Chapter 7 / 37
Written by Jessi Maxwell - send C&C to Megami_no_Remon@hotmail.com
It was the middle of the night. Zechs was awake, staring idly at the ceiling. The room was lit by a small lamp next to his bed. The soft yellow glow was inoffensive enough that he knew it wouldn't wake Duo.
At the thought of Duo, Zechs turned his head to regard him. He couldn't help but smile slightly at the sight. Duo looked so peaceful and innocent when he slept, despite the gun he had sitting on his endtable. His long chestnut hair was unbound and spilled across the sheets. His lips were slightly parted and curled into the faintest hint of a smile. He was clad in nothing but a black silky pair of pants - everything Duo wore seemed to be black.
Zechs had to be honest with himself. He had no idea at all what to think of Duo Maxwell. He couldn't deny a strong physical attraction - hell, Duo was gorgeous. It was easy to get lost in those vibrant amethyst eyes...But the physical attraction was a fleeting, passing thing - something easily handled and dismissed. What troubled Zechs was the deeper, emotional connection he found himself feeling for the younger teen.
Zechs found himself drawn to the boy's indomitable spirit and strength, the way he laughed in the face of danger and death. And yet despite it all, when he was alone - even though he tried to hide it in front of him - Zechs had seen the pain in Duo's eyes. Duo had never spoken to him again about his past, and Zechs hadn't pried. Zechs found himself longing to mend the wounds that haunted Duo under his mask of jovial good cheer.
// What am I thinking... // he chided himself, still eyeing Duo from across the room. // I'm sure he views me as nothing more than a captive. Although he's been a very gracious host and has treated me more like a guest...and he's very tenderly cared for my injuries. It's not like he can leave or get rid of me, either...someone has to watch me until they're ready to let me go. //
And what would happen when they did? Zechs had the disconcerting feeling he didn't know. Despite his loyalty to Treize and his affiliation with OZ, he was no longer so sure he could bring himself to fight for their ideals. Not after spending time with Duo. Duo was fighting for a noble cause with all his heart, and Zechs deeply respected that. He knew he'd probably never be able to join in combat against Duo Maxwell - or his fellow Gundam pilots - again. And he found he was starting to doubt OZ in his heart. Zechs shook those thoughts away for now and sat up.
He was feeling much better now that time had passed. The biotechnological patches had done wonders on healing his injuries. Moving quietly, Zechs sat up and began to unfasten his bandages. He gently poked and prodded his injuries. His ribs were a little tender still, but not too bad. The nasty gash on his head also seemed to have closed up nicely. His damaged eye was still bloodshot and sensitive even to the dim glow of the lamp, but Zechs was relieved to find his vision had mostly returned. All in all, the only thing he still needed to keep wrapped up was his arm. The break there had been far more severe than the others.
Zechs scooped up his mess as best he could and then moved over to the sink. Despite the bandage on his arm, he managed to get himself washed up to some degree, though washing his long platinum blonde locks proved to be difficult one handed.
After toweling off, Zechs found himself feeling refreshed, like a new man. He sat down in the chair by his bed. Walking was still something he was a bit unsteady with, but he knew his grace would return in time. He was just weak from being stuck in bed for several weeks.
Duo blinked sleepily as Zechs dropped his hairbrush down on the endtable. His violet eyes flew wide when he realized Zechs wasn't in his bed and he scrabbled for his gun, leaping up and casting his gaze around the room. He noticed Zechs sitting in the chair and leaned against the wall with a relieved sigh. "Man, don't do that to me..."
"My apologies, Mr. Maxwell, I didn't mean to wake you."
Duo found himself staring at Zechs. It wasn't the first time he'd seen the OZ pilot without being half obscured by bandages, but usually it was at a distance on a battlefield. Not sitting in nothing but a pair of loose sleeping pants, his long hair curling down over his shoulders and back in wet platinum tendrils. His skin still bore the marks of fading bruises and nearly healed cuts.
Zechs raised an eyebrow when he noticed Duo's stare and slowly stood up. "Is something wrong?"
"You look good," Duo blurted before his mind caught up with his mouth. "I mean, your injuries and stuff. You're almost good as new."
Zechs smiled and took a couple steps towards Duo. "And I have you to thank for that, at least in part. You were an excellent doctor...though your cooking needs work."
"Hey, I'll have you know I only caught the kitchen on fire twice the whole time you've been here!" Duo retorted.
// What am I doing?! // Zechs' mind screamed at him, as he found himself moving seemingly independently of his brain. He walked slowly towards Duo, stopping directly in front of the younger teen. "Thank you, Duo. For everything. For taking care of me...and for opening my eyes."
Duo swallowed and drew his gun up slightly, suddenly a bit nervous, though he couldn't figure why he should be. "Yeah, man, no problem. You probably shouldn't be standing and stuff...I mean, you're still not entirely better and you look a little shaky. And what do you mean, opened your eyes?..."
Zechs eyed him calmly. "I've decided to leave OZ."
Duo couldn't have been more shocked. "Y...You what? Really? Why?"
With a smile, Zechs took another step forward. "You've made me realize what's really worth fighting for. Your devotion to your cause is a thing of beauty. And I have to go where my heart tells me...and OZ no longer suits that ideal. For that, I owe you."
Duo grinned and tried to wave it away, though he was starting to feel a little trapped. Zechs was very close now, and he had nowhere to go with a wall behind him and the headboard to his bed against his left leg. And Zechs WAS still a prisoner - a dangerous prisoner! - under Duo's guard.
"There is one other thing," Zechs murmured, "While we're on the subject of following one's heart..."
"Oh...oh yeah?" Duo squeaked, swallowing. He made an attempt to nonchalantly slip to the side but stopped when Zechs' hand landed on the wall next to him, blocking his escape. "H...Hey...what are you doin'?" he managed to stutter, aware that his cheeks were heating up as he eyed Zechs warily through his bangs.
Zechs found himself acting on impulse, despite the better judgment his mind was screaming at him. One more step and he had nearly pinned Duo to the wall. He knew at that moment he had never seen anything so beautiful as this exquisite boy in front of him. Duo's expression was one of shy, nervous innocence and uncertainty. The blush that was staining his cheeks only served to add to that image. It was at that moment that Zechs knew he WANTED this boy, damn the implications. He either was falling for him or already had.
Duo's mind whirled in a disbelieving swirl of panic. A million things jumped into his head to say, but he tripped himself up and couldn't manage to say any of them. He was overwhelmed by Zechs' nearness. There was something powerful...primal about the man. His eyes widened even further as Zechs' stare locked with his own, trapping him. His heart fluttered like a wounded bird in his chest.
Zechs gave in, closing the distance between them. He lowered his head slowly, his eyes slipping mostly shut.
Duo's eyes couldn't get any larger and he couldn't think clearly. // Oh my god, is he going to...he's....Zechs Merquise is going to KISS me! // His mind reeled at the unreality of it all.
Zechs was close enough that Duo could feel his breath against his lips. Duo's eyes squeezed shut as panic took over, and Zechs froze in place as he felt the barrel of Duo's gun pressing into his chest. He slowly withdrew, taking note of the state of the other boy. Duo was trembling slightly as he snapped his eyes open and ducked under Zechs' arm, extricating himself and stumbling back across the room, keeping his gun trained on him.
"D...don't move..." Duo managed to stammer. He practically ran for the door, fumbling for the code and then bolting out into the hallway.
A slow smile spread across Zechs' lips as he returned to his chair. He could be patient. Good things were worth waiting for.