Author: UtopiaDoesn'tExist
see part 1 for notes, warnings, disclaimer

Low + Part 16

A note lay on the bench like a premonition of what life with Wufei would be like. 'Work. Sorry,' was all it said. Heero had the same telegraphic style of writing notes, Duo remembered, from one of those old school missions when he'd stupidly tried to pass notes with him. Trowa liked to put estimated times on them and for once, that wasn't a bitter memory. The alarm clock had said ten to twelve, so Wufei had tired him out pretty thoroughly anyway. Even so, he felt a tiny little thrill when he heard the knock on the door.

Which disappeared instantly when he saw Seb there. He slammed the door closed with that soldierly reaction time he'd been wasting for quite a while.

"I told you not to come here," he said, through the letter box.

"But... I miss you."

"I miss you too, but really, nothing good's going to happen if I let you in."

"I'm not going to leave. I'll stay here all lunchtime."

"And I'll leave you on the doorstep, kiddo. I'm sorry, but I can't be trusted."

All he heard was a fading protest as he walked back into the sitting room. When he checked exactly an hour later, he was gone.

+

Yep, he still definitely couldn't get over how crap TV was. The only highlight was when it was interrupted by a phone call from Wufei.

"Hi, I just wanted to let you know that things are pretty hectic here," he said. "So I won't be over tonight. Or tomorrow... It's an important case so Une wants all of the manpower she can get. Sorry."

"Hey, I understand. Preventer work's not all easy," Duo grinned.

"No, it isn't. Which is why Une is so eager to have someone with your skills-"

"Stop with the spiel, okay? I'm happy doing what I do."

"Running guns?"

"I'm running them to you guys! It's not like I'm selling them to gangs of crack dealers and kids."

Wufei smirked. "You have far too many buttons," he said, then glanced behind him. "I'd better be getting back to it."

"See ya whenever, then."

"As soon as humanly possible."

+

Another phone call interrupted a couple of hours later, but the screen gave way to a panicked Quatre rather than a stressed Wufei.

"Duo, is Seb there?" he asked.

"No. Why?"

"He didn't come home, I phoned the school and they said he hadn't been in lessons since before lunchtime. We've homed the whole house and the garden, and can't find him anywhere. Sally's phoning everyone else right now."

"Shit!" Duo said. "I'm gonna look for him."

+

Seb was obviously determined to give him heart failure one way or another. It was only really instinct that told him he was still at the school. Just because he wasn't in lessons didn't mean he wasn't there, and he couldn't see him wandering around the streets, especially with the chance of it getting dark. St. Matthew's had to employ a cleaner of some sort, so there had to be a gate open somewhere. Though he was fully prepared to smash windows and shimmy up drainpipes if he had to.

Luckily, it didn't come to that. The back gate was open, and he managed to walk past a couple of teachers doing overtime without hassle. They probably thought he was the cleaner, come to think of it. This place looked more like an old mansion than a school.

Generally, bullied children liked to hide in toilets, so that's where he started his search. He didn't reckon on there being so many though. It wasn't until the twenty-first or twenty-second one that he found him.

Well, he found a locked cubicle, with the sound of loud sniffling coming from it. He hoped it was him.

"Seb?"

"Go away!"

"Jesus Christ, your parents were worried sick. Me too, while we're at it. No one knew what had happened to you. They still don't. Get out here right now."

"No!"

"Seb, get out here or I'll kick the door in."

"No you won't. You'll get sued for damages."

"I can afford it if it lets me drag your ass home."

"Go away!"

"That's not gonna work."

"I don't want to see you! I hate you!"

"No you don't, you're just angry at me. Come on, come out here, and we'll go back to mine and sort this out."

"You don't want me there."

"How many times have I told you? It's not about that. I like you, but I shouldn't like you like that, and that's why I was staying away from you."

"It doesn't matter, you'll never like me as much as I like you."

"Seb..."

"If you knew this was going to happen, you shouldn't have kissed me in the first place."

"You're right, but I'm not exactly wise with the life decisions. Please, come out here."

There was a pause in the sniffling, then the door opened slowly. Seb's eyes were red and shiny with tears, but he was okay otherwise.

"You gave me a hell of a fright," Duo said. "C'mere."

Seb sniffled into his shoulder for a little bit, as he wrapped him in a crushing hug.

"Now we need to go home and phone your dad, okay?"

Seb nodded into his shoulder.

+

"You understand why I couldn't see you, right?" Duo asked, as he placed a packet of crisps in Seb's hand.

Seb nodded, but he didn't look too happy about it.

"I've phoned your dad," Duo told him. "He's gonna come down straight away. I gathered that you're in a whole lot of trouble."

"I know," Seb said, opening and eating the crisps with his normal speed.

"If you ever do something like...that..."

Duo made himself look away while Seb licked the grease and salt from his fingers. He was so screwed up. That shouldn't be sexy at all. Fuck it. He grabbed the back of Seb's neck, not quite kissing him but close enough to. A more tarnished part of him was telling him that he didn't have to stop himself from doing something he'd already done, while the real him knew that it didn't work that way.

"Duo?" Seb said, making their lips brush.

He'd already established that he was going to hell, so once more... The kiss tasted of metal and salt and vinegar, and the cheeks he cupped were baby soft with the lack of stubble. Seb slid on top of him, straddling his waist as the kiss deepened and became the desperate raking of tongues. Duo grasped his hips to keep him still as he started bucking, that was too far, and it had been too far the first time.

It was just proving that he was a bastard through and through, he wouldn't let Seb break for air, couldn't get enough...

And if he wasn't such a bastard, maybe he'd have noticed Quatre come in.

He half-opened an eye and he was standing there, dazed.

"Fuck!" Duo said, snapping his hand away.

Seb sprang off him. "Dad..."

"I... Still had your key from a while ago..." Quatre said, still dazed. "I thought it would be okay if I let myself in."

"Dad, he didn't make me! He didn't do anything to me."

Duo winced as Quatre started to snap out of it.

"Duo," Quatre said dangerously. "I'm fairly sure you know how old he is, since you were the first one to visit us after his birth."

"Quatre, I'm so... I can't..."

"Oh, don't be sorry, Duo. Stand up."

[part 15] [part 17] [back to Singles l - z]