~Bound~
Chapter Six
?It?s no surprise to me
I am my own worst enemy
?Cause every now and then I kick the living shit out of me.?
-Lit "My Own Worst Enemy"
Duo woke to a *very* familiar cry.
?I AM GOING TO FUCKING *KILL* YOU, MAXWELL!?
?Hm, looks like Heero managed to get out of my cuffs.?
Duo?s train of thought was abruptly cut off as he was jerked roughly from his bed. The cold steel of a gun barrel was shoved against his temple as a seething whisper sounded in his ears.
?Say hello to my little friend. You two are going to be become *very* well acquainted.?
An unimpressed snort drew the attention of both men.
?Firstly?, Hilde said, arms folded over her nightgown, ?Heero, that was corny, even for you.?
Heero glared. ?I spent the whole damn shuttle ride thinking that up.?
Hilde shot him a skeptical look. ?Don?t quit your day job, hon. And *secondly* what nerve do you two boys have waking me up in the middle of the night? Take it outside.?
?Sorry Hilde.? Heero muttered, and grabbed Duo by the collar of his shirt, dragging him out of the hotel room.
?Hey! Hilde was the one who thought up the whole plan in the first place! How come *she* doesn?t get a gun to her head at 3 am?!? Duo complained, wincing as he felt the rug burn.
?That?s different.? Heero said matter-of-factly, eyes straight ahead the whole time.
?But, WHY!?? Duo shouted, clearly exasperated.
?Because, Maxwell, every self respecting person who?s *ever* met you knows that your evil is like the bulbonic plague- it catches quickly and lethally. No one is safe. Hilde, being the saint she is, tried to overlook all that, but it seems to have spread to her as well. Pity. She was a good pilot.?
Duo let out a frustrated sigh. ?So, it?s all my fault??
?You?re sharper than you look.? Heero retorted, still dragging his friend behind him.
As Duo was pulled out the door and around the corner, he locked eyes with the petite blue-eyed girl sitting comfortably on the bed. Smiling brilliantly, she immediately stuck her tongue out at her doomed boyfriend. Duo scowled and Hilde got a breathtaking view of a particular finger. Her laughter echoed throughout the room as Duo slid from sight.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
There was a resounding thump as Heero landed a well-oiled fist into Duo?s abdomen.
?OW! Shit, man, that hurt!? Duo grunted, doubling over.
?That is only one HUNDREDTH of the pain I?ve been through.? Heero stated coldly, cracking his knuckles.
Duo grunted and held up one hand, signaling that he needed a minute.
?What do you mean?pain?? He gasped, looking up at the stoic Japanese boy. ?Annoying, yeah. Inconvienent, yeah. But PAINFUL? Did we put them on too tight or something??
?Shut up.? Heero bit out, attempting to land another punch.
Duo blocked expertly, long accustomed to the unique method his best friend chose to vent his frustrations.
?Heero, don?t ignore the question! Answer me!? Duo gave him a stern look.
Heero glared back, completely disregarding the command. ?Just shut your mouth and fight me. This is all because of you and your stupid handcuffs.?
Duo sighed before swiftly crouching and spinning, letting one outstretched and tensed leg knock Heero completely off his footing. He landed heavily against the pavement as Duo stood and walked over, planting one bare foot in the middle of Heero?s chest. He loomed over Heero, hands on hips in frustration.
?Allow me to rephrase the question. How badly did you screw yourself over this time??
Heero growled and grabbed Duo?s foot, and summoning his strength, threw the taller man off him and twisted, sending Duo spinning. The braided man was obviously not expecting this and yelped as he landed right next to his best friend, his breath leaving him in a giant ?whoosh?.
?Shit.? He gasped, coughing slightly ?This must be bad.?
Heero squeezed his eyes shut. ?You have no idea. She?s re-assigning me.?
?Motherfucker.? Duo whispered. ?How did you manage that??
Heero scowled. ?Look, I wasn?t thinking okay!? Trowa interrupted us and I was all disoriented and all I wanted was that stupid key so I wouldn?t be forced to?forced to??
Duo looked at him expectantly. ?Forced to??
?Look, I didn?t want to be forced to confront my feelings about her, okay?!? Heero huffed, avoiding Duo?s gaze.
?Wow?Heero I think that?s the closest I?ve ever heard you get to admitting you care about her.?
?So take a fucking picture.?
Duo raised a sly eyebrow. ?So?what *exactly* was Trowa interrupting? Hmmm???
Heero groaned and threw an arm over his eyes.
Duo cackled with glee. ?You scored! Heero Yuy ACTUA- oof!?
Heero removed his elbow from Duo?s side. ?I didn?t have sex with her, you idiot. We were just kissing! I swear, you?re worse than you were when we were fifteen.?
Duo gave him an amazed look. ?Kissing? You got her to kiss you!? Heero-Stick-Up-His-Ass-Yuy ACTUA- WHAP!?
Duo rubbed his stinging cheek and pouted. ?You slap worse than Hilde.?
Heero snorted. ?You deserved it.?
?Alright, so, after Trowa caught you playing tonsil hokey, then what??
Heero sighed. ?He wouldn?t give me the key. He said something about your intuition being accurate-?
?Damn straight.? Duo flashed the artificial colony sky a smug grin.
?Are you going to listen or not?? Heero growled.
Duo turned his eyes back the man sprawled out next to him. ?Please, continue.? He plastered a fake eager smile on his face and propped himself up on one of his elbows, the very picture of an attentive listener.
?And no smart ass remarks.?
?Yes, sir.?
?I chased after him, after I put my pants on. NO smart ass remarks, remember?!?
Duo snapped his fingers and sulked.
?I caught up with him in the shuttle bay. We scuffled and he got the best of me. And then I ?said some things. She got mad and grabbed the key from Trowa and unlocked her cuff. Told me I took advantage of her vulnerability, never wanted to see me again. Left with Trowa. I sat there for a while and decided to find you and beat you up.?
?That?s logical.? Duo quipped sarcastically.
?Duo?? Heero warned.
?I know, I know, no smart ass remarks. Heero, what *exactly* did you say that pissed her off so bad??
Heero scratched his head. ?I don?t know?I think it was something about the fact I said that this was the worst thing that had ever happened to me after we had been?um?intimate.?
?Jesus.? Duo groaned, running a hand over his face, ?Heero, you were born with a foot stuck in your mouth.?
?I wasn?t thinking, okay?! You try being in a state of constant sexual frustration for a week and then getting your ass kicked and we?ll see how coherent *you* are.?
?Good point.? Duo admitted. ?So, she?s reassigning you??
?Yes. Apparently it?s her top priority. She told me not to bother coming in Monday.?
?Ouch.? Duo cringed.
?Yeah?ouch.?
The two men fell silent, both staring upward, expressions blank.
Suddenly Duo grinned broadly, smacking a fist against his open palm. ?That?s *it*.?
Heero gave him a wary glance. ?Let me guess?you??
?Have an idea.? Duo smiled devilishly.
Heero stared at him silently for a few minutes. ?That scares me?yet?at the same time I?m grossly fascinated.?
?Not to mention desperate.? Duo cheerfully pointed out.
?So tell me what it involves.?
?I will, but first we need to get a hold of Wufei. He?s essential.?
Heero nodded and rolled easily to his feet. Duo stumbled up after him, wincing at the various pains and aches assaulting his poor body. ?Now I?m gonna have gravel in my hair.? He whined, shaking out his braid.
Heero shrugged. ?You were open.?
?You?re just lucky I put up with your bad habits.? Duo grumbled.
?You?re just lucky I tolerate *yours*.? Heero shot back.
?Touche!? Duo laughed as they entered the building.
?And thanks.? Heero added quietly.
Duo screeched to a hault. ?What was that??
Heero stared at the light fixtures of the hotel lobby. ?Thanks. Y?know. For listening to me and?trying to help fix things? even if this was your own stupid fault in the first place.?
Duo was speechless for a good minute. Which is impressive for Duo. A warm smile spread across his face as he slapped Heero on the back. ?No problem, Yuy. What are friends for??
?Don?t touch me.?
?Right, right.?
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
?Relena,? Une sighed gently, resting her clasped hands on her desktop, ?are you sure you want to do this??
Relena met her unwavering gaze. ?Of course I am.?
?But, why? It seems so?sudden?? Une remarked, concern marking her features.
?Please don?t question my motives, Une. Things just aren?t working out between Heero and myself. The working environment would become?strained.?
?This wouldn?t have anything to do with the week you took off, would it??
?Damn, she?s good.? Relena did her best to keep a straight face. ?Of course not. What would make you think that??
?Relena, I?m sleeping with Trowa. You think I wouldn?t notice his sudden disappearance?? She smiled vaguely.
Relena deflated. ?I hate you.?
?Yes, I know.? Une replied casually, studying a finely polished nail. ?So drop the poker face and tell me what?s going on.?
Relena huffed. ?Heero?s an ass, that?s what?s going on.?
?If this is news to you, Relena, then I?m going to have suggest you go see a psychiatrist about delusions.?
Relena glared at her. ?Your sarcasm is *so* not appreciated.?
?Neither is your avoidance.? Une countered.
Relena pressed her lips together in a thin line. Une smiled triumphantly.
?You forget, I wore *two* politicians? masks at one point. Your tactics are brilliant, but you?re still a novice.?
The young President let out her breath slowly. Fixing her eyes on the decorative vase on a small table she began to relate her tale.
?Hilde was in town with Duo. That?s why I took off work- I was planning to spend time with them. Only, that?s not what ended up happening. Hilde and Duo got Heero and I drunk, and while we were passed out, they handcuffed us together.?
Une sighed. ?Duo and his brilliant ideas.?
Relena?s smile was melancholy. ?It would?ve been a simple matter of getting the cuffs cut off- *if* they were normal handcuffs.?
?What do you mean ?if they were normal???
?Duo discovered a new alloy recently. He forged them into handcuffs as a sort of test. He used Heero and myself as the guinea pigs. The alloy was stronger than gundanium, more durable than gundanium. We tried to pick the locks, but it didn?t work. Duo had gone into hiding. We went to Howard, as a last resort.? Here Relena pulled up short.
?So? Did Howard get the cuffs off??
?No.? Relena replied. ?No. I yelled at Heero. He had been so cold to me throughout the whole ordeal. And just when I thought he was getting over it, he?d retract back into his shell. I asked him why he hated me so much and he?and he kissed me.?
Une raised an eyebrow. Relena blushed slightly.
?Trowa walked in on us. He had the key. He took one look at our rather compromising position and turned right back around, intending to get back in his shuttle and leave us be. Heero chased after him. Trowa said he wouldn?t give Heero the key because this was the best thing that ever happened to him. And Heero informed him that he was mistaken- that it had been torture being handcuffed to me. That this was the *worst* thing that had ever happened to him.?
A tear slid down Relena?s cheek. ?Bastard.? She whispered, hugging her sides.
?What did you do?? Une asked in a gentle voice.
Relena straightened. ?What any other self respecting woman would do. I grabbed the key from Trowa and unlocked my cuff. I told Heero I never wanted to see him again, resolved to reassign him, and left with Trowa.?
Une nodded. ?I?m glad you put him in his place. But, Relena?do you think that maybe you acted a little hastily??
The young woman curled her hands into fists. ?I consider myself a tolerant person- but this crosses the line. I?ve given him plenty of opportunities to show he cares. I?ve tried so *hard* to be strong for him. To live up to what he- and everyone else for that matter- expects from me. But I am *only human*?? Her voice broke, and she took a shuddering breath to calm herself. ?He?s made himself perfectly clear. And no matter how much I love him, I refuse to hold onto somebody that will never give me anything more than poorly veiled resentment.?
?Did you talk to him about this? Give him a chance to explain himself? People just don?t go around kissing people they don?t even like, you know.?
Relena glared at the carpet. ?He doesn?t deserve a chance to explain.?
?Not for him. For you.?
Relena looked at Une. ?Huh??
?I know how much that hurt you, Relena. Maybe it would help if you understood his motives.?
Relena nodded quietly, turning this over in her head. ?I?ll think about it.?
?Do you still want to go through with the reassignment?? Une asked.
Relena weighed the situation carefully. Even if he explained- that didn?t guarantee that he cared about her. It only offered clarity. Separation would hurt?but?
?Yes.? She decided. She felt her heart constrict at the words and her throat clog. Damn Heero. ?Now if you?ll excuse me, I must go back to work.?
Without waiting for Une?s parting greeting, she rose from the wooden chair and walked out of the office.
Une gazed after her with sad eyes. ?Of course, Miss President.?
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A figure was silhouetted against the giant orb of the moon, sleek and dangerous sinews of muscle wrapped in tight fitting leather and frail light. An edge of menace charged the atmosphere surrounding the enigma as its? cold blue eyes burned in the night.
?Hey Heero!? Duo called up to his friend crouched on the perimeter wall surrounding the Presidential Estate in Brussels.
?What?? The mysterious figure snapped.
?Get down here man!?
Heaving a weary sigh, Heero leapt from his vigil, landing on the soft forest foliage below.
No sooner than he stood did a camera flash temporarily blind him.
?They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I?d say that this is at least a thousand times more valuable.? Wufei smirked, holding up the Polaroid.
Heero seethed. ?Duo, you said no one would see me dressed in this idiotic get-up!?
?Hey, it?s the only way I could get Wufei to agree to let get to the President! I tried everything! Money, favors, nude photos,-?
?Oh, Hilde would just *love* you distributing naked pictures of her.? Heero snorted.
?Those photographs *weren?t* of Hilde.? Wufei shuddered.
?But all he wanted was a commemorative souvenir of the blessed event.? Duo finished.
?This will keep me amused on many a boring night, my friend.? Wufei grinned. He studied his prized possession carefully. ?Those pants look a little tight??
?Don?t look at me. *Duo* was the genius behind the ?Mission Impossible? outfit.?
?Hey!? Duo protested, ?Chicks dig guys in tight leather.?
?My spandex was easier to move in and just as tight.? Heero argued.
?Heero?you don?t understand?that?s *spandex*. *This* is leather.?
Heero rolled his eyes. ?Whatever. So I take it I have the all clear to proceed with the mission?? He raised an inquisitive eyebrow at Wufei.
Wufei turned away. ?I?ve got what I came for. I won?t alert security, but the rest is up to you. Good luck.?
Heero nodded as he scaled the wall.
Leather was cursed, wedgies were had.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Heero skulked through the expansive gardens of the Brussels Presidential Estate. He was a master in his element- dedicating insane amounts of time to studying the geography and layout of the mansion, he knew it almost as well as he knew the Peacecraft property. Every detail, down to the last door and alcove was filed away for reference- there was no way they?d be able to detec-
Heero?s thoughts were tragically cut short as he tripped over a loose cobblestone, stumbled and landed face first on the stone path. He grunted and froze, waiting for someone to hear his fumble.
Minutes ticked by without any sirens or footsteps sounding in the expansive gardens. Heero cautiously rose, puzzled, but pleased. Not taking his unexpected break for granted he crept stealthily to Relena?s wing of the building, mentally rehearsing his speech as he went.
~*~Meanwhile in the main surveillance room~*~
?Did you hear something?? One of Wufei?s subordinates looked up from the screen he had been staring at, glancing around curiously.
?Nah, one of the bystanders just dropped something by the camcorder microphone, O?Donnell.? Wufei lied, hoping the young man would buy it.
?Oh right. It sure was nice of you to bring in your ?Girls Gone While 7? tape, Sir.? The blonde beamed a happy smile up to his superior before turning his attention back to the college girl that was pouring a margarita down her shirt.
?Yeah. No problem.? Wufei muttered. ?You *owe* me, Yuy.?
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Relena cracked one eye open as she heard a window open and shut, as soft footsteps were muffled by lush carpet.
She tensed in her bed, her mind going blank. ?What should I do!? Shoot, I *knew* reassigning Heero was a bad idea.?
Reaching for her alarm she froze as she felt the figure come to a stop by her bed. Squeezing her eyes shut she yanked the cord from the wall and in one might swoop, brought the heavy ceramic clock down on her would-be assailants? head.
A familiar groan made her freeze in her second assault with her alarm. ?Heero!??
The young man rubbing his head glared up at her from beneath his spiky bangs, doing his best not to admire the way her silky nightgown clung to her body. ?You have no idea how difficult it was to get in here.?
Relena sniffed and turned her back to her former bodyguard. ?Can?t say I?m sorry. Get out, Heero. I?ve said all I needed to say to you.?
?Yes,? Heero agreed, ?*you* have. I, however, still need to clarify a few things.?
Relena shot him a dirty look. ?I think you were pretty clear last time I saw you.?
Heero shook his head. ?No, that?s just the thing. I *wasn?t*.?
?Okay, *now* I would say that you?re having clarity problems.?
?Relena, please, just let me explain myself.?
She glanced at her alarm clock out of habit and realized it wasn?t there because she had clobbered Heero over the head with it. Well, he *had* come all this way. And gone through all that trouble. And still wanted to talk even though she had attacked him.
She plopped down on the bed, and crossed her arms over her chest. ?You have five minutes.? She informed him, using the clock on her wall as a reference.
Heero got up and sat down next to her on the bed. He stared at his clasped hands as the seconds ticked by.
?Well? Are you going to say anything or not?? Relena frowned.
?I?m getting there.? Heero assured her. ?This is just?I don?t?know where to begin.?
He looked so lost and helpless, Relena couldn?t help but reach out to him, even if it might burn her in the end. Laying a gentle hand on his shoulder she spoke in hushed tones. ?How about the beginning, Heero??
He glanced at her and she gave him an encouraging smile.
?Alright.? He said, gathering his thoughts. ?When I woke up on that beach when you first found me, and saw you staring at me, I knew that it was an important moment. I knew that you would *become* important. I tried to kill you, more than once, and ?couldn?t. Even though it went against all my mission parameters, I just couldn?t do it. I panicked, and resisted you, because I no longer had control.?
Relena nodded, understanding how scary that could be to someone like Heero.
?It was the same thing when I found you handcuffed to me that morning. I felt like I had lost all my power. I?I tried to distance myself from you. I didn?t want to be forced to come to terms with my feelings for you. I didn?t want to accept that I might?care about you.?
?Heero?? Relena breathed, stunned by his openness.
?So, I resisted again. I was angry at myself, not you Relena, for being unable to handle the situation the way I wanted to. I blamed it on everyone but myself- Duo, Elvis, the transport providers. And I believed myself. But then when you told me you never wanted to see me again I?I knew that I had been hiding??
He pulled something out of his pocket and pressed it into Relena?s hands.
?The handcuffs?? Relena asked, surprised. ?But I thought they had to cut them off of your wrist??
Heero looked down at the small silver circles fondly. ?I had Howard fix the lock.?
?But?why??
Heero placed his larger, tan hands over the cuffs in Relena?s small, pale ones.
?They made me realize something important. They made me realize that I was inexorably bound to you, and have been since the day I met you. The cuffs- they were only a physical manifestation of that. And because of these cuffs, I realized?I realized that, I love you.?
He chanced a look at Relena, and found astonishment written all over her face.
?Relena, I?m sorry for all the pain I?ve caused you. Can you forgive me??
A tear slipped down her cheek and she smiled, and Heero felt his body relax under the brilliance of it. ?You ran over your five minutes. But I think it was worth it.?
Suddenly she smacked both palms against his chest and Heero flew backwards onto the bed, sprawled out amongst her pillows and blankets. She was quick to follow him, straddling his waist. Pinning his arms over his head, she looked down at him.
?I?ll forgive you, Heero, but only on one condition.?
Heero, slightly disoriented, look at her in confusion. ?What?s the condition??
Smiling seductively, she leaned over and captured his mouth in a slow, wet kiss, making him dizzy with longing. He began to participate eagerly, completely focused on the woman on top of him. He noted her lips curling into a smile against his and heard a resounding ?click?.
He broke off the kiss and noticed that she had looped the cuffs around the bars of the headboard, effectively restraining him. He looked at her, not comprehending.
She gave him a sly smile. ?My condition: I get to be on top.?
?What!??
?Leather does interesting things to your butt, Yuy.?
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
AN: Woo hoo! And the story ends here- unless you?re a lemon reader, then you?ve still got a chapter to go! But it?s not essential to the storyline, so don?t feel pressured to read it or anything. For those of you not going on to my lemon chapter, thank you *so* much for reading and for all your wonderful support and comments. This story has really been a learning experience for me, and so much fun. I look forward to exploring this genre further in the future! ?Please Continue? is copyright of Kronk from Emperor?s New Groove *lol*.
The Soundtrack:
Insane in the Membrane by Cypress Hill
Mama Said Knock You Out by LL Cool J
Lifestyle of the Rich and the Fameous by New Found Glory
Leaving Town by Dexter Freebish
Shinobi vs. the Dragon Ninja by Lost Prophets
Glycerine by Bush
My Own Worst Enemy by Lit
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