Title: Afterimage 8/?
Author: Caroline (chibirei @ hotmail.com)
Rating: this part - R, NC-17 overall (Big surprise)
Pairing: 1x2 (yup, we finally see some action)
Warnings: LIME! AU, OOC, murder, angst, bastardization of some
characters,
death of some characters (but not Heero or Duo :), maybe
rape/torture... don't know how squicky I can get til I write it...
Spoilers: none
Comments: please
Archive: email please.
Disclaimers: don't own 'em.  never will.  'nuff said.


-+Eight+-

Heero looked down at Duo's face, holding the boy's hand, and watching
as his eyes moved rapidly beneath closed eyelids. He stroked the back
of Duo's hand with his thumb in an effort to relax the long-haired
teenager. He spoke to him in a low voice, trying to guide his
memories to focus on Relena's murder.

"Okay, Duo. Remember, you're safe here," he murmured, almost
hypnotically. "What's the first thing you see?"

"Relena… she's in a car…" Duo said, eyes still closed. "She's
talking
to someone…"

"Can you see who?"

Duo shook his head and squeezed his eyes tighter. "She's not afraid.
I think… I think she *knows* him."

Heero blinked. He hadn't thought of the possibility that the victims
might have known their killer. But they'd done background checks and
interviews with friends and family. Not a single connection between
the victims had been made other than all having similar looks.

"Try to look very carefully, Duo. Can you see who is driving the car
Relena's in?"

Duo's brow scrunched together in concentration. "It's a man… with
long…"

"Hair?" Heero supplied.

"Fingers," Duo answered. "I can't see his face. I'm sorry."

Heero sighed. "That's okay, Duo. Tell me what happens next."

Duo's head twitched. "The car doesn't feel like it's moving. I think
it's pulled over somewhere."

'The rest stop,' Heero thought, remembering what Duo had said in his
statement after finding Relena's body.

"She's mad now. I think they're arguing about something. I…" The
long-
haired boy gasped suddenly, his face turning pale.

"Duo? Duo, what's happening?"

"No… I can't. I don't wanna see…" He began thrashing on the
sofa.

Heero gripped his shoulders. "Duo, please. Remember, you're here with
me. I won't let anything happen to you."

Duo frowned but his body stilled.

"What do you see?" Heero urged.

"The sun glinting off something… a knife… she's screaming. I
can hear
her screaming!" Tears began to leak out from the corners of his
eyes. "He's got a hold of her hair… the sun's glinting off the
knife…
then there's blood… oh God, there's blood everywhere… and
she's not
screaming anymore…"

By this time, Duo's body was trembling violently. Heero gathered the
shaking figure into his arms, rocking him back and forth as a mother
would her child after waking from a nightmare. For a long, long
moment, they remained that way, Heero comforting Duo as best he
could. He let the boy cry himself out, knowing that this catharsis
must have been a long time in coming. Having a gift like Duo's must
be a heavy burden to bear.

Duo hiccuped, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. Heero looked down and
gave him a small smile. "Feeling better?"

Duo nodded mutely, then made a grab for his beer, drinking most of it
in one swallow. Heero frowned at him.

"S…sorry," the braided boy stammered, looking away. "I just…
don't
want to feel her pain anymore."

Heero's gaze softened. "I understand." He leaned over to grab some
tissues out of a box on the end table. Handing them to Duo he
asked, "Are you sure you didn't see the killer's face?"

Duo nodded. "All I could see clearly were his hands." He closed his
eyes again.

"Were there any distinguishing marks or tattoos?" Heero asked
hopefully. Surely… surely Duo had seen *something* that could
give
them a lead.

Duo frowned, eyes still closed. "No… wait. There was
something… a
necklace maybe? I can't see it clearly."

"Could you see the design?"

The young man sighed and shook his head. "It's not clear. It's…
it's
like… barbed wire? But not quite." He opened his eyes and looked
at
Heero apologetically. "I'm just getting a vague impression. I only
caught a glimpse of it under his shirt when he… when he…"
Violet eyes
began to shimmer with tears once more. In desperation, he drained the
rest of his drink, determined to make himself numb so he wouldn't
have to feel anymore. Heero didn't blame him. Leaving the boy
sniffling on the couch, he walked to the kitchen to grab a couple
more bottles.

He had a feeling they'd need them.





Duo lay on his back, giggling madly at the ceiling as if it was the
funniest thing in the world. And at that moment, it was. He reached
one hand up, stretching as though to touch the ceiling, frowning in
disappointed when he found he couldn't. He tilted his head and
wondered what it would be like if gravity suddenly reversed itself
and everyone had to walk around on the ceiling. Curious, he twisted
his body to hang his head upside down off the couch. He felt the
blood rushing to his head and giggled some more.

The muffled sound of a toilet flushing followed by running water came
through the closed door of the bathroom. A moment later, Heero opened
the door and shuffled out into the main room. He was halfway across
the loft when he noticed Duo dangling upside down, giggling like an
idiot.

"Duo, what are you doing?"

"Trying to imagine what the world would be like if we lived upside
down," the inebriated teen replied, suddenly looking quite serious.

"And what would it be like?" the detective asked, smiling slightly.

"It'd be pretty cool. Although watching TV would be a bitch and where
would I set my beer?" Duo reached out to grab at one of the empty
bottles sitting on the floor near his face. In the process, he lost
his balance and fell on his head, sending glass bottles rolling in
every direction.

Heero's eyes grew wide in alarm as he hurried over to the boy. He
stumbled to his knees just as Duo flopped over on his back, laughing
again. "Sh…sorry, Heero," he slurred, still grinning. "I'll clean
them up." Gingerly he pulled himself to a sitting position.

"Hn. You're drunk," Heero said, watching as Duo tried to set the
bottles on their ends with careful, over exaggerated movements.

Duo looked taken aback. "'M not."

"Prove it," Heero challenged, getting unsteadily to his feet. "Stand
up."

The braided teen sat back on his heels, looking up at Heero like a
scolded child. Using the couch as leverage, he pushed himself to his
feet. Still holding on to the arm of the couch, Duo looked back up at
Heero, smiling triumphantly.

"Let go of the couch," Heero said, smirking.

Duo frowned and stuck his tongue out at the dark-haired cop. Then,
brow furrowed in concentration, he let go and stood up straight. He
managed to keep his balance for all of three seconds before pitching
forward. Heero reacted instinctively, lunging forward to catch the
boy. Duo felt strong arms wrap around him - and giggled.

"See? You're drunk," Heero said again.

Duo looked up into Heero's flushed face and glassy eyes. "Well so are
you."

Heero blinked. "True. But not as much as you. Are you feeling all
right?"

Duo nodded and looked around in a daze, head spinning. "Actually, I
gotta pee."

Heero snorted. Slipping an arm under Duo's, he helped the boy walk
across the loft. Fortunately, they reached the bathroom without
incident. Heero reached in and flipped on the light. Duo winced at
the sudden brightness, but stepped forward nonetheless.

"Need any help in there?" Heero asked as he let go of Duo.

The young man turned, keeping one hand on the wall for balance. "I
think I can handle it on my own," he replied, grinning
mischievously. "I've been potty trained for seventeen years. But if I
need any help, I'll let you know." He winked, shutting the door in
Heero's face.

Blinking at the glaring light, Duo quickly made his way to the toilet
and relieved himself, swearing never to drink again as he did so. He
normally didn't imbibe in the stuff, having only a drink or two every
now and again, usually under Quatre's strict supervision. He didn't
know what had possessed him to grab a beer out of Heero's fridge in
the first place. Perhaps he'd wanted to act 'grown-up' so Heero would
quit looking at him like a kid. But after reliving the visions of
Relena's murder, he'd wanted to drown out the memories and go numb so
he wouldn't have to feel her pain. So he'd drunk some more. He
couldn't even remember how many he'd had. But he knew it had been
more than enough to make a fool out of himself in front of Heero.

He moved to wash his hands in the sink, grimacing as he caught sight
of his reflection in the mirror above. His eyes were bloodshot and
puffy. His face was flushed and his hair was coming out of its braid.

'What a lovely image I make,' he thought sarcastically, drying his
hands on a nearby towel. He stared at his reflection some more.
Haunted eyes looked back at him. Unbidden, the image of Relena's face
superimposed itself over his in the mirror. Once more he could feel
the girl's pain as the knife cut her skin. Looking down at his hands,
for a moment Duo thought they were covered in blood. His breathing
quickened as he started to hyperventilate. He pushed back away from
the sink with a sharp cry, burying his face in his hands and trying
to block out the memories of the vision. But it wasn't working. The
alcohol was beginning to wear off. He was starting to feel again.

A knock on the door startled him. "Duo? Are you all right?"

He stared at the door, picturing the man standing on the other side.
Heero. Heero could help him. Heero had made him feel safe before. He
could help him feel safe again. Pushing himself away from the wall,
he closed his hand over the knob and opened the door.





Heero blinked as the bathroom door shut in his face. His body was
tingling where Duo had been leaning against him. Sagging against the
wall next to the bathroom door, he took a deep breath and ran nervous
fingers through his hair. He hadn't realized he was shaking until he
took some of his weight off his legs. Glancing back at the closed
door, he groaned. No use denying it. He hadn't wanted to let Duo go.

When Duo had broken down in his arms, his heart had gone out to the
violet-eyed youth. To be blessed - or cursed - with a gift like
Duo's… Heero wasn't sure if he could have handled it. Heero
feared he
would have been driven out of his mind long before now with all those
random images running through his head.

A muffled cry from behind the door snapped him out of his thoughts.
Concerned, he knocked on the door, hoping Duo was okay.

"Duo? Are you all right?"

The bathroom door opened a moment later, revealing a frightened
looking Duo. The boy's skin was terribly pale, and glassy violet eyes
peeked out from under the messy mop of hair framing his face. It was
the eyes that disturbed Heero. He could see Duo's helplessness and
fear in those orbs. Heero wished he could make it all go away.
"Duo?" he asked again, beginning to worry over the haunted
desperation he saw in those eyes.

Duo said nothing. He simply stepped out of the bathroom and into
Heero's arms. The detective was startled for a moment - but only for
a moment. As soon as he realized what Duo needed, he wrapped his arms
around the boy's trembling form, holding him close. Heero could feel
Duo's warm breath through his cotton shirt. From the raggedness of
the braided teen's breathing, he knew Duo was trying hard not to
start crying again.

"It's okay, Duo. You can let it out," he whispered, rubbing Duo's
back in comforting motions.

Duo shook his head. "I… I haven't felt this helpless in a long
time,"
he mumbled into Heero's chest.

"Helpless? Duo, there was nothing you could have done…"

"No!" he cried out, jerking away from Heero. "There may have been
nothing I could do to stop it, but I could help bring her killer to
justice. Only I *can't*!"

Heero frowned, trying to make sense of Duo's words. "What do you
mean? Did you have another vision in the bathroom?"

"Yes. No. Dammit! I'm not making any sense!" He reached around to
clutch at his braid. "I saw… I saw her die. I saw her killer. But
I
can't see his face! No matter how hard I try, I can't see it. I can
relive her death over and over, but I can't help you catch the guy
who did it. And… and it hurts. I don't want to feel her pain
anymore!"

With a strangled sob, he turned and began walking toward the kitchen.
Before he could get very far, Heero reached out and grabbed his arm.
His heart was aching for the young man. He wanted nothing more than
to wrap him in a protective embrace and keep him safe from the pain
of his memories. If only he knew how!

"Duo? Where are you going?"

"To get another drink."

"No. I think you've had enough for one night."

Duo tugged at his arm. "Please. Just one more. I need it. I'm tired
of feeling. I'm tired of the pain. I'd rather be numb. I'd rather not
feel anything. I - mmph!"

Heero cut off Duo's tirade the only way he could think of at the
moment - with his mouth. He didn't know who was more surprised at his
action, Duo or himself. All he'd wanted to do was to comfort the
young man - give him something to feel other than pain. But as soon
as their lips met, Heero wondered if he was kissing the boy because
Duo needed it, or for his own selfish reasons. Immediately he
regretted his actions. Duo was hurting, and he had no right to take
advantage of him like this. Reluctantly - very reluctantly - he
pulled away. Staring down into Duo's surprised gaze, he braced
himself for his reaction.

The braided boy stared up at him in silence, slowly bringing his hand
up to touch his lips. Heero followed the movement, swallowing hard as
his gaze once more focused on Duo's lips. One brief taste and he was
already craving more. Groaning silently in frustration, he forced his
eyes back up to meet Duo's.

"G…gomen ne," he mumbled, so flustered he reverted back to his
native
Japanese.

"Huh?"

Heero blinked. "I'm sorry," he said, this time in English. "I…
had no
right to do that."

Duo only continued to hold his gaze, staring at him in wonder. Heero
dropped his eyes and started to turn away, only to be stopped in his
tracks as the slim figure of Duo Maxwell launched himself into his
arms, attacking his lips even more furiously than before. Heero was
caught off guard for only a moment before throwing all good
intentions out the window. He wrapped his arms around Duo's body,
crushing the boy to him. Like Duo, he was tired of everything - tired
of his job, tired of the murders, tired of blaming himself for
Relena. He had been slowly dying inside for a long time. But now…
with Duo in his arms kissing him back with equal intensity, he felt
truly alive for the first time in a long, long while. Or was that the
alcohol talking? Whatever it was, he didn't care. All he cared about
at that moment was the squirming bundle of warmth in his arms.

For their second kiss, their lips met with an almost bruising force.
Duo's hands snaked up to bury themselves in Heero's hair as the
detective coaxed Duo's mouth open with his tongue. Duo complied,
opening himself for Heero to taste. Heero gently slid his tongue
inside, moaning softly at his first taste of the young man in his
arms. Their tongues moved together slowly at first, each getting used
to the taste and feel of the other. But as the moment progressed and
the kiss became wilder and more urgent, Heero could feel himself
losing control. It had been too long since he'd enjoyed the company
of another warm body next to his. And now, with this beautiful
creature in his arms and under the influence of all that alcohol,
Heero could feel his control slipping.

Duo groaned sensuously, pressing his lithe body closer to Heero's.
The dark-haired man let go of the last of his inhibitions and pushed
Duo almost violently up against the wall. He slid one knee between
Duo's legs and pressed upward, lifting the boy so that his toes were
barely touching the floor. Duo gasped into Heero's mouth, pulling his
head back in order to look into Heero's eyes. Both young men were
breathing heavily. Under Heero's intense gaze, Duo unconsciously
snaked his tongue out to lick his lips. Heero followed the movement
with his eyes. Duo caught the hungry look and swallowed nervously,
breath catching in his throat. Heero smirked and rolled his hips
before claiming Duo's mouth once again.

How long they stood there, creating that delicious friction, Heero
did not know. He slid his hands down the braided boy's sides and,
after a moment's hesitation, pulled Duo's shirt out of his pants.
Both young men jumped as Heero's fingers slipped underneath, sliding
over the silky smooth skin found there. Duo wrapped his arms tighter
around Heero's neck and managed to push them away from the wall.
Without losing contact with each other's mouths, the two somehow
managed to make their way to Heero's bed behind the shoji screens.
Together they tumbled onto the bed, hands moving feverishly over as
much bare skin as they could find.

Finally, after several minutes of rolling around, touching, kissing,
and making a rumpled mess out of the once pristine sheets, Heero
rolled Duo onto his back. He levered himself up on one arm to look
down at the braided youth. Duo's eyes were half closed, blinking
lazily at him. Reverently, Heero used his free hand to cup Duo's
cheek.

"God, you're beautiful," he whispered, causing the teen to blush.

"So are you," Duo replied before reaching up to bring Heero's mouth
back down to his own.

As their tongues resumed their fight for dominance, Heero's hand
reached between their bodies to push Duo's shirt up. Breaking the
kiss, he moved down over Duo's body to taste the sweet flesh above
the boy's navel. Duo gasped loudly, his stomach fluttering in
response. Heero dipped his tongue into the indention briefly before
moving lower…

Duo cried out, arching his back as Heero nuzzled his arousal through
the thick material of his black jeans. He tugged on Heero's hair,
urging the older man back up so he could claim his lips again. Heero
lowered himself fully onto Duo's body, rolling his hips and moaning
as hardness slid over hardness. He buried his face in Duo's neck,
becoming intoxicated with the boy's scent. He was drunk on Duo…
drunk…

That thought crashed over him like a cold wave. What was he doing?
They were both drunk, both trying to drive away their pain by
whatever means possible. If they didn't stop now, sure they'd forget
their pain for a little while. But in the morning, after the sun had
wiped away the shadows of night, the pain would still be there - and
they would have to deal with the ramifications of what they had done.
Heero didn't want to do that, didn't want Duo to regret anything they
did. Duo was as intoxicated as he, perhaps even more so. If they were
going to make love, he wanted them both to do it with a clear mind.
He respected Duo too much to do otherwise. And he… liked him too
much
to want to fall into bed drunk. With one last kiss, he pulled his
body off Duo and sat up.

Duo sat up as well, looking confused and a little hurt. "H…
Heero?"

"I… I'm sorry, Duo," Heero murmured, turning his back on the boy.
"I…
I think we need to stop before… things get out of control."

Duo moved to drape himself over Heero's shoulders. "But what if I
want to lose control?" he whispered huskily into Heero's ear.

Heero shivered. "No," he said firmly, moving Duo off him and turning
to face him again. Seeing the hurt look in the boy's eyes, Heero
brushed one hand against his cheek. "It's not that I don't want to,
Duo. Believe me, stopping just now took every ounce of strength I
possess. I just… think we should take things slowly. We barely
know
each other. And we're both not in our right minds at the moment. We
shouldn't do this… at least, not right now."

Duo looked at him, the hurt look receding a bit. "I know, but… I
want
you," he pouted, reaching out again.

Heero closed his eyes, willing himself to resist Duo's charms. He
grabbed Duo's hand and turned it over, bringing it up to his mouth to
kiss the inside of his wrist. "I want you, too… more than you
know.
But let's take one thing at a time. Get to know each other better."
He moved closer.

Duo blushed. "Are you… saying you want to start… dating?"

Heero swallowed. Time to take a leap of faith. "Yes. If you want
to…
I would be honored if we could… start seeing each other. Outside
of
the police station that is."

Duo grinned. "I'd love to, Heero. And I thought you'd never ask." He
leaned up and brushed a sweet, tender, and altogether too short kiss
on Heero's lips. Drawing back, he stifled a yawn. "I suppose I should
get home then. I have to work tomorrow."

Heero shook his head. "No. Neither of us are in any shape to try and
get you home tonight. You can sleep here."

Duo smiled cheekily. "With you?"

Heero groaned. "No. I think… I think it would be best if I slept
on
the couch tonight."

The braided teen pouted for a moment, then nodded. "I understand.
But, it should be me who sleeps on the couch. I don't want to kick
you out of your bed." He made a move to get up, but Heero caught his
arm.

"Please. I insist. I've slept on the couch a few times. I'll be all
right." Moving the covers down, he handed Duo an oversized t-shirt
from off the nearby dresser. "You can sleep in that… if you
want."

He averted his eyes as Duo stripped off his clothes and slipped the
shirt on over his head. No need to tempt fate by peeking. When Duo
was dressed again, Heero lay him down on the bed and drew up the
covers. Duo snuggled down onto the pillows, already half-asleep.

"G'night, Heero," the teen murmured sleepily, closing his eyes.

"Good night, Duo," Heero whispered, watching as the boy drifted off
to sleep. He sat on the edge of the bed for a long while, watching
him sleep. Finally, he leaned over and kissed Duo gently on the
forehead. He stood up, and with one last, lingering glance at the
slumbering beauty in his bed, he turned and shuffled dejectedly to
the couch.

It was going to be a long night.