had taken the doll from then small nightstand next to Duo’s bed where the other boy had laid it before going to sleep. "I wanted to fix it."
"Did it go well?"
Heero nodded and sat up in his bed. He raised his hand with the doll and offered it to Duo. The violet-eyed boy sat up too and reaching over the small gap between the two beds he took the toy back from Heero. He looked at the fixed neck, caressing the tape there. Then he raised his eyes back to Heero. "Thank you."
Heero shrugged and lowered his eyes to his blanket. Then remembering Helen’s words he said quietly: "I didn’t mean to break it. I didn’t."
Duo only nodded, clutching the toy to his chest.
"I... I’m sorry..." There were tears in Heero’s voice. He felt so lonely. Even living with his bad uncle was better than being all alone in the world like he was now.
After a moment of silence there was a rustle coming from Duo’s bed and then the sound of bare feet on the ground. When he looked up, Duo was standing next to his bed in his white pyjamas with small green frogs. Some of his hair had escaped the loose braid and he looked adorably cute. "You want me to sleep with you tonight?" he offered. "You won’t feel so lonely anymore."
Heero blinked uncertainly. He would like to but... Would Duo really... Would he do it for him after what he had done? Heero couldn’t believe that Duo would be so forgiving even though Sister Helen had told him that he was. "Would you?" he asked finally, quite shyly.
Duo nodded, smiling brightly once again. Heero lifted his blanket and moved a bit to the right, allowing Duo to climb under the covers with him. They lay down on their sides facing each other, the doll lying on the pillow between them. They were watching each other for a while before Duo broke the silence with a whisper: "Y´know, Shini is great, but sometimes... sometimes he isn’t enough anymore. Maybe... maybe we could have each other," he suggested carefully.
Heero thought about it for a while. It would be great to have somebody who would belong only to you. Just like Shini belonged to Duo. If Duo would be his and he would be Duo’s they wouldn’t be lonely anymore. Heero could feel a warm feeling spreading all over him just thinking about it. To have somebody who would really care...
"Yeah, it would be great," he answered, the longing evident in his voice.
Duo smiled brightly and reaching over, he caught one of Heero’s hands in his own and squeezed it. "Kay."
"Kay." Heero smiled too, for the first time in years. He wasn’t lonely anymore because now he had Duo. And he would never let him go...
The End
===
Christmas Eve
AU, Humor ~ 1+2 ~ Heero and Duo are waiting for the Santa Claus.
The two small boys were sitting on the bench under the window. They were curled up together sharing a big warm blanket. It was Christmas Eve and they were determined to see Santa Claus no matter what. So when Sister Helen finished her nightly check up, they snuck out of their beds, leaving Shini safely tucked under Heero´s warm covers and made themselves comfortable on the small bench. The window was frosted over and they had to breathe on it to clear two small "lookie holes" as they called them, just big enough for them to see through. The place at the window was fairly cool and they shivered from cold from time to time but instead of going to bed - where they should have been sleeping like all the other children - they just snuggled closer together, hugging each other around their waists and peering outside in hope to spot the magical gift bringer.
"Heero, you up?" Duo asked as he blinked sluggishly. The warmth he felt right then and the comforting thumping sound of Heero´s heart as he laid his head against his chest were making him sleepy. But he didn´t want to sleep. He wanted to see Santa Claus.
"Huh?" answered Heero after a couple of seconds. "Yeah, I'm awake. Not sleeping." He shook his head a little to emphasize his statement. "You?"
Duo opened his eyes very very wide to prevent them from closing. "´wake. No sleep," he answered. "See?"
"Hm."
They were quiet for some time and Duo´s eyes started to close again when Heero asked in a hushed tone: "Duo? D´you really b´lieve that Santa exists?"
Duo forced his eyes to open just a bit again but the strain he was putting on them was starting to make his head ache a little. "Yeah, he ´xists really."
"Huh?" Heero yawned and snuggled closer to Duo, hugging him tightly. "How c´n you tell?"
"He gave you to me," Duo reasoned in a thick, sleep filled voice.
That seemed to startle Heero and it roused him from his sleepy state - well, just a little bit. "But, I didn´t come ´ere on Chris´mas Eve."
"I know, dummy." Duo patted Heero´s arm and brought the blanket - that slipped away a little during his moving his arm - closer around them to ward off the chill that was coming from the window. "Santa comes even during the year and brings you presents but you just don´t know it´s him. It´s a big secret," he added in a very hushed whisper. After that his eyes closed again and this time he didn´t fight to open them again. He would just rest them for a while.
"´ro? You ´wake?" he asked a couple of minutes later.
"Huh..." was the only answer that came. Heero - who was propped against the wall and was holding Duo practically in his lap - just couldn´t open his eyes no matter what. They seemed like they were superglued. And so - after he gave it a second of thinking - he decided to just try it a little bit later. Maybe they will work then.
"Is good. Would really hate to miss Santa," Duo managed to say before he fell asleep leaning against his best friend, being held and holding him in his small arms.
And so they slept. Unnoticed, their small "lookie holes" frosted over again, and the snow began to fall, covering everything in a shiny white blanket and the cheerful sound of jingle bells could be heard in the silent night.
The End
===
Itch and Scratch
AU, Humor ~ 1+2 ~ Chicken pox!
*scratch, scratch*
"Duo?"
"Huh?"
"What are you doing?"
"Well... scratching."
"You know you shouldn´t do that. It only makes it worse."
"I knooooooow, but it itches!"
*scratch, scratch*
Heero walked over to the other bed in the orphanage´s infirmary and caught Duo´s sock clad hands in his. Sister Helen had dressed Duo´s hands in thick socks not knowing what to do with him anymore besides tying him down to the bed.
"Stop!" said the blue eyed boy with all of the authority a five year old could have.
"But it iiiiitcheeeeees," Duo whined trying to pull away from the firm grip to scratch the offending red spots that covered all of his body. He even had one on the tip of his nose. He tried to look at the bright red spot and his eyes crossed funnily. "And the white stuff Sis Helen put on it is smelly."
Heero glared at him. "I know. I have it too. Thanks to you!" He didn´t really mean it but he was getting cranky too. Duo´s mood was infectious.
"Well, I didn´t know. How could I know that the small red dots on my skin were chicken pox? I've never had it before," the braided boy defended himself.
Heero let go of Duo´s hands hoping against hope that his best friend would stop to scratch himself. It made Heero´s spots itch even more. He folded his arms on his pajama clad chest and leaned against the pillow looking away from Duo. "Of course you didn´t have it. People get it only once in their life."
"Well, then you should be glad that you got it from me. You won´t get it in the future."
Heero frowned at the other boy´s twisted logic. He gave Duo a sidelong glance and saw his right hand sneaking up his left arm ever so slowly in an attempt to reach his chest and scratch. "Duo, I see you," he warned him without looking at him directly.
Duo pouted. "Then what should I do? I´m booooored," he whined again.
Heero sighed. He took the wooden doll sitting on the small nightstand and pushed it into Duo´s arms. "Here, scratch the doll."
Duo raised his eyebrows. "Huh?" He eyed the blue eyed boy warrily. Maybe his brain got chicken pox too.
Heero sighed and rolled his eyes. "You should scratch the doll and imagine that you scratch yourself."
The braided boy frowned. "And why should I do that?"
Heero frowned too. "Not sure. I heard the people in the hospital talking. It should help." Unconsciously he started to scratch his arm.
"Heero?"
"Yes?"
"You are scratching."
Hiding his hands under the blanket Heero´s cheeks coloured. "Was not."
&suot;Was too," Duo retorted. But today he quickly lost interest in their usual fight. He looked at the doll in his arms and sighed. "Well, at least Shini can´t catch it from us."
Heero didn´t even bother to answer that one.
"Heero?"
"Hm?"
"I´m bored."
Heero sighed. That was the fifth time in an hour that Duo said that. Okay, so he was bored himself. And he was cranky. And every part of his body itched. And he wanted a strawberry lollipop.
"What should I do?" Duo asked in a pitiful voice while trying to get the doll to stand on its head.
"Count."
Duo let the doll fall down on the bed and looked at his best friend. "Huh?"
Heero turned his head to him and pointed at his red dots. "Count the chicken pox. You know how to count, right?"
"Yeah, but only to twenty." He looked at his dotted feet that were sticking out from under the blanket. "And there are"a lot more. Twenty won´t be enough."
"It will do." Heero would do anything to forget the itching.
Duo´s bored face brightened. "Okay." He laid Shini safely aside and then he pushed the blanket aside and started to strip off his pajamas.
After a while only the sound of counting aloud could be heard in the big white room of the infirmary.
"One."
"Two."
"Four."
"Three, Duo."
"Huh?"
"Three comes before four."
"I knew that."
"Right. Six."
"You forgot five, Heero."
"..."
"Seven."
"Eight."
***
Sister Helen finally got all the children to take their afternoon nap and was on the way to the infirmary to check on her two patients. It was suspiciously quiet in there.
She opened the door quietly and peered inside. What she saw made her smile. The boys were soundly asleep. Duo was curled up on his side facing his best friend and Heero lay on his stomach, head turned in the direction of the braided boy. She chuckled. They were just so cute.
She stepped into the room and walked to the beds. With raised eyebrows, she looked at the naked bodies covered with red dots. ´What were the two of them doing here?´ she wondered. Shaking her head, she bent down to pick up their pajamas and to retrieve the blankets that had fallen to the floor. She laid the pajamas aside and covered both boys thoroughly. The last thing they needed were for the two of them to catch colds.
She thought about how unusual it was that only the two of them had caught the chicken pox. When Duo came to her with an aching head and "itchy dots" she mentally prepared herself for an epidemic in the orphanage. But in the end only Duo and Heero caught them. She was convinced that Heero got the chicken pox only out of solidarity to his friend. She never saw two people who would be as close to each other as these two were and she prayed to God that nothing unexpected would happen to any of them. She knew that should they lose each other, it would kill them. Of that she was sure. It was as if they shared one soul in two bodies.
Tucking the blankets tightly around the boys she kissed them on their slightly warm foreheads and with a last glance she left the room.
And the boys slept peacefully, dreaming about wonderful things like lollipops and backscratchers.
The End
===
When I Grow Up
AU, Humor ~ 1+2 ~ Future plans? :-)
"When I grow up I´m gonna be a pilot," said the small boy. "I´m gonna have this really biiiiiig plane and am gonna fly all over the world with it."
Sister Helen smiled. "That´s a really nice dream, Kenny. I am sure you will reach your goal one day."
The boy looked at her with an eager expression on his face and nodded happily.
Sister Helen, sitting on the floor of the play room in the orphanage together with the children, looked around the small group. Whom could she ask now? She didn´t want anybody to feel left out. Ah, Heero! "And what about you, Heero?"
The small boy in white sweats looked at her through his unruly bangs for a moment as if thinking about her question thoroughly. Then he threw a glance at his best friend, one Duo Maxwell. The other boy with a long braid, dressed in black sweats looked at him curiously. "I´m gonna marry Duo," said Heero finally very seriously, his gaze still locked on the violet eyed boy.
The children giggled and Sister Helen gulped. What? Well, she didn´t expect *that*. "Uh, Heero..." What should she say to this? "I´m not sure if you know what exactly it means to marry someone."
Heero glared at her. "Of course I know. I´m not a stupid little kid."
"Ah... right..." Helen had the urge to scratch her head while the wheels in her mind turned with an alarming speed. "Well, that´s... uh... a really unusual wish. Why do you want to marry him?"
Heero looked back at Duo who was watching him with huge eyes, his mouth agape. For once the chatter box was silent. "I don´t want to ever leave him and I don´t want him to ever leave me. When I marry him he´ll have to stay with me."
Ooooookay, she could handle that. "Heero, you don´t have to marry him to keep him with you. You could just ask him not to leave," she suggested gently.
Heero glared at her again. "Won´t work. Someone could come and snatch him away. Won´t allow that. He is mine!" He looked around, the glare still in place, as if to dare the children to say otherwise. When no one uttered a word, he nodded to himself contently.
Helen smiled nervously. Where was Father Maxwell when she needed him? She shifted her eyes from Heero to Duo, who was still sitting quietly watching his best friend with silent adoration. He didn´t look as if had any intention to protest. Okay, no help there.
"Heero, you can´t just claim Duo as yours," she berated him.
He folded his arms on his chest. "Why not?"
"You are still young and you might change your mind in the future. Or forget about it or..." she stopped as she saw Heero tilt his head to the right as if contemplating her words. Then he unfolded his arms and reached in his pocket pulling out a bright violet ribbon.
"I found it. Didn´t steal it," he said to her before she could open her mouth. Then he reached over and gripped Duo´s braid tightly, tying the ribbon around the end of his braid. "There," he nodded to himself, "this way I won´t forget."
She blinked. Okay, that didn´t went as she thought it would. She watched Duo play with the ribbon. Maybe... maybe she should just skip this problem and let the Father handle this one. She had enough stress in her life.
"Very well, Heero," she said to Heero and hoped that it sounded properly cheerful.
Then she looked around the room to find anybody who didn´t answer yet. Finding out that Duo was the only one who still didn´t speak about his dreams she took a deep breath. She just knew that it was not the best idea to ask the boy who was now snuggled closely to his friend, the devotion of a puppy in his eyes every time he looked at Heero. She knew she would regret it but she couldn´t leave him out.
"And what about you, Duo? What do you want to be when you grow up?" she asked crossing her fingers.
Duo looked at her and she could swear she saw little hearts in his eyes. "I´m gonna be his bride!" sounded the excited answer as he snuggled even closer to the white clad boy.
Sister Helen groaned. She knew it!
The End
===
The First Day of School
AU, Humor ~ 1+2 ~ The first day of school is never easy.
The nondescript black car with the "Maxwell Orphanage" logo drawn on it´s door stopped with screeching tires in front of the elementary school. Sister Helen jumped out of the car and heedless of the weird looks the people moving up and down the side-walk were giving her, she ran up the steps leading to the front door of the school.
She knew this wasn´t the best way for a nun to arrive anywhere much less a school and silently she asked Father Maxwell for forgivness, but she was worried and anxious to see her boys. When the school principal called to tell her that two of her children got into a fight at school she didn´t believe it. Not her boys. They were so well behaved. But when the names Maxwell and Yuy were mentioned, she stopped wondering. Nothing could surprise her with these two.
She reached the top floor where the principal´s office was situated in a death run, her breath coming in short puffs. She bent at the waist, propped her hands on her knees and took a deep breath - it was three flights of stairs and she wasn´t quite as young anymore - thanking God that she arrived during class and the halls were deserted. Seeing a nun shoot through the corridor in a mad dash could be traumatizing for some children - and she would never hear the end of it at the orphanage.
Catching her breath finally, she straightened and walking to the door of the principal´s office she raised her hand and knocked. Following the muffled "come in" she opened the door, stepped in and froze at the sight that presented itself to her. On an old couch to her right were Duo and Heero huddled together. On the other old couch to her left was sitting a Chinese boy approximately the boys´ age. Heero and the Chinese boy looked haggard, their clothes torn, faces bruised. They were glaring at each other, their looks promising revenge. Duo didn´t look hurt, his clothes neat and clean - for once. He was plastered to Heero´s side, clutching the ever present violet ribbon that adorned the end of his long braid. And he was looking at Heero with silent adoration in his eyes. She snorted silently. What else was new?
"Sister Helen from the Maxwell Church?" the pleasant looking man behind the heavy wooden table stood and walked around the table, then offered her his hand.
She shook it. "Yes, Mr. Noventa. I came as soon as possible. I apologize for any inconvenience my boys caused you." He nodded silently and so she continued: "Can you tell me what happened here?"
"Well, I would like to hear that myself," he answered a hint of amusement in his voice. "I´ve been here at this school for some time, but to have a fight among our new ones on the first day..." He shook his head. "I think these boys broke the school record."
Helen sighed in relief. At least Mr. Noventa seemed more amused than angered by what happened. Two boys thrown out of school on their first day would be the last thing the orphanage needed.
She turned to the children. "Can you tell me what happened here?"
The glaring match and the silent adoration continued.
"Heero!" she snapped a little bit more sharply than she intended.
The boy blinked and turned to her, suddenly managing to look completely innocent - even through the ugly bruise that marrred his left cheek. He had to have learned it from the braided boy! "Yes, Sis Helen?"
She sighed. "Can you tell me what happened here?" she repeated more slowly.
"He kept pulling on Duo´s braid," he answered and frowned at the Chinese boy again.
"Did not!" the Chinese boy jumped in.
"Did too!" Heero replied.
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
Duo just sighed and kept on watching his hero.
"Enough!" Noventa shouted, to stop the bickering. He turned to Duo. "Duo, is it true? Did Wufei pull your braid?"
The little boy turned his big innocent eyes to the tall principal. "Heero said he did. Then he did."
Sister Helen just shook her head. It was hopeless with these two.
"But you didn´t see Wufei doing it?" Noventa repeated.
Duo frowned. "Heero did. Heero never lies," Duo said in a tone as if he was talking to a less intelligent being. Then he turned to Heero and snuggled closer to him happily.
Now was the time for Noventa to sigh. It was obvious that they wouldn´t learn anything here. "I would suggest we forget this whole thing. It was their first offense so I will let it go. But should it repeat itself they will be punished according to our rules," he said to Helen and she nodded seriously.
"Okay, boys. I think you should make up now," Noventa said as he turned back to the children.
Three heads turned to him in confusion. A silent "huh?" echoed through the room.
"You know - shake hands, put it behind you, start from the beginning. I´m sure this whole thing was just a misunderstanding and everything will be okay from now on." The principal seemed really pleased with himself. "Go on, get up, shake your hands."
The boys stood up slowly and reluctantly met each other in the middle of the room. It was like two mortal enemies meeting. Wufei was the first one to stuck his hand out, head raised with pride. "I´m sorry," he mumbled through his clenched teeth. What a degradation.
Heero just glared at him, making no move to meet him half way. And so Duo jumped in. He caught Wufei´s hand in his and pumped it vigorously. "No prob, Wuffers," he said seriously while his eyes were laughing.
The Chinese boy scowled at him and pulled his hand away from the pumping motion. "My name is Wufei!"
Duo laughed. "Okie, Wufie."
"WuFEI!"
"I understood, Wu-bear."
"You...!" Wufei was out of himself. The stupid braided brat was laughing at him. There had to be justice. He reached out and pulled hard on Duo´s braid that was hanging over his shoulder and down his chest.
"OWW! Heero!" Duo pulled his poor braid from the vicious grip and patted it, a hurt look on his face.
"Hands off!" growled Heero and slapped Wufei´s hand away.
"He started it!" Wufei said, trying to defend himself.
"I did not!"
"He did not!"
"He did!"
"He did not!"
"Did too!"
"Did not!"
Suddenly the two boys were rolling on the floor obviously trying to strangle each other. Duo - a soft pillow from one of the couches in his hands - was jumping around them, swinging the pillow like a dangerous weapon, yelling at Wufei to let go of his Heero..
Noventa and Helen groaned and dove between the fighters before they managed
to hurt each other. This was obviously going to be a really long year....
The End
===
One Moment in Time
AU, POV, Angst ~ 1+2 ~ One moment can change your whole life.
(Principal Noventa´s POV)
The shot that echoed through the halls of the school caused me to jump and drop the book I was pulling out of the bookcase in my office. I let it lay where it fell and threw the door open. The children were running up and down the corridor, some were screaming. Everyone was scared to death.
I stepped out in the corridor and stopped one of the students to ask him where the shot came from. The small boy was on the verge of tears as he pointed down the stairs. I let him go and ran down. Maybe it was stupid. Maybe I should have called the cops first, but I needed to check what happened. I was sure that one of the teachers who had been here longer than me and was more used to the ups and downs of a teacher´s life took care of that already.
I stopped on the second floor and looked around. Everything was silent here, no one was running or screaming. It was as if everybody was frozen in their places. Some stared at the small red haired boy who was kneeling on the floor, rocking back and forth, the smoking gun at his feet. Others seemed to have made a circle around something on the other side of the corridor.
I moved down the corridor slowly, checking on the boy with the gun first. He was in shock, crying and repeating over and over that he didn´t mean it. Later I found that he just wanted to show his friends his father´s gun. He just wanted to look important in their eyes. Poor boy.
After making sure that he was relatively okay I made my way down the corridor, pushing through the mass of students, asking them to let me through. Finally I arrived at the edge of the small circle and looked down at what everybody was staring at. And I could feel myself growing cold.
On the floor in the middle of the crowd laid two boys. I recognized them immediately. Maxwell and Yuy. The ones who caused the fight with the Chang boy on their first day here. Yuy... Heero was lying on his side, his eyes closed. He was incredibly pale, a pool of crimson blood spreading around his body. Next to him, as close as possible, the other boy - Duo - was lying. On his side, his one hand clutching the hand of his friend, while he was caressing Heero´s cheek with the other. His eyes were wide open, empty, almost void of life. He was as pale as his friend, but he seemed unharmed. I realized that he must be in shock.
I dropped on my knees next to them. I swallowed dryly. I was a teacher, a principal, not a doctor. Sure I knew how to bandage a knee or splint a broken leg, but a gunshot wound... I touched Heero´s shoulder to see how bad it was. He didn´t stir or make any sound. There - the bullet went clean through his shoulder. I just hoped that it went high enough not to damage
any vital organs. I just hoped that the paramedics would come soon because the bleeding didn´t seem to be slowing down. Oh God, so much blood...
Then I heard a whisper. It was so silent that I almost missed it. I turned to Duo and saw his lips move. He seemed to be repeating the same words over and over again, his eyes fixed on his best friend. I leant closer to hear better and I could feel tears burn on the back of my eye lids.
It was a silent stream of "please wake up please wake up please wake up please wake up please wake up..." and it broke my heart.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-
(Sister Helen´s POV)
Together with Father Maxwell we rushed down the corridors of the Mercy Hospital. Principal Noventa´s call caught us coming from the noon mass. I expected to hear about another fight Heero and Duo caused. I expected anything but the news he gave us.
He was in Mercy hospital. Heero had been shot and Duo was in deep shock. I swallowed painfully, forcing my tears down. Now was not the time to break down. The boys needed us now.
We found Mr. Noventa sitting in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs in the small waiting room. He stood up when he spotted us. He looked disturbed, maybe he was in a bit of shock himself. The St. Michael´s school had a good reputation, nothing like that happened there in a long time, not since he became the principal and started to clean up the school.
We sat next to him and he told us what happened. Some boy stole his father´s gun and brought it to school to look more important in the eyes of his friends. He didn´t want to shoot anybody, he was just showing it to his friends when it fired. And Heero, who was just coming out of his class with Duo, was just in the wrong place in the wrong time. He was hit in the shoulder and was bleeding badly when the EMT's came. And for the first time I noticed the dried blood on his white trousers. He must have been kneeling in it. I swallowed again when I felt the nausea starting to grow.
To take my mind off the blood, I asked about Duo. Where was he? For a moment Mr Noventa covered his face with his hands and when he looked up he suddenly looked twenty years older. Duo went into shock seeing his friend get shot. He latched onto his hand and refused to let go when the paramedics arrived. It was as if he didn´t hear them. His grip was so strong that the paramedics just couldn´t get him loose without seriously harming him. So they sedated him.
He was now resting in one of the rooms down the hall. And Heero... Heero was in surgery.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-
(Father Maxwell´s POV)
We had been here for hours now. Since the nursing staff allowed us to visit Duo, we moved to the small private room where he was sleeping. They even brought chairs for us. It was against the hospital rules but everybody knew what happened here and they were as touched by it as we were. So for once they made an exception for us.
Mr Noventa stayed with us. He wanted to wait for the surgery to end. He wanted to know how Heero was before he would take care of everything else in this case. Case... I sounded almost as impersonal as the policemen who visited us some time ago. There were even some journalists. They came to ask their questions and write about the school shooting. They didn´t bother us too long though. Nurse Matthews, an older, motherly looking woman, took care of them.
Helen was crying silently, holding one of Duo´s small hands in hers. I had to swallow painfully when I looked at him. He looked so small and forlorn in the big bed. They left him dressed in his brown T-shirt with a teddybear on the front. He was so pale, dark circles under his eyes. His breathing was shallow and he didn´t even stir since we arrived here. One of the young ER
doctors who stopped by told us that the sedative should wear off soon. I didn´t know what we would tell him when he woke up though. We still didn´t have any news about Heero. I just hoped... I prayed to God that he would spare the young lives because I knew that if Heero died, Duo would just fade away. They were so tightly bound together that they wouldn´t be able to survive on their own.
Suddenly the door opened and an old, tired looking doctor stepped in. We stood up and moved closer, urgently asking about Heero. Did he survive? Will he be okay? And when he smiled - even if just a little - we felt our hearts grow lighter, our hopes rise. He gave us the most wonderful news – Heero would be okay, he survived the surgery. The wound in itself wasn´t life
threatening. It was the blood loss that was making them still a little worried. His medical condition was still listed as serious, but it was more because of his young age than anything else. It was a major trauma for such a small body and he underwent a serious operation. But the doctor was convinced that our Heero was out of the woods.
Sister Helen hugged me, sobbing with happiness and even Mr. Noventa looked a little bit too bright eyed. And for the first time in many years I cried too.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-
(Nurse Matthews´ POV)
It was already late and my shift was ending soon. Today it was more tiring than usually. A shot kid always took its toll on everybody in the ER. And when it was an orphan too... And the other boy. They had to sedate him to get him to release his friend. They were so small, little kids. They should be sleeping in their beds now, hugging a teddybear and not to spend a night in the hospital.
This was my last round and the braided boy´s room should be my last too. I convinced the priest to go home some time ago. The nun wouldn´t go, so I at least forced her to take a break and go to the cafeteria. The food wasn´t much there, but it was food at least. Her dedication to her kids was unbelievable. I knew that she would do the same for any of her kids - God
forbid that it happened again - but I think she had a soft spot in her heart for these two boys. I heard her talking about them with such love and pride as only a mother could. It was touching.
I took the card that hung beside the door of the boy´s - Duo´s room. He should wake up any time now. I just hoped that he wouldn´t be scared or panicked when he woke up in a strange place. Maybe I shouldn´t have sent the nun away. But on the other hand, the poor woman really needed a break.
I opened the door, prepared to check on the boy quickly so as not to disturb him much. But then I froze. The bed was empty. I switched the light on and the harsh brightness filled the room. I checked under the bed, behind the cabinets, in the cabinets, but he just wasn´t there. He must have sneaked out when I wasn´t looking. But how did he manage to do it?
Before I had the time to panic the nun returned. Her eyes grew wide seeing the empty bed, and with fear she asked about the whereabouts of her boy. When I appologized that I didn´t know, that he slipped away when I wasn´t looking and promised to start a search party for him, she just smiled. She snickered and told me that it wasn´t necessary, that she knew exactly where Duo was. I must have looked pretty confused, because she just told me to follow her.
When we took the elevator and stepped out on the third floor it dawned on me. The other boy. But how would Duo know where to look for him? When I asked, the nun laughed. Duo had his ways she said.
We stopped in front of the door behind which the Heero Yuy slept. Nurse Williams at the nurse station looked at us and when I waved her closer she raised her eyebrows and joined us. Silently we opened the door.
The light was low but the two lumps on the bed were clearly visible. I heard Nurse Williams gasp in surprise and I felt somehow delighted that the sneaky little bastard didn´t manage to slip only by me. We moved closer to the bed to make sure that the braided boy wasn´t hurting his friend. The picture looked cute, but the patient´s health was more important. But what we saw made us smile even broader.
Duo was lying on Heero´s uninjured side, curled up around his hurt friend, their heads almost touching. He was lying on the covers only in his boxers and t-shirt, his feet bare, one hand clutching Heero´s hand tightly, his other arm curled under his head. And even though he was soundly asleep, he was mumbling something to himself. And when we moved closer to find out what it was, we had to stifle a laugh.
"... stup´d grow´ ups... don´ und´rst´nd anyth... hate needles..."
And since the nun - Sister Helen - offered to stay and watch over them we decided to let them sleep. I don´t know if we would have even managed to separate them without whacking them both over their stubborn heads, because as we watched Heero´s hand tighten around Duo´s, I could swear a little smile settled on his lips.
The End
===
Hurting
AU, Angst ~ 1+2 ~ Sequel to One Moment in Time
"Ah, Mary... I really don´t know what I should do anymore," Helen sighed, her voice tired and sad. She was standing by the window, where she could overlook the small garden that laid behind the orphanage. There under the big oak tree, her two favourite boys sat. Just looking at them made her heart ache.
The other occupant of the room, a tall, sophisticated woman dressed in grey flannel, with her hair tied in a bun on the nape of her neck - came closer. She stood next to her friend and looked out of the window too. "You are doing everything you can, my friend."
Helen looked at her. "Am I?"
Marry touched the nun´s shoulder. "Helen, you love them, you are there for them, you would die for them. There is nothing more you could do."
Helen shook her head and looked down at the boys again. Heero sat in a comfortable padded chair, bundled up in blankets. Even from this distance, she could see how pale he still was. Next to him on a plain wooden chair, his best friend, Duo Maxwell sat. But everything that was Duo - his brightness and cheerfulness - was gone now. His face as pale as his friend´s, drawn, no smile in sight except the ones he gave his friend. Seeing Duo glare at one of the boys who was playing with a ball and came too close to them, she sighed. "It´s not enough. I can´t reach them. Heero isn´t responding to anybody but Duo. He didn´t say a word to me or anybody else since he got out of the hospital. Not even the psychologists we brought him to know what to do with him anymore. And Duo? He won´t move away from Heero. He has to have him in sight at all times. They are like Siamese twins. They were inseparable before but now... When I came to the hospital for Duo because they´d discharged him... I´ve never seen him so angry, furious. He was screaming and fighting me. He didn´t want to leave Heero. Heavens, Mary, he tore away from me and ran out into the street," she said, her throat painfully tight. "He doesn´t care anymore for anything besides Heero. When we sent him to school, it was a disaster. The Principal called us to come for him because he beat up some boy. He broke the boy's nose, Mary!" She blinked a couple of times to get rid of the tears that gathered in her eyes. She turned her head and looked out of the window. "The boy´s parents demanded that he be expelled immediately. Said he is dangerous. Fortunately, the Principal managed to explain what happened. They understood, but demanded he not come back until his problems are solved, otherwise they will sue the school." She sighed again and pressed her forehead against the cool glass.
"Duo reacts really strongly to everything that happened. What about Heero?" Mary asked. She was studying the two boys in the shade, watching Duo fuss over his friend.
"It´s hard to say. He keeps everything hidden. The only reaction you can get out of him is when you separate him from Duo. The last time that happened, he was on the verge of a panic attack. It´s as if they lived in their own world, you know, completely separated from the outside, where only the two of them exist."
"What did the other therapeutists say?" Mary folded her hands on her chest.
"Nothing much. Something about typical signs of PTSD, but that was all. Every time they thought they made a breakthrough, they hit another wall." The frustration was clearly palpable in Helen´s voice.
"Why didn´t you continue to visit them? You know how substantial professional help is in these cases," Mary gently reprimanded her friend.
"I know but... The boys reacted badly to them. Duo got hostile and Heero just clamped down." She shook her head. "You are my last hope, Mary." Helen turned to the other woman. "They know you. They trust you and you are an excellent psychologist. I know that you are not practicing anymore, but you were there when Heero was brought here. You know his background and Duo´s too." Helen reached out and touched her friend´s shoulder. "You are the only one Duo talked to after Solo died..." she reminded her.
Mary sighed. She knew that Helen was probably right. She remembered how she took care of Duo after his friend, the boy he called brother, Solo died of cancer. Unfortunately, it was him who discovered the dead boy. Her heart still ached when she remembered being brought to the distraught boy who refused to let go of his friend, urging him to wake up over and over again. It took a lot out of her to put the broken boy back together. And now they were back almost in the same situation.
"Helen, I would like to help, but I too consider these boys my family. I might be too emotionally involved to be objective enough. There are excellent specialists I can recommend you..."
"Mary please...," the nun interrupted her. "Please talk to them. Just try it, okay? If it doesn´t work, I will do everything you will say. Just... I´m desperate here... Please."
Mary regarded her old friend, then looked out of the window at the two small boys damaged by an experience that had the power to destroy an adult and not just two 6-year-olds. Her heart went out to them.
"All right. I will try," she gave in.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Mary crossed the lawn, and headed in the direction of the big oak tree standing proudly in the middle of the garden. Some of the children shouted a greeting to her and she waved to them. When she came closer to the tree, she slowed her pace deliberately but still she saw Duo move closer to his injured friend and Heero glare at her. This wouldn´t be easy... but she didn´t expect it to be.
When she got to them, she smiled gently and dropped to her knees, heedless of the stains that immediately appeared on her light grey trousers. "Hello, Heero. Hello, Duo," she greeted them. "Do you remember me?"
For a long moment the boys just looked at her, then Duo nodded slowly. "´f course, Mrs. Mary," he said quietly. "You had the cute stuffed puppy in y´r office."
She nodded, remembering the big black and white stuffed puppy with long floppy ears she used in her therapy sessions. "Bonzo. He misses you. Would you like to visit Bonzo again?" she asked, holding her breath.
Duo frowned. "´ro doesn´t know Bonzo. ´e said ´e wasn´t there when ´e was there."
"Bonzo was with his friends at that time, but now he is back. Would you like to introduce Bonzo to Heero?" She looked at Heero, and saw the tiny flicker of interest pass through his eyes. Maybe...
Duo looked at his friend, then at her, then back to him. "I think ´ro ´uld like to meet Bonzo," he said reluctantly in the end.
She smiled, and turned to the pale looking Japanese boy. "What do you think, Heero? Would you like to meet Bonzo?"
She noticed how much effort he put into maintaining the scowl on his face. After a while when she didn´t push or insist, the scowl lifted just a little to reveal the true hurting boy beneath it. "´kay..." he whispered finally, looking away immediately.
She smiled again. The first step - no matter how small - had been made. But the journey ahead of them was long.
The End
