Unconditional Gifts
Part 9
Eventually, Quatre delivered two steaming mugs of coffee to Heero and Trowa,
then beat a hasty retreat to allow them to talk in private.
The usually quiet pair sat on the bed again and sipped at the steaming
beverage. The pilot of the Gundam HeavyArms was lost in thought when Heero
broke the silence, "Trowa, I'm afraid that I've got bad news."
"I expected as much." The taller teen nodded emotionlessly, "Go on."
"I know this is going to be hard for you to understand," Heero paused and
wished yet again that all of this was not even happening much less that he
faced delivering news of this type to his friend. After taking a steadying
breath, he continued his thought, "Duo and I suspect something about Wufei
that we think you ought to know."
"All right, what is it?" Trowa asked nervously. He knew Heero well and the
hesitation and avoidance did not bode well for whatever he was about to hear.
Cobalt-blue eyes focused in on emerald ones as Heero tried to judge the
response his next statement would receive, even though he was fairly certain
he already knew, the Wing pilot was wrong.
Expecting an expression of agony, Heero stated as simply as possible, "We
think that Wufei was raped, Trowa. Not by you, of course, but possibly within
the last six months."
Trowa simply stared at his friend for a moment as the shocking statement
registered fully and then was rejected forcefully.
"You're a fucking liar, Heero Yuy!" Trowa accused, surging to his feet and
prepared to do violence against his friend for the words he'd just spoken.
"I wish I was," Heero answered calmly.
"How *dare* you say such a thing?!?" Trowa's mind raced and he felt a desire
to scream or hit something or someone, yet the current target of his wrath
simply sat on the bed and regarded him coolly as if nothing Trowa might do
could make things worse. This alone served to stop him and Trowa stood, fists
clenched glaring ominously yet taking no further action.
"We suspected it from some things that were said before you returned
yesterday and Duo and I had intended to speak to you about it before all hell
broke loose," Heero spoke with a certain amount of sorrow and regret in his
voice. "But obviously it's too late for that now."
Trowa snorted angrily and approached the teen on the bed looking confused and
furious, "Yeah, it's too fucking late for a lot of things, Yuy!" He trembled
as he asked, "What evidence do you have for saying this, anyway? What
*exactly* was said and by whom? Did *Fei* say he was raped? Why would he tell
*you* and not *me*?!?" Anguish seemed to radiate off of Trowa even as he
slowly realized that Heero would never have made such a statement without
something to back it up and even now he feared the answers to his questions.
Heero, however, decided to go straight to the ultimate evidence and then see
what happened. "This morning, while he was trying to take care of him, Duo
discovered scars on Wufei's anus that are consistent with sexual assault,
Trowa."
"He WHAT?!?" Trowa nearly exploded in anger over these words. "What the hell
was he doing searching out THAT kind of thing?!? And he did it while Fei was
*unconscious*?! Who the fuck does Maxwell think he is looking THERE?!?"
As realization hit Trowa hard and fast as to what must have happened, he spun
to leave the room with every intention of finding the American pilot and
avenging his beloved for this inappropriate action.
With inhuman speed, Heero sprang from the bed and tackled the taller youth.
Sitting on his chest and holding Trowa's arms in a vice-like grip, the
Japanese pilot snarled. "Enough! Barton, calm the fuck down or you'll never
be able to help Wufei! Isn't that what you wanted in the first place?!"
"Of course it is, Yuy," Trowa snarled in return, "And keeping your
boyfriend's filthy hands off of him when he can't fight back will just be the
start!"
One slightly golden hand flew free of Trowa's arm and came back as a fist
that rocked Trowa's head against the carpeted floor, sending flashes of light
across his eyes as pain poured through him from the impact.
Heero's growled voice pierced Trowa's thoughts as he snarled, "Do you think
he *wanted* to do that, asshole? Did you *think* Duo wanted to be forced to
find this out at all?!? Do you THINK any of this is fucking easy for any of
us to take?!?"
Teardrops of pain and sorrow escaped from beneath long lashes as Trowa
finally began to accept the reality of the situation. He stopped struggling
under Heero's weight and lay limply on the floor, head shaking in negation.
"..no..." Trowa finally moaned softly, "no, this just can't be true. oh sweet
god in heaven, don't let this be true."
Sensing the change and calming down himself, Heero climbed to his feet and
then lifted Trowa to his own as well.
The taller teen leaned heavily against the shorter one and began to mumble
apologies to him and to the sleeping boy he hadn't even seen since the
morning's incident. "i'm so sorry, so very, very sorry, heero."
Trowa took a shuddering breath and then added in a voice barely above a
whisper, "oh fei, please forgive me for being blind. how can this have
happened? how can i fix this? oh, god, i wish i was dead."
"No, you don't," Heero answered quietly. "Listen, Trowa, this is almost
impossible for *us* to cope with, imagine how it's going to be for Wufei when
he finds out that we know? He's going to need you more than he's ever needed
anyone."
"no, that can't be right," Trowa refused to accept this fact. "this is my
fault, all my fault."
The small voice that often told Trowa that he wasn't worth anything quietly
commented to him that he had proven yet again how toxic he was and that if
simply failing to eat properly hadn't lessened the danger to others, it might
find something more direct to deal with the issue. Images of a razor-sharp
dagger and bright red blood came to mind, but he had never performed
deliberate self-mutilation and these thoughts quickly submerged once more.
"No," Heero sighed and pulled the other boy close, holding him in a brotherly
embrace that contrasted dramatically with hitting him only moments before.
"This is *not* your fault, we're to blame for not warning you sooner of our
suspicions. Duo and I may be wrong, but I doubt it. I know a fair amount
about this kind of crime due to my training and, frankly, I'm shocked it took
me this long to figure it out."
Heero took a moment to lead Trowa to the bed and sat him down on it before
moving back to stand in front of him, effectively baring him from rising once
more.
The seated boy looked up at his friend with sorrowful eyes searching for
answers. "So? How can I help Fei, Heero?"
The same hand that had struck him now came down to rest on one too-slender
shoulder, "Be patient, Trowa." Heero spoke with sadness. "First he needs to
come out of whatever that strange catatonia is and then we're going to have
to talk to him about all this as soon as he can handle it. For now, though,
be patient and be there for him. When he wakes up, don't talk of blame or
guilt, just show him that you still care. He's hidden this for a reason and
having it revealed isn't going to make him happy in the least."
"I'll try," Trowa promised, then he frowned before asking, "Can I go take a
look at him myself? I'm worried about Fei and I assume you kept me from him
so you could tell me all this, but now I just need to see that he's alive.
Hold him and remind myself that there is hope after all this."
"Certainly," Heero answered then moved his hand from Trowa's shoulder to the
rapidly swelling contusion on his chin. The taller teen flinched at the touch
and Heero sighed, "But let's get some ice on this before too awfully long,
okay? I pulled the punch enough that it shouldn't get too bad, but might as
well keep it from bruising more than it has to, ne?"
"Yeah, sure, whatever," Trowa mumbled disinterestedly. "But let me see Fei
first, okay?"
"Right," Heero nodded and helped him to his feet before leading the way to
the second story bedroom.
Full Author's Notes to Run at Conclusion.
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