Disclaimers and warnings still apply

SHATTERED GLASS
Ryu~Itsutsu

Part Six : Freedom

"All I want is freedom, a world with no more night, and you, always beside
me, to hold me and to hide me."
~Christine from "The Phantom of the Opera"
Charles Heart, lyrics; Andrew Lloyd Webber, music

Wufei stepped cautiously around his opulent prison, dark eyes running over
every object on the walls with increasing agitation. It had taken some time
for the poisons from the whip’s tip to work their way through his system,
and his first priority once he was able to move again had been testing the
door. It was a thick metal barrier, a powerful monstrosity with no passkey
or code input that he could find. He supposed it was programmed to respond
to and open for certain people, though he wasn’t sure how. It couldn’t be
appearance, voice, or fingerprints, because Maxwell, as Wufei assumed he was
called since the others he’d seen had been referred to as "Winner" and
"Yuy," had mentioned a "Chang" in such a manner that Wufei was certain his
double had access to this room. Something they wore then, or had implanted
under the skin, opened the door. There was no use trying to force it open;
the metal was too thick and the it was a sliding door that went deep into
the wall on either side when closed.

Wufei had then turned his attention to the room at large, starting by
studying the make-up of the bed. The sides and bottom were solid black metal
and impossible to tear into. Beside the bed was a small table which, he
discovered upon searching through the two drawers, was full of a wide
variety of lotions, scents, and lubricants that made panic rise in his
stomach. If there had been any doubt as to the nature of this room before,
it was gone now; this Maxwell had brought him here as a sex toy. If it had
been anyone else, if his captor didn’t have Duo’s face and voice, the
Chinese warrior was certain he could have blocked everything out and
survived the torture that was sure to come. But...but to see *Duo* doing
those things to him, making him scream as Maxwell was determined to do,
terrified Wufei more than he would ever admit and chilled him to the core.
He was in love with Duo, though he’d never told the American so and never
planned to; to be degraded and raped by his mirror image was no less than
his worst nightmare.

If Wufei was going to die today, he didn’t want his last memory to be
merciless sadistic glee in the wide violet eyes made for laughing.

The Chinese boy shook his head hard, refusing to give in to the rising
terror in his chest and belly. "I won’t give him the satisfaction of messing
with my head," he announced to the room, standing from his kneeling position
by the table and snapping the drawer shut. "There’s got to be something I
can use on these walls..."

He turned with extreme trepidation to the objects of torture he had tried so
desperately to ignore. Everything gleamed black, silver, and crimson,
bringing visions of flame and death. Whips and knives seemed the preferred
weapon, taking up perhaps three-fourths of the walls. There was also chains,
leather collars, long plumed feathers, and two places were a person could be
chained, standing to the wall. He shuddered and backed away, his mind
filling again with the vision of Duo’s face inches away as that low, sexy
voice murmured, "I’ll make you scream, pet..."

"I have to get out of here before he gets back or I’ll run mad *waiting* for
it," Wufei muttered, returning to his consideration of the door. He was just
stepping toward it when it swished open and he fell back into an attack
position, ignoring the pain that burned in his shoulder. Maxwell stood in
the doorway and smirked, absolutely no fear in the large, bright eyes. Wufei
froze.

Maxwell carried a limp form in his arms, familiar and unmistakable even in
the college uniform; a long brown braid snaked almost to the floor. "You
wouldn’t attack me when I brought you a...present, would you, pet?"

Wufei’s eyes narrowed, sharp gaze held pointedly on the boy in his captor’s
arms. "Don’t you dare touch him," he said, straightening but not giving an
inch. "I’ll kill you if you so much as-"

Maxwell laughed. "I’m already touching him, pet! For a trained fighter and
genius, you’re not very observant. Chang would be embarrassed to look like
you." Wufei’s hot glare only made Maxwell laugh again as he leaned over only
slightly and dropped his burden with a *thump.* "Later, pet, I’ll show you
why animals always do better in pairs," he cooed, voice heavy with promise
as Wufei hurried forward to lean over his unconscious roommate, trying not
to look as desperate as he felt as he tested for a pulse. He gave a little
sigh of relief as he felt that steady heartbeat under his fingertips and
raised Duo’s hand instinctively to press his lips against that precious flow
of blood. Maxwell snorted and turned, nodding sharply at Yuy who had
followed him in. "Wake him up and then come help me. We’ll have to write the
report since Winner’s out for the count."

Yuy nodded and Maxwell whirled on one heel, leaving as Yuy pulled out a
needle and prepared to inject something in Duo’s arm. Wufei’s hand shot out
like lightning, catching the other boy’s wrist. "What the hell do you think
you’re doing?"

Yuy looked at him a moment, then spoke slowly and soundlessly, assuming that
they, as trained fighters, would be able to read lips [1]. //This is a
stimulant and muscle relaxer. It will wake him up and loosen the muscles in
his shoulder where Maxwell hit him.//

Wufei looked at him suspiciously, not letting go. "It won’t hurt him?"

//If it was going to hurt him, Maxwell wouldn’t let me do it. He'd want
to handle it himself.// was the simple reply.

Wufei looked startled a moment but finally clenched his teeth and said,
"Fine. But if there are any adverse effects, I will personally take it out
of your skin."

//No you won’t.// Yuy’s expression didn’t change; he was simply stating
a fact, clean and simple. In one smooth motion, the silent assassin injected
the medication into Duo’s arm. The result was instantaneous - Duo’s eyes
snapped open and he jerked, giving a small hiss of pain as the drug shot
through his veins.

"Shh, Duo-kun, it’s okay," Wufei said with unaccustomed gentleness, holding
his friend as he quaked again. Yuy stood over them for a moment more before
moving around the room, calmly double-checking the strength of the chains
connected to the walls.

Duo’s eyes slowly focused and he managed a weak, "Fei? What the hell..?"

Wufei smiled and helped the American sit up, steadying him a bit. "It seems
there’s another set of us, Duo-kun. I"m not sure how long I’ve been here -
not much more than a day, I think - but you just got here. This is your
double’s room - Maxwell."

Duo shook his head hard, wincing as a slight pain shot out from his temples.
"I remember...oh! There was...another Trowa...and two Quatres....and the
other one shot the guy who wasn’t Trowa...and then I hit him, but somebody
hit me..another me I think..."

Wufei didn’t even bother trying to make sense of that little speech and
instead shifted slightly, placing himself between Duo and Yuy as the
Japanese assassin passed close again. "I will kill you if you hurt him," he
said simply.

Yuy simply watched him a moment, expression unreadable, before turning to
go. Duo, meanwhile, had been looking around the room and his eyes were wide
with shock and fear. "Matte!" he called, and the mute boy turned with an
expression of surprise. "Anou...what’s going to happen to us?"

//Maxwell//

"Meaning?" Duo asked, unconsciously leaning against Wufei whose eyes were
also on the assassin. "What’s he going to do to us?"

Something flashed in Yuy’s eyes, a crack in the facade of complete calm he
carried with him. For a moment the cobalt eyes closed before snapping open
again, cold as ice. //Break you// he mouthed simply, then disappeared
through the door.

Duo sat for a moment, blinking, trying to take it all in. "Feeeei, I’m gonna
ask again. What the hell’s goin’ on?! I’ve been lookin’ for you all day, and
what’s this about you punching some kid out for no reason?!"

"That wasn’t me, Duo-kun. I told you I’ve been here." He paused, cursing.
"Damn. That means when they catch one of us they send our double back...that
explains why I’ve never seen ‘Chang.’"

"So you’ve been replaced by one of those doubles at school?" Duo asked,
standing somewhat shakily and looking around the room. It spun a moment and
he wavered on his legs, only to feel strong arms catch his arms and hold him
up. *That* didn’t help that light-headed feeling at all, having his
unrequited obsession so close! "Where are we?"

"I’m not sure. Maxwell calls this his ‘playroom,’ so I suppose we’re
wherever they’re from."

"Playroom?" Duo shuddered. "Man, I don’t even *want* to know."

"I sincerely hope you don’t get a chance to find out," Wufei said softly,
and Duo’s eyes flew wide in surprise at the soft pain in the other boy’s
voice. He turned, opening his mouth to say something, and finally catching
sight of the angry red lash that arched over his shoulder to his chest.
"Shit, Wufei! What happened?!"

"Nothing," came the flat reply as Wufei backed away, stopping when the backs
of his knees hit the bed. He was slightly panicked, torn between not wanting
Duo to know what had happened to him and what was going to happen and
grabbing the American and pulling him close so he could erase the images of
Maxwell’s sadistic grins from his mind. Duo was staring at him, taking in
the tight, blood stained white leather, the bare chest, and the new wound
that shone a burning red. Humiliation that he had been so easily captured
and the thought of Maxwell’s harsh, choking kisses made Wufei’s face burn
under that concerned appraisal.

"Nothing?! How the hell can you call that nothing?! Sit down and let me look
at it-"

"It’s nothing to worry about, Duo, just a scratch-"

"I said SIT DOWN!!" Duo shoved his chest, knocking him over onto the bed.
The Chinese boy sat up, sputtering, only to find that the fast American had
already crawled around on the bed behind him.

Duo stared in morbid fascination and growing fury. His Fei’s back was marked
by three deep slashes, already inflamed from not being treated immediately
and no doubt stinging from the sheen of sweat on the bronze back. One arched
from the Chinese boy’s waist, where it had actually torn through a small
part of the white leather band; another wrapped around his shoulder, the
first one Duo had seen; and the third was shorter, crossing the first.
Reaching out, he gently traced a finger above one of the deep injuries to
wipe away the beads of salt water before they could seep into the wound.
"Who did this, Fei?"

Wufei froze, nearly shuddering at the feel of those rough fingertips tracing
his back with such care. "It’s not important, Duo," he said, starting to
pull away, strangely nervous at having the other boy touch him.

"It’s important to me! You’re my *friend* and we’re in this together!" Duo
crawled around beside his roommate, trying to catch the velvet gaze. "Who
did this to you?"

Wufei looked only briefly into the concerned violet eyes before his own
squeezed shut. //There’s no reason he should worry about me! I’m
nothing but one of a million acquaintances to him.// Then he saw Maxwell’s
smile against his eyelids, heard that low voice  //So your little crush
doesn’t want you?// "It’s just a scratch," he said, knowing the response was
weak but unable to come up with anything more convincing.

Duo rolled his eyes. "Wufei, I *know* a scratch when I see one and this is
*way* out of the ballpark! Now who did this to you?!" He reached out and
grabbed Wufei’s jaw, forcing the Chinese boy to turn and look at him. Wufei
started, jerking back, eyes wide for a moment with an emotion Duo couldn’t
at first place. "Fei, what’s...oh gods...my double..he did this to you..."
The other boy didn’t have to answer, turning his head sharply and breaking
eye contact. Duo’s heart plunged. There had been a flash of fear, albeit
brief, in the other boy’s eyes. //Please don’t let him be scared of me,
please don’t let him push me away, he means too much to me now...shit, what
did he *do* to Fei?! I’ll fucking *kill* him, double or no!// "Is this all
he did, Fei-kun?"

Wufei didn’t want to answer, but the concern in Duo’s voice sounded so real
that he managed to say softly, "He didn’t do much more."

"Thank goodness...Fei..." Duo couldn’t help it, and he reached out, drawing
the other boy against him. He felt Wufei stiffen in response, but he couldn’
t let go, too relieved to know that his double hadn’t...done anything that
might scar his beautiful friend forever.

Wufei was in shock. Held against that soft-hard chest, Duo’s hands rubbing a
soothing circle on an uninjured portion of his back; it was all almost more
than he could handle. "Duo..let go..."

The American bit his lower lip but loosened his hold. "I’m sorry, Fei, I
didn’t mean to be so forward. I’m just relieved to know he didn’t...um..."

"Aa." For a moment there was silence, then Wufei felt Duo’s cool fingertips
on his chin again, turning his head until he was forced to look into the
wide dark-violet eyes.

"No. I take that back. I’m not sorry, Fei-kun." Wufei stared at him,
confusion clear on his usually unreadable face and Duo couldn’t help but
smile. "Fei...I want you to know that whatever that bastard did to you, I
would never...I mean, I would never hurt you. You know that, don’t you?"

"Aa," Wufei said uncertainly, acutely aware of the other boy’s proximity.

Duo sighed, then smiled. Wufei was so cute when he was confused.  //Aw,
hell with it, I might as well go for it. Not like I’m gonna have a better
chance. And I just...need him to know, even though he’ll reject me.//
Firming his hold on the other boy’s chin, Duo leaned forward and lightly
pressed his lips to the Chinese boy’s.

Wufei’s brain, brilliant as it was, decided now was a *very* good time to
take a little vacation and froze.

//Duo?!//

Duo pulled away, blushing lightly, and started to stutter out an apology
before Wufei leaned forward instinctively and captured the full lips,
pressing harder. Duo stiffened only a moment before reaching out with a low
sound in his throat and pulling Wufei against him, deepening the kiss
instinctively. His tongue flicked out, pressing against Wufei’s lips until
after a moment’s hesitation, they flowed open for him and he delved inside
to slowly memorize the taste and feel of the boy he had touched only in
dreams.

Wufei froze, at first uncertain how to respond. Duo was warm and close and
the kiss was so startlingly different from Maxwell’s attacks that he could
do nothing but lean closer, feeling the American’s arms wrap tightly around
his waist. Shyly, he met the twining tongue with his own and they began a
slow dance in the exciting field of each other’s mouths.

When they finally pulled apart both were panting lightly for air, faces
flushed as ebony bore into smoky amethyst. "Duo-kun..?"

Duo grinned and dropped a quick kiss on the other boy’s nose. Wufei’s eyes
crossed briefly as he tried to follow the movement and the American laughed.
"I’ve wanted to do that for a year!"

Wufei stared at him, mouth open. "You ha-um..you..."

He was too adorable and Duo grinned again before reaching out and catching
that beautiful face in his hands, pulling Wufei in for another lingering
kiss. Curious hands started shyly tracing over young bodies and Duo let out
a small, satisfied moan as he felt rough fingers brush over his sides and
arms. Suddenly, Wufei hissed in pain but didn’t pull away, hands tightening
on Duo’s waist. The American broke the kiss, snatching his own hands away
when he realized he’d touched one of the long whip tears. "Gomen nasai,
Fei-chan! I-"

Wufei pressed a fingertip to the chattering American’s lips, something dark
and desperate in his eyes. "Duo-kun, it’s all right. I just..." He closed
his eyes a moment, feeling the pain flashing out from the brands Maxwell had
punished him with, and hearing the terrifying eroticism in that familiar
voice. Mustering up all his courage, he opened his eyes and met Duo’s gaze s
traight on. "Maxwell will be back soon. I..I wanted you to know that...I..."
He swallowed. //Damned if I do, damned if I don’t.// "I love you,
Duo-kun."

It was Duo’s turn to stare. "You-?"

"You don’t have to say anything." Wufei smiled, almost serenely. "I just
wanted you to know before he came back."

Duo bit his lip, choking on the words he wanted to say and instead pulling
the other boy to him, burying his face in the scoop of Wufei’s neck and
shoulder. A shudder passed down his spine as he felt one of the welts on the
Chinese boy’s back and felt Wufei’s heartbeat speed up in surprise.//I
can’t tell you yet, Fei-chan, but I can show you.// He smiled against the
warm skin and pushed gently against the other boy’s shoulders, urging Wufei
onto his back and straddling his waist.

Shadowed velvet eyes regarded him in confusion and he leaned down, capturing
that tempting mouth again and sliding his hands over the smooth planes of
his new-found lover’s chest. Scattering quick kisses across Wufei’s cheek he
breathed into the shell of one bronze ear, "Let’s make our own memories
before he comes to tear them away, Fei-chan, onegai?"

For a moment, Wufei lay unresponsive, lost in the sensation of his beloved
friend so close, hot breath caressing his temple. Then, amazed by how steady
they were, he raised his hands and rested his fingertips on the buttons of
Duo’s uniform shirt. "Hai," he murmured back. They could survive what was
coming if they shared this now, surely...

Nimble fingers made short work of the small row of buttons and Wufei pulled
the American down, tongues clashing again as Duo shrugged the shirt off and
tossed it carelessly away so satiny skin could press to satiny skin and both
moaned lightly into the still air. Duo’s hips moved in small, thrusting
circles, grinding their growing erections together as Wufei wrapped a long
leg around his waist, moaning and arching his back. Duo broke the thrilling
contact of their lips and traced the smooth line of his lover’s jaw with his
tongue, memorizing the taste of Wufei’s skin. Tracing a lone of fire down
Wufei’s jaw and across his throat, Duo delighted in the vibration of his
lover’s soft groan against his lips. Their remaining clothes were dealt with
quickly and tossed aside, hitting the floor with unnoticed thumps.

For a long, breathless moment Wufei simply drank in the sight of his longed
for lover, eyes trailing over pale skin covering firm muscle, the flat
belly, long legs...and the steel proof of his desire. Smiling ever so
slightly, he reached out and pulled Duo down, spreading his legs to accept
the roll of the American’s hips against his own. Breath hissed through the
American’s teeth and he restarted that delicious rolling rhythm, now
unfettered by cloth.

Rock-hard erections ground tightly into each other as Duo kissed Wufei hard,
sending electrical surges of pleasure through their bodies. The American
groaned, shifted, feeling Wufei’s hands tracing the muscles of his back as
he kissed his way down the hard chest, biting into hard nipples and smiling
against the salty flesh as Wufei’s wonderful tenor called out *his* name.

Wufei’s head tossed fitfully on the pillow, raven strands tangling in his
eyes as he thrust his hips wantonly upward, pressing his burning erection to
his lover’s marble-hard stomach as Duo’s delicious hot mouth formed a seal
around his navel, tongue pulsing in and out of the little well in an erotic
parody of lovemaking that made Wufei squirm beneath him. "Duo..." His voice
was barely more than a husky whimper as he grabbed for Duo’s shoulders,
pulling him roughly upward. "Uhn...take me..."

"Koi," Duo groaned, already too close. "There’s nothing to-"

"Hold on." Wufei squirmed out from under him, leaving a very confused and
painfully aroused American to watch as he snapped open the bedside table,
grabbing the first cream he touched. Duo sat up on his knees, watching as
Wufei crawled close again, already spinning the top off. The scent of citrus
surrounded them as he scooped out a handful, reaching out and taking Duo’s
erection in firm hands.

"SHIT!" Duo’s head fell back, entire body tensing as Wufei hurriedly spread
the lubricant over his shaft with steady, hard, pulls. "Fei!"

The American’s low voice was mangled with desire and Wufei reached out,
clasping slick hands behind Duo’s neck and tumbling them both over so the
braided boy was on top of him. The feel of Duo’s slick erection sliding
along his own made him cry out and he spread his legs, thrusting with
reckless need. "Please, Duo, please, hurry-!"

Duo forced his mind to think through the haze of passion that enveloped both
of them and managed, "Fei, I can’t, you’re not stretched, I don’t want to-"

"Dammit, Duo, I want you inside me!" He kissed Duo hard, hard enough to
bruise as he wrapped both legs around the trim waist. "Now hurry the hell
up!"

"Gods..." Duo ripped his mouth away, unable to argue. "There’ll..be time to
be..more careful...later..." he muttered as the desire to become one with
this beautifully infuriating creature overcame reason and he grasped one of
Wufei’s knees, hooking the leg over his shoulder and positioning himself at
the entrance to his lover’s body. Tilting the Chinese boy’s hips up with his
hands, Duo leaned forward, heavy braid pooling on Wufei’s chest, and
whispered, "Are you sure?" Wufei nodded once and closed his eyes, forcing
his body to relax as he fisted his hands together at the base of Duo’s neck.

Duo bit his lip and pressed forward, entering the tight space of his lover’s
body with a quick snap of his hips.

"FUCK!" Wufei’s fingers dug into Duo’s shoulders, eyes snapping open as pain
crackled across his nerves like lightning.

"I’m sorry, I’m sorry," Duo murmured, tears biting at his eyes at the pain
in Wufei’s voice. He started to pull out but Wufei’s hips rose with him,
Wufei’s hands grabbing his hips and slamming them down, forcing Duo deeper
into the sheath of his own body. "Shit...Fei..." Pleasure raced up his spine
and spread through his body like brushfire. Nothing, absolutely nothing
could have prepared him for the feel of being buried in that incredibly
tight, soft heat, the muscles of his lover’s anus spasming around him and
lighting every nerve in his body. Unable to stop himself, Duo pulled back
and thrust forward again, burying himself almost to the hilt and feeling the
tip of his erection strike something that made the boy beneath his scream.
"Fei?! Are you okay?!"

The pain was completely forgotten when Duo hit a spot inside him that shot
pleasure straight through to Wufei’s brain. Wufei bucked, crying out, his
voice a mangled groan of command. "Again!"

Duo drew back, sliding forward again and delighting in Wufei’s pleasured
cry. Desire crawled up his spine and he started pounding into the pliant
body beneath him, angling in an attempt to hit his lover’s prostate with
each thrust just to hear his name fall roughly from the Chinese boy’s lips.
They moved against each other, frenzied, sweat-soaked bodies pressed close.
Suddenly, Duo reached and grabbed for his lover’s steel erection, tugging
firmly in time to the deep aching thrusts.

The combined sensations made the pleasure pulsing through Wufei’s body
coalesce and white light exploded behind his eyes as he froze, screaming out
his triumph as his seed poured from his body, coating both hard stomachs
with scalding white fluid.

The tight clasp of Wufei’s muscles around Duo’s shaft and the shout of the
Chinese boy’s climax in his ear made the American cry out as that knot of
fulfilled desire at the base of his spine snapped. He groaned and thrust to
the root, feeling his lover grip him close as he exploded within the hot
confines of Wufei’s body.

Duo’s arms wavered and he collapsed, buried deepest in Wufei who shuddered
at the sensation and rolled them over, holding the exhausted American to his
chest as Duo slipped painfully out of him. Warm arms wrapped around his
waist and he heard Duo’s choked voice, "I’m sorry..."

"Ne, Duo-kun, arigato. Wo ai ni." It was worth it, even the lingering ache
in his body and the sharp sting of sweat against the wounds on his back, as
the aftereffects of that delicious pleasure rang through his mind and body.
"Wo ai ni."

Duo curled into the other boy’s warmth, feeling Wufei’s cheek pressed
against his hair. "I...I love you too, Fei-chan."

The Chinese boy tightened his arms around his braided lover, shocked and
warmed by the admission as he’d never been before. His throat was tight as
they pressed together, warm and sticky as both slipped into exhausted
slumber.

//We’ll survive anything, koi// Wufei thought as consciousness gave way
to dreams. //Anything. We have to, now.//

~END PART SIX~

[1] And assuming correctly, as we learned when Duo busted Heero out of the
hospital in the series.