Disclaimer: It goes without saying that the G-boys don’t belong to me, though I so wish that they did. They all belong to a slew of other people with a lot more money and intelligence than myself.
Pairings: As always, 3x2 and past 1x2, along with a smattering of 4x5 tossed in just for fun.
Warnings: Yaoi, meaning man on man action, though it’s nothing explicit. A bit of lime to keep things interesting.
AN: If you enjoy it, or hate it, or have ideas that I can use, drop me a line or a comment. I’m always thrilled to hear from anyone that takes the time to read what I’ve thought up in my twisted little mind.
BATTERED – PART 1
CRACK
The force of the blow knocked Duo sideways several feet. Wiping the blood off his now split lip he raised his head and narrowed his eyes at the man that had just struck him…again. Shoving away the pain that was both emotional and physical, he spit blood onto the floor – a floor he had cleaned for almost an hour to make sure it was spotless, as per his partner’s instructions.
Horrified blue eyes stared at him, wide with shock for a moment before narrowing in anger, “Why the hell do you have to do stuff like this all the time?”
“Stuff like what?” demanded Duo, reaching over to grab a towel off the counter to staunch the blood still flowing from his mouth. “I haven’t done anything wrong, and you damn well know it. Stop blaming me for your temper.” His heart hurting more than he would have assumed possible, he took a second to glance at the blood on the white cloth.
“You were flirting with him right in front of me!”
With an amazing amount of calm, Duo sighed and tossed the towel back onto the counter. He didn’t want to fight, but knew that unless something drastic was done that that was exactly what was going to happen, and knew that he wouldn’t win. Remembering the resolve he had made to himself the last time Heero had hit him, he began to walk into the bedroom they had shared for the last two years and pulled a bag out of the closet.
When his lover appeared in the doorway, he spoke in a low voice, not wanting Heero to see how badly this was hurting him. “I wasn’t flirting, Heero. I was simply asking him how his car was running. He was a customer at the shop a few weeks ago, and I remembered the car.”
Everything was quiet for a moment, but he didn’t allow himself to believe the conversation was at an end. He would try to explain, but he was aware that in Heero’s eyes and mind, he had done something wrong, so he held no real hope that he would be able to leave before there was at least one more reminder of the turbulent relationship that they had shared.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t the slightest bit surprised that when Heero finally did speak, it was with barely controlled rage coloring his tone, “You didn’t have to talk to him for so long about a fucking car, Duo. What were you really talking about?”
“Like I said, I was asking him how the car was running. He was just telling me that it was running better than it ever has, and that he had recommended me to some of his friends if they ever had problems with their own rides.” Risking a glance, Duo sighed when he saw the anger that was still lurking in the blue eyes aimed at him. “You know what, Heero? You go ahead and think whatever you want to. I’m not lying about what was said, and I really don’t give a damn anymore if you believe me or not. I’m done with all of this.”
“What the hell are you talking about? Done with what?” Heero’s eyes finally left Duo and landed on the bag in the middle of the bed, already half full of clothes. “Where exactly do you think you’re going? Do you think you’ll get away from me if you go to one of your boyfriends? Do you think they can keep you from me? You’re mine, Duo, and you’ll never get away from me.”
Not even bothering to give a response to the threat, Duo continued to pack the few clothes he had, then grabbed the bag and went into the bathroom. As he went from room to room, Heero was a silent but menacing presence just behind him, watching his every move closely. It wasn’t until he had stuffed all his things into the bag that Heero spoke again, his tone completely baffled. “You’re really leaving, aren’t you?”
Zipping the bag closed, Duo carried it in one hand as he gathered the keys for his motorcycle and car, not trusting Heero to leave the bag alone after figuring out that he had every intention of leaving…this time for good. Pocketing the keys, he strode past Heero to the door, turning once he had the knob in his hand. “Yeah, Heero. I’m really leaving. And I’m not coming back again. I’ve had enough of this shit.”
Hearing the growl of rage, he barely had time to brace himself before the first blow landed. He barely had time to wonder about the insanity he saw in Heero’s eyes before he hit the floor.
On the first ring, Trowa grabbed the phone with one hand, keeping one hand on the steering wheel and both eyes on the thick traffic that he was attempting to navigate his way through. “Barton,” he said distractedly, more concerned with idiot drivers than with a phone call that was most likely nothing of importance.
“Tro-wa.” The voice was distorted by the noise outside Trowa’s open window and soft, making him strain to hear it.
“Hello? Who is this?”
“Trowa, it’s Duo.”
“Duo, I can barely hear you. How have you been?”
Hearing the bitter laugh, Trowa braced himself. He knew that Duo and Heero’s relationship had been in trouble for some time, and had many suspicions about what happened between them when they were alone and away from prying eyes. There had been many times where he had wanted to offer another choice, a chance to get away from the dominating man Duo lived with, but he had assumed that Duo wanted to be with Heero, no matter what was happening. “Can you come and get me, man?”
Everyone was aware that Duo was a vehicle buff and not only had his car, a mint condition corvette from the days before colonies had even been thought of, but also had two motorcycles and two other cars that he was in the process of restoring, as well as a truck. For the long-haired man to have to ask for a ride meant something far worse than a break-down – something Trowa felt in his gut. Wondering what had happened, he asked the only question of importance at the moment. “Where are you?”
“Parking garage of Heero’s apartment,” there was a gasp, sounding too much like it was pained for Trowa to ignore.
“Your car and motorcycle?” he knew that one of the bikes was currently at Duo’s shop, waiting for a new clutch, but the other vehicles should have been there for Duo’s use.
“I can’t drive.” The words were halting and strained, causing Trowa to worry even more. “Hurry,” was the last thing that he heard before the line went dead.
Knowing he should pull over to make the calls he needed to make but not wanting to take any longer than necessary, he quickly speed-dialed Quatre’s number, hoping to find both him and Wufei there, as they usually were this late in the day, preparing to eat dinner. Keeping his eyes on the road, he waited for the phone to be answered on the other end, wincing when Quatre’s voice suddenly came over the line in the middle of a laugh.
Needing his attention as fast as possible, Trowa spoke before the other man was able, “Quatre, I need your help. Is Wufei with you?”
There was only a momentary pause, but when Quatre spoke his voice was completely serious, lacking the mirth he had answered the phone with. “We’re both here. What do you need?”
“I need both of you to meet me in the garage of Heero’s apartment. I don’t know what’s going on, but Duo called and said he needed a ride. It doesn’t sound like he’s in any shape to drive.”
A sharp intake of breath met his words. He could hear murmuring in the background, then Quatre came back on, “We’ll bring the truck so we can load Duo’s bike if we need to. Wufei can drive his car back here or to your house, whatever you want done. Where are you?”
“I should be there in about ten minutes from here. Traffic,” he added tersely.
“We’ll meet you there. Wufei’s going to drive,” the blonde informed him. Wufei had often been teased by his crazy driving, but there was no doubt that the black-haired man was fast.
At any other time, Trowa would have found the comment amusing, but right now he was too worried to give it much thought other than to acknowledge that they would get there faster with Wufei driving. Closing the phone to disconnect the call, he tossed it into the passenger seat and focused all of his attention on finding a way through the mass of cars keeping him from his intended destination.
It took half the time he had estimated to get to the parking garage below where Heero and Duo resided. Without thinking about it, Trowa immediately went to where Duo usually parked and got out of his car, searching with his eyes and listening for anything that sounded out of place. He found what he was looking for in the form of a whimper coming from between Duo’s car and his working motorcycle.
There was no hesitation as Trowa rushed into the small space, already suspecting what he might find and dreading it more than anything in his entire life. Even though he thought he was prepared for what he might see, when he finally laid eyes on Duo he felt his heart stop for a brief moment before speeding up to twice its usual rate.
Duo lay on the hard pavement, his face badly battered and blood dried on his mouth and under his nose. There were several small cuts visible, and from the way the long-haired man was holding onto his ribs there was most likely more damage under the loose black clothing. When Trowa crouched beside the other man, one swollen eye cracked open. As he was recognized, Trowa could see the tense muscles in Duo’s body relax.
“Duo, what happened?” he asked, touching the beaten man gently on the side while looking around for any danger. He saw no one, but there was a bag that appeared to be stuffed with various articles a few feet from Duo’s hand.
“I left,” gasped the American, coughing weakly. “Heero wasn’t too happy about it.”
“Christ, Duo, why didn’t you call me sooner?”
“Couldn’t. Heero caught me ‘fore I got out the door.” When Trowa picked up the other man, Duo hissed through his teeth. “He’s gonna be pissed when he finds me with you, Tro. If you’ll just drop me at a hotel or somethin’ I’ll be fine.”
“Like hell. We’re taking you to the damn hospital, Duo.”
“No hospital, Trowa.”
“Duo…”
“No hospital. Please.”
Looking down at the man in his arms, Trowa could see the anguish on Duo’s features. Not willing to argue with the man, he nodded, “No hospital for now, then. You’ll go home with me. If I think you need to be seen after we get you there, we’ll call Sally. That’s non-negotiable, Duo.”
“I don’t want to cause you any problems. Heero’ll come after me.”
“Don’t worry about it. I can handle Heero.” There was a small frown between Duo’s eyes that Trowa suspected was not from the pain. “I promise I’ll take care of you.”
The frown faded until it was almost gone and seconds later Duo went lax in his arms. Trowa was making his way out from between the vehicles when he heard the screech of tires being locked down on the paved surface. He raised an eyebrow as Wufei and Quatre emerged from the truck, but didn’t stop until he had Duo safely ensconced in the back seat of his own car. When a pillow and light blanket appeared by his head, he didn’t hesitate to take and make use of them.
After he had gently closed the door, he turned to the other two men, not surprised to see their expressions of horror. Quatre had tears running down his face and even Wufei appeared to be stunned by the amount of violence that had been visited upon the long-haired man. “Heero did this?”
Nodding at Wufei’s soft query, Trowa swallowed hard to get past the lump in his throat. “He said that he didn’t get out before Heero managed to get to him. He said he was leaving and Heero wasn’t too happy about it. There’s a bag back there,” he gestured to where he had first found Duo. “I think his things are in it.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Take him home.”
“But Trowa, he needs a doctor,” asserted Quatre, worried blue eyes focused on the unconscious form in the car.
The hand that was placed on Quatre’s shoulder stopped any other concerns before they could become an issue. Wufei’s eyes were sad but understanding as he told Trowa, “I’ll call Sally and let her know that she needs to see Duo tomorrow, as long as you promise to call her tonight if you need her sooner.” To Quatre, he explained gently, “Putting Duo somewhere like a hospital would only make things worse. He won’t be trustful of anyone, especially those he doesn’t know. With one of us is the best place for him.”
Trowa watched as understanding filled Quatre’s face. The blonde finally turned worried eyes to him. “You want him with you, right?” Slightly startled by the observation, Trowa nodded, unsure of what his friends would think. Quatre said nothing about it though, instead turning his attention to Duo’s vehicles. “We’ll keep these at our house for the time being. You know that you’ll have to stay with him for a few days. Heero will be looking for him. The first time he gets a chance he’ll grab Duo and punish him for leaving.”
Abruptly filled with rage, Trowa growled, “If Duo wasn’t so hurt I would welcome that bastard at my house. Don’t worry. He won’t get through me.” From the looks he got, he knew that the other two men felt the same way. “I’ll call you later and let you guys know what’s going on. I’ll take care of him. And thanks for getting here so fast.”
Crossing his arms over his chest, Wufei regarded him with serious eyes. “Duo may not be important to us the same way he is to you, but he’s still one of our good friends. Call if you need anything. We’ll come by tomorrow and bring his things. I trust you have something he can use until then?”
“My clothes will be a bit big on him, but we’ll be okay.”
Since there was nothing else to say, Trowa got in the car after checking on Duo one last time. The bruising had gotten worse; almost all of Duo’s face was covered by a myriad of colors now, both eyes swollen. Driving away, he looked in the rear mirror and saw Wufei and Quatre loading one of the beloved motorcycles into the back of Wufei’s truck and found it astoundingly sad that the bike was handled with more care than Duo had been.
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