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Fathoms	By : CeeCee Category: Gundam Wing/AC > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 2883 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I don’t own the Gundam Wing fandom or the Gundam Wing characters contained within this story. I make no money from writing this work of fanfiction, it’s for entertainment purposes only. Probably only my own…

Chapter List
- 10
- 11
- 12
Summary: Duo and Heero get their heart’s desire, or so they think.

Author’s Note: I cringe when I look at the date stamps of my Word document files on my hard drive. I haven’t touched this in over a year, but I have fics of different fandoms that haven’t been touched in five. That’s depressing. I truly have tapestry syndrome. I think I only actually finish one fic a year now.

If you’re still reading, I’m picking back up where I left off. Heero is recovering from his injuries and close call. Duo is trapped in Une’s caverns. Quatre has just met a beautiful musician, and Zechs is looking for his brother. That’s a recap. Hope it’s helpful.

Duo’s vision was hazy, and he felt unease settle over him, the way prey senses the predator watching it, licking its chops in anticipation. He tasted a foul, tainted tinge in the water, recognizing it as ink.

Ink. He jolted awake and tried to propel himself up from his pod, only to be greeted by the burn of his arm muscles as they were wrenched by his movements. He was shackled in sturdy, rusted iron manacles. A flood of bubbles burst from his lips as he struggled. Duo’s mind stewed with scenarios and action plans, knowing he might already be too late. Cold dread squeezed his heart, and he felt it pounding in his ears.

Une had him. He was helpless and as good as dead. His eyes adjusted to the darkness in the cavern, and it didn’t look any better than it had before. The walls were slick and rank with algae and viscous deposits, swarming with krill, tiny minnows and hermit crabs. The sight of the tiny creatures made him physically itch. He felt further revulsion by the odd profusion of shelves loaded with vials, jars and tiny chests, their contents he could only guess; they boggled the darkest recesses of his imagination.

Mean looking tools and instruments littered a work table, boasting pointed blades and spines. Duo felt sick, even though his stomach was growling. He had no idea how long he’d been unconscious. He wondered if anyone knew he was gone…

The bracelet! His eyes jerked toward his shackled wrist. It was gone! Duo felt a mixture of confusion and relief. He was free! He was… trapped. His euphoria died immediately, replaced by despair. If the sensor was gone, then his father had no means of finding him, even if the cost of such a security measure was the physical punishment the sensor offered every time he moved out of range.

Well, well. Good morning, sunshine. I trust you slept well? Une purred in his mind. He felt her as well as heard her, barely seeing her voluminous form in the shadows. Piercing gray eyes ate him up amidst the murk concealing her, and Duo shuddered. What’s the matter? You look troubled, dearie.

What do you want from me? Duo demanded. You don’t want me to get loose! His eyes were violet fire, filled with indignant rage, and to her delight, fear. He was a lovely little morsel, wasn’t he?

It isn’t what I want from you. Not yet. It’s what you want from me.

I don’t know what you’re talking about, witch.

Is that any way to talk to family, nephew?

You’re no kin of mine. Duo’s cheeks burned with shame at his words, borne of his recent circumstances. Milliardo felt he was a burden, and who was Duo to argue? He was a foundling, merely fostered alongside Zechs. He had no birthright.

You’ve labored under that delusion long enough, child. I can see my brother has filled your head with his lies. You deserve the truth. Slowly Une drifted forward, into the scant light, and Duo wished she hadn’t. She was as hideous as he remembered, and her gray eyes were cold and calculating as she smiled. Briefly she licked her fangs and toyed with one of the shells woven into her plait.

You can’t offer me the truth. Why should I trust you?

What have you got to lose?

My life. My dignity. My entrails. My flesh. My soul. Duo ticked off each one in his head, trying to shield his thoughts. It didn’t help. Une threw back her head and laughed.

Clever, clever boy.

Get out of my head! Duo thrashed and fought against the chains. Une sighed.

You’re going to make this hard, aren’t you? Quicker than a moray eel, Une’s taloned hand flew out and slapped him. He felt as though he’d swum headlong into the reef and his ears rang. Her talon grazed him and drew blood, which she tasted with relish, inhaling it on a current. She savored it, to his revulsion. You may address me as Aunt Une. I am your father’s sister. We are blood kin.

Liar, Duo insisted. Deceiver.

You know it’s true. You can sense the connection between us. I can taste it in your essence. You are your mother’s spawn, certainly, dearie, but you move like your father and you have his cunning. I see his stubborn jaw when I look at you. The same ears. You set your brow the same way when you’re trying to look fierce. She snickered cruelly. You wish you could bite me like one of my pets… You are Milliardo’s son, Duo. You’re his bastard.

NO! Duo’s pupils dilated. It’s not true. He wouldn’t keep that from me! I can’t be-! His mind reeled, and visions of his life swamped him, questions he asked himself found answers that he must have ignored before, dismissing them as unlikely.

Uriah wasn’t your sire. He was but a pawn. He died protecting Milliardo’s secret. Duo choked, feeling shame clog his chest. It’s not your fault, dearie.

Leave me alone. His voice sounded numb and hollow, and Une sighed. He refused to look at her, but she would have his full attention. One of her tentacles slithered up to caress his cheek, and she wrapped it around his slender neck to emphasize her point. His head snapped around at the sudden lack of water flowing through his gills, and his lungs felt like they would burst. His violet eyes went wide with panic. Duo’s tail lashed about, but she shook her head, tsking.

Are you ready to listen to me, nephew? Will you heed me? I have a bargain for you, one I think you’ll like. Duo’s heart pounded, and he felt like his lungs would explode with the need for breath.

I… yield. Instant self-hatred swamped him, radiating from his mind. Une tasted it and moaned with contentment. She would break him, surely. It was only a matter of when. Her tentacle slithered away, releasing him, and Duo reflexively gulped in great draughts of water, nearly choking on it. His blurry vision began to clear and his head throbbed.

You’ve been to the surface. I’ve been watching you, darling. So curious. So inquisitive. You’re like your mother. She was an explorer. A researcher, if you will. She loved it down here. It intrigues you up there, doesn’t it? The surface has a familiar feel, don’t you agree? Did you sense that you belonged there? Duo frowned.

You’re mad.

You can try to deny it. You’re Milliardo’s son, but your mother was human. Doesn’t it puzzle you how she came to spawn you? She loved your father, the poor, foolish thing. She would do anything to bridge the fathoms of the sea that stretched between them. She longed to belong in our world, when he couldn’t dwell in hers. Une drifted back, tentacles swirling, and she turned her back on him to rummage among her shelves. She took down a small vial with a silver neck. The substance inside was a deep, murky red. Duo’s lips peeled back from his teeth in distaste. Une smiled at his grimace and regarded the vial fondly. I took this blood from her veins. We formed a pact. This was also the root of the spell that allowed her to dwell among us. Blood works best for incantations and potions, did you know that? Duo’s stomach knotted and he paled.

What did you do to her?

Why don’t I show you? Her smile was sharklike again, vicious and cunning. I can do the same for you…

You’re talking squid shit. I don’t believe you. There’s nothing you can do for me!

Really? I freed you from that bothersome little trinket that your father shackled you with.

Yet you replaced it with these, Duo reminded her with irritation. Hardly an improvement, from where I’m standing.

Standing? Ah. Yes. A human concept. You need legs to stand, which you don’t currently possess. I can fix that, nephew.

I don’t need fixing! But curiosity nagged at him, and the possibilities developed in his mind unchecked. Her words were nonsensical. It was laughable…

The surface beckoned him. He longed to see the night sky again, dotted with gleaming silver stars. How did the sun feel when it wasn’t merely filtering through the deep, casting streaks of golden lights over the currents? How did it feel to breathe air all the time?

What would it feel like to touch Heero again?

Heero. What a lovely name.

GET OUT OF MY HEAD! A chill ran through him. Damn! She was lurking in his thoughts, slipping past his defenses.

Why? This would be so much easier if you just opened yourself to me, she shrugged. Although perhaps… not nearly as much fun.

What?

It’s time to get to know you better, Duo.

His shriek drowned out all of the other sounds around him. He lived inside his pain, became one with it. She invaded his mind, and it burned, feeling himself torn open, his emotions and secrets spilling free like so much chum and gore.

*

“You let it get cold again?”

“Hm?”

“It’ll taste like shit if you reheat it again.” Wufei took away Heero’s stagnant cup of coffee and took a brief whiff. He made a face at the cloudy remainder of the creamer that formed a layer of scum on top. “I’m dumping it. Want a fresh one?”

“No. It won’t help.” Dark smudges under his eyes gave him a haggard look, and Heero still wasn’t eating enough, to Wufei’s jaundiced eye. His lean body began to look gaunt. Despite his efforts to get Heero out of the house and to force a dose of daylight on him every day, he still didn’t sleep. Wufei knew this, because he’d begun staying over at night.

He was more confused about him than ever.

It was a companionable arrangement. The first night that Wufei crept into his room, Heero felt the mattress sag beneath him, waking him from a shallow sleep that did nothing to make him feel rested. He’d thrashed all night in the dark. Frightening visions troubled him. He remembered sharp pain and helplessness, leering faces and being swallowed up by the deep, without his equipment, nearly drowning in the wake of his own boat.

Sometimes, he woke up screaming.

He didn’t protest when familiar arms, toned and corded with lean muscle, wrapped around him from behind. Wufei’s scent comforted him, as well as his slow, even breathing that steamed the back of his neck. Heero had missed this, craved it, even though things had changed so much between them. Wufei took no further liberties. He only shared his warmth and his heartbeat, and Heero’s breathing began to mimic his, slowing and growing more even. He watched the light shift outside until his eyelids grew too heavy to continue. Heero woke up to an empty bed; Wufei left, but only after washing Heero’s dishes and cleaning up the clutter in his living room.

Typical.

Both men were going through slides of the pictures Heero took on his dive. They rented a small yacht nicknamed the Scythe until the Zero was repaired. The man who gave Heero his most recent commission gave him a hefty advance once he saw Heero’s previous work, which helped him stay afloat, literally and figuratively, and to keep food on the table.

A small plate with a sandwich and a glass of orange juice materialized on the table beside him. Heero grunted as his stomach growled at the scent of the food. “Thanks.”

“Eat.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“You’re too thin. I’m getting tired of lying up against your bony ass at night,” Wufei muttered. He wasn’t smiling, but his dark eyes held no malice.

“No one said you had to lie up against my bony ass.” Heero took a deep swallow of the juice. “If you’re tired of it, then leave.”

“You won’t get off that easily, Slick.”

“I don’t see you getting off, either. When’s the last time you got laid?”

“Don’t change the subject.”

“It’s a good subject. Seriously. Quit worrying about me. You’ve got a life, last time I checked. I don’t need a babysitter.”

“Yes, you do. And no, I don’t. I don’t have a plus one, and I’m not even really looking for one.” Heero sighed.

“Fei…”

“No. No lectures. You don’t lecture me. I lecture you. You’re the one not taking care of yourself.”

“I can’t help it.”

“Why not?” Wufei paused in washing the empty mug, scrubbing away at the caked-on ring of creamer.

“I feel frozen. Just… trapped. Every night, I’m back on deck, looking down the barrel of a gun.” Heero’s voice changed, deepening, growing desperate, and Wufei set the cup back in the sink. “Everything just went black. I was sinking. Then, I was woke up, and I was floating. Freezing my ass off. It was so dark out… I could hardly see…” Wordlessly, Wufei closed the gap between them, and Heero leaned into him, clinging to him while his stoic ex stroked his hair.

“Idiot. Stop keeping this shit to yourself.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Quit apologizing. You were nearly killed. Fuck. That would make it impossible for anyone to sleep at night. Or to function.” Wufei swallowed, but he forced his voice to sound calmer than he felt. “I still need you and your bony ass to stick around a while longer.” Heero took tangible comfort in his warmth and strength, and he let out a shuddery breath. “Stop trying to be so damned strong all the time and let me help you.”

“Don’t go all mushy on me, ‘Fei.” Heero squeezed his eyes shut against the burning, impending threat of tears, but they leaked out, anyway. Wufei heard the catch in his chest and held him more tightly. Heero suffered Wufei’s gruff brand of affection and caring more willingly than Relena’s for the simple fact that he wasn’t trying to change him. Wufei realized that Heero wasn’t in a place yet where he could change, and it was likely that Wufei just wasn’t the right man for the job. The night he realized it, it broke his heart, but he soldiered on, and he remained a stalwart, loyal presence in Heero’s life.

“Idiot.”

“That sounded mushy.” They slowly drew apart. Before releasing him, Wufei swiped at Heero’s tears with his knuckle and patted his cheek in a “buck up” gesture. As usual, the wiry Chinese man’s face was a sober mask, but his eyes were concerned.

“Bastard.”

“That’s better.”

“Eat. I know it’d be a turn-on for me to tie you up and cram it down your throat…”

“Don’t go all Nine and a Half Weeks on me, ‘Fei.” Heero took a large, emphatic bite of the sandwich and waved it at him. “Happy?” he said around the mouthful of bread.

“Ecstatic.”

They continued to review the slides, but Heero still wasn’t satisfied. “I want better shots of the reef.”

“These are fine.”

“They aren’t doing it for me. I like the lampreys.”

“Those alone were worth the dive. He’ll love those shots. I love those shots,” Wufei admitted.

“Fei… remember the day we shot the manta?”

“The day I lost my good knife? Yeah. I’m still pissed. Why?”

“It’s just… nothing. I saw something else down there, at least, I think I did.”

“Like what, sunken treasure?” Wufei scoffed.

“No. Like a face.” Wufei’s arched brows drew together.

“Come again?”

“I saw what looked like human eyes, just as real as yours, staring at me down there.”

“What, like another diver?”

“That’s just it. I don’t know. And it’s driving me nuts.”

“Right. It was probably Charlie Tuna. Or the Gorton’s fish stick man.” Heero wound up a dish towel, rat-tailed it and swatted Wufei in the ass.

“I want to make another dive.” Wufei sighed.

“You’re not going to leave this alone. You haven’t heard a fucking thing I’ve said all day.”

“I heard you. I can count on one hand the number of shits I give and still have fingers left, but I heard you. You’re coming with me, right?” The mulish, stubborn look was back in Heero’s eyes, hardening his jaw and squaring his shoulders.

“I almost lost you.”

“Better luck next time.”

“I would have been better off, in the long run. Idiot. When?”

“Tomorrow night.”

*

Duo lived inside his pain. It coiled around him, consuming him down to the last scale. His nervous system was overstimulated, burning, screaming for relief. He heard the currents around him, felt them lifting his hair; miniscule bubbles hissed along his skin, but they weren’t natural. They rushed at him from several directions, pushed along by rippling, contained pressure.

His violet eyes fluttered open, and he felt annoyed at how murky his vision was, how the clarity of the colors and shadows around him was obscured by a dank film. Absently he reached up to rub his eyes, but it made no difference. He reached out in front of him and touched something hard.

Panic filled his chest. There was a wall between him and the rest of the cave! Duo slammed himself against it frantically, spinning and darting around, trying to find a point of exit. Every movement made him throb even more than before, but Duo needed to get out.

He was inside a tank. Futilely he banged his fists against the cold panels trapping him, but he barely felt so much as a vibration in the hard substance. He peered down at his hands in alarm. There were myriad tiny suckers attached to his skin, and they pulsed and glowed with his movements. Their shape reminded him of leeches. Their long, spiny tails fluttered on the currents, tangling around him, and Duo felt sick. They were feeding off of him.

I trust you slept well, nephew. The hated voice rolled over his flesh, making his hair stand on end again.

Kill me, he demanded bitterly. Whatever you’re planning to use me for, it won’t work. I’ll never-

Hush. Don’t be ridiculous. Such brash words, youngling. Is that any way to treat family? Goodness! You’re my guest. I’m honored that you graced my humble parlor with your presence and beauty, Duo. Une’s smile was serpentine, baring jagged, rotting teeth. You have such lovely dreams, nephew. So vibrant and lively. You’ve such a lust for life, it would be a pity to cut it short, when you’re in your prime. There’s so much you’ve only begun to discover and explore. Particularly above the surface. Her voice cajoled him, teasing him. Alarm filled him. It’s wondrous, isn’t it? Seeing the sunset setting the clouds on fire. It’s even more brilliant than the reef, wouldn’t you agree? And tasting the wind? Breathing air? Aren’t you curious how air-breathers manage to move about on land? They intrigue you, don’t they, with their silly boats and false fins? Or at any rate, the one you saved intrigues you, doesn’t he? Hang the rest of them, right, nephew? You like this young Heero. Such an odd name.

Fuck you! Duo hissed. Une tutted and waggled her finger at him sadly.

No, no. Manners, nephew. She concentrated on the suckers piercing his flesh and gave him a small, warning shock, enjoying his cry of outrage. You like him. You felt a connection to him. Didn’t you. He didn’t understand you when you tried to communicate with him, but you felt his emotions. It was the same with your mother and my foolish brother. Human speak with words; they aren’t swallowed up by water. Think of how it would be to breathe air and walk on land. What a grand adventure for one brave enough to seize it.

She was wearing him down, chipping away at his resistance and logic. Memories of Heero’s eyes and his soft, deep voice haunted him, pulling at him. He remembered how he clung to him for his life, how gratitude won out over confusion as he supported him on the waves.

My father banned me from the surface. Une shrugged.

Do you see him here?

I’d sooner spawn with a shark than trust you.

That can be arranged. He recoiled in disgust. She drew closer and her tentacles undulated and rippled around him, their tips stroking the tank with a perverse longing, as though she wanted to embrace him. Hear me out. You can’t go home. Before Duo could argue, she shook her head sadly at him. You’re merely a prisoner there, even if Milliardo doesn’t bind you in chains. I freed you from his little trinket, didn’t I? You’re a Halfling and a live-mater, Duo, but even worse, you’re the second son. You’ve no position and no birthright.

I’ve never wanted to rule, Duo insisted, but her words stung him just the same.

But you could be free. Think of it. Above the waves, you could roam as far as you wished. Look at your departed mother. She dove into the deep whenever she wanted, and still walked on land. She owned the best of both worlds.

Duo’s mind raced with the possibilities, but he hated her smugness and resented her incursion into his psyche. Her presence there still haunted him, marked him.

You could have everything you’ve ever dreamed of, Duo. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime.
- 10
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- 12
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Fathoms