Bang and the Nightmares Are Gone
Characters: Duo Maxwell and Quatre Raberba Winner
When: A new nights ago
Where: Duo and Quatre's room in Unohana's clinic
Rating: PG
Summary: Nightmares, sleeping pills and lying pilots.
Quatre stretched and sat on the bed in the small room he shared with Duo. He glanced at the long haired pilot. "Duo, are you alright?" he asked. The blonde checked to make sure his gun was set on safety and then slipped it under his pillow.
"Hm?" Duo pulled the tanktop over his head so he was in more than just his boxers and freed his braid from it, pulling it out so it hung down his back again. "Yeah, why?" He did the same as Quatre with his own gun, sliding into the other bed that was in the room.
"You just look rather tired." The blonde said as he removed his vest and shirt. He grabbed a large shirt and pulled it on before removing his pants.
"It hasn't exactly been a picnic around here," Duo said, yawning widely. He laid back and stared at the ceiling, folding his hands under his head.
"I know... I'm just worried about you and... If you ever need to talk to someone, I'm listening Duo." Quatre said as he climbed under the blankets.
Duo finally looked over at Quatre now that he was changed. "Thanks," he said simply. "I'll keep it in mind." He rolled over onto his left side and clicked off the light once Quatre was settled. "I'll be fine, though. Don't worry about it, okay?"
"Alright... Good night Duo."
"Night." And the American fell silent, closing his eyes.
The blonde hugged his pillow close to his body as he drifted off to sleep.
Quatre hadn't been all that far off. Duo hadn't been sleeping very well lately... mainly to avoid the nightmarish memories this place reminded him of. But, a person could only go so long without a full, deep sleep. Before he could stop himself, Duo had slipped past the normal level he slept at into a very deep sleep.
And that's when the dreams started...
It was always the same. Twisted and broken buildings, damaged by fighting, surrounding what little people could make livable. In the midst, a church, surprisingly untouched, stood as a beacon of hope to the locals. Inside, several children were being housed until homes could be found for them. Street rats, orphans that had been scrambling for themselves for as long as they could remember, a fatherly priest who had taken them in, and a nun, all made do with what they could to get by.
That was, until the fighting started again. A group of rebels banded up and took over the church as a base. They needed a mobile suit to really take the fight to the Alliance. So, after they had argued and physically assaulted both the priest and the nun, Duo ran away. He ran to get a mobile suit for them so they'd leave the church forever and they could live in peace again. Working quickly and under fire from Alliance troops, he returned with the stolen goods, only to find he'd been too late. The Alliance had razed the building to the ground.
Had they known it was him? Had they come and destroyed the church because he had stolen the mobile suit from them? That's how it felt.
He found only the nun alive in the rubble, and went to her. She was dying. She whispered a few last words to him before the light left her eyes. The eight-year-old boy cried in anguish. Again... he'd lost everything... and again... he was alone on the streets...
Duo whimpered in his sleep, unable to stop it from coming. He knew the dream too well, remembered everything, and tried to call out. His quiet sobs as he tossed and turned were interrupted with small murmured words... mostly unintelligible.
Quatre shot awake, a hand hovering above his heart. He looked over at Duo. He detangled himself from the blankets and slipped out of bed. Quietly, he padded over to the other pilot's bed. With worry written all over his face, he sat down on the bed next to him and gently shook him.
Duo's clothes were damp from sweating as he pulled sharply away from Quatre's touch.
The blonde frowned and shook the American again. "Duo!" he said, worry creeping into his voice.
Somewhere, a self-defense mechanism from years of sleeping on the streets followed by being a lone rebel on the run kicked in, and Duo's arm lashed out at Quatre with surprising speed before he was even awake.
He tried to move, but just wasn't quick enough. Fighting back a cry, he found himself of the floor, the side of his face hurting.
Duo gasped sharply as that same mechanism forced him awake to answer the physical threat more thoroughly. He shot up into a sitting position, gun in hand and safety off, when he realized what had happened. The dim light reflected off the pale head next to him, sitting on the floor. "Q-quatre...?" he asked hesitantly.
"You're awake..." The blonde whispered shakily, eyes wide.
Panting, Duo swallowed hard and nodded, not trusting his voice. He eventually clicked the safety back on once the initial spook response was over and slipped the weapon back under his pillow. "Y-yeah..." he said, just as shakily. He was trembling. He curled into himself, hugging his knees and staring into the darkness.
He climbed up onto the bed and tentatively hugged Duo.
The American flinched from Quatre's touch, tensing up as he continued to tremble. "I... did I hurt you?" he finally whispered, feeling bad because he knew he probably had at least swung at him.
"No Duo, you didn't hurt me." Quatre lied softly, not letting Duo go. He wanted to reassure his friend that he was okay that it was okay.
He sniffed sharply, slowly forcing himself back into the present. "Sorry..." he whispered, lowering his head onto his knees.
"Don't apologize, you did nothing wrong."
Duo shook his head. His trembling began to calm slightly, though, as he forced himself to take deep breaths. "I'm okay... I just... I just need a minute..."
The blonde gently stroked Duo's long hair.
The American shivered slightly. He was awfully tired, and that petting didn't help him stay awake. He picked up his head, rubbing at his face for a moment, and then uncurled himself so he was sitting normally. "I'm gonna get some water..." he said, his voice rough.
"Why don't you stay, I'll go get it for you." Quatre said pulling away and standing up.
"It's alright," Duo said, shaking his head. He balled his hands into fists in attempt to get them to stop shaking. Damn, he hated this. Everything in his life he'd been through, and a stupid dream could bring him to his knees like this. He looked down.
"Stay put Duo, I'll be right back." With that and without another protest from Duo, the blonde was out the door and down to the kitchen.
"Q..." But the Arabian was gone. He grumbled to himself, but pulled his legs back up on the bed. He curled up under the blanket, waiting for Quatre to come back.
Quatre returned a few minutes later with a bottle of water and a few white pills.
Duo had the blanket pulled over his head, but he sat up when he heard Quatre return.
"I brought you some aspirin." Quatre said sitting back on the bed.
"For what?" he asked, taking the water bottle.
"You where thrashing in your sleep Duo, you might have hurt yourself. Please?"
"I don't feel like I did," he said. Though his hand smarted a bit... Duo was fairly sure he'd hit something if not Quatre himself. He eyed the blond closely, but it hard to tell anything in the dim light.
"Please Duo?" He asked softly, holding out the pills. His face was hurting, but he didn't want to tell Duo that the other pilot had hit him. It would only increase his guilt.
He sighed. Well, it's not like it would do any harm if he took the damn aspirins without actually needing them. He took the pills, swallowing them with some water. This way, it would get Quatre off his back for a while.
Quatre smiled, trying not to let on that he'd actually given Duo sleeping pills. "Thank you."
"Yeah..." He sighed, staring at the water bottle for a moment.
The blonde smiled softly.
Duo's exhaustion, coupled with the fact that he didn't take sleeping pills very often, compounded the effects of the pills surprisingly fast. He blinked a few times as his sight started getting a bit blurry.
"Lie down Duo, you look exhausted."
"I don't wanna go to sleep..." he said slowly.
"You won't dream, I promise."
"But... it always comes back..." His grip on the water bottle started to slacken.
Quatre took the water bottle. "No... You won't. Not tonight at least." He set it down on the table next to Duo's bed. "Trust me."
Duo closed his eyes, still sitting up. Something wasn't right. At least, something didn't feel right. "What... what did you give me...?"
"Lie down, please Duo." Quatre said softly, stroking his friend's hair, "And please don't hate me in the morning."
"Quatre...?" Duo pulled away from the blonde’s touch. "What are you talking about?"
"I gave you sleeping pills."
"You what?" Well, that explained the sudden feeling of grogginess. "Why?"
"You need to sleep."
"I..." He shook his head. He could feel everything starting to relax, despite his attempts to fight it off. "Quatre... I don't..." He rubbed his face. "I don't like to be drugged..." he said.
"I'm sorry Duo, but you need it. Please, don't be mad." He begged softly.
"I was... fine..." He yawned.
"Liar."
"And you said... you had aspirin..." Duo managed to give back as his eyes started to droop.
He started to stroke Duo's hair again. "You need it."
"I don't... I don't need it..." he argued, though his resistance was definitely getting weaker. He closed his eyes, resting his head on his knees again.
"Why don't you lie down. It'll be better for you." Quatre soothed.
Duo yawned again without picking up his head. "I... really..." He didn't want to sleep now. Stupid pills. He hated feeling like this. "I don't want to... You owe me..." he finally muttered out.
"I know... Just go to sleep." He said softly as he continued to stroke Duo's hair.
Duo's arms slipped free as his breathing evened out, laying limp next to his sides. He'd fallen asleep half curled into a ball. Stubborn to the end, he hadn't laid down, either.
Quatre made a move and laid Duo down on the bed. He smiled and brushed some hair out of the taller pilot's shut eyes. He leaned in and brushed a gentle kiss across his forehead. "Sleep well Duo."
And he did, though he'd be hard-pressed not to be angry in the morning.
The blonde crawled back into his bed, wondering if he should ask Unohana to look at the bruise he knew was forming on the side of his face. With a yawn, he drifted off to sleep.
When: A new nights ago
Where: Duo and Quatre's room in Unohana's clinic
Rating: PG
Summary: Nightmares, sleeping pills and lying pilots.
Quatre stretched and sat on the bed in the small room he shared with Duo. He glanced at the long haired pilot. "Duo, are you alright?" he asked. The blonde checked to make sure his gun was set on safety and then slipped it under his pillow.
"Hm?" Duo pulled the tanktop over his head so he was in more than just his boxers and freed his braid from it, pulling it out so it hung down his back again. "Yeah, why?" He did the same as Quatre with his own gun, sliding into the other bed that was in the room.
"You just look rather tired." The blonde said as he removed his vest and shirt. He grabbed a large shirt and pulled it on before removing his pants.
"It hasn't exactly been a picnic around here," Duo said, yawning widely. He laid back and stared at the ceiling, folding his hands under his head.
"I know... I'm just worried about you and... If you ever need to talk to someone, I'm listening Duo." Quatre said as he climbed under the blankets.
Duo finally looked over at Quatre now that he was changed. "Thanks," he said simply. "I'll keep it in mind." He rolled over onto his left side and clicked off the light once Quatre was settled. "I'll be fine, though. Don't worry about it, okay?"
"Alright... Good night Duo."
"Night." And the American fell silent, closing his eyes.
The blonde hugged his pillow close to his body as he drifted off to sleep.
Quatre hadn't been all that far off. Duo hadn't been sleeping very well lately... mainly to avoid the nightmarish memories this place reminded him of. But, a person could only go so long without a full, deep sleep. Before he could stop himself, Duo had slipped past the normal level he slept at into a very deep sleep.
And that's when the dreams started...
It was always the same. Twisted and broken buildings, damaged by fighting, surrounding what little people could make livable. In the midst, a church, surprisingly untouched, stood as a beacon of hope to the locals. Inside, several children were being housed until homes could be found for them. Street rats, orphans that had been scrambling for themselves for as long as they could remember, a fatherly priest who had taken them in, and a nun, all made do with what they could to get by.
That was, until the fighting started again. A group of rebels banded up and took over the church as a base. They needed a mobile suit to really take the fight to the Alliance. So, after they had argued and physically assaulted both the priest and the nun, Duo ran away. He ran to get a mobile suit for them so they'd leave the church forever and they could live in peace again. Working quickly and under fire from Alliance troops, he returned with the stolen goods, only to find he'd been too late. The Alliance had razed the building to the ground.
Had they known it was him? Had they come and destroyed the church because he had stolen the mobile suit from them? That's how it felt.
He found only the nun alive in the rubble, and went to her. She was dying. She whispered a few last words to him before the light left her eyes. The eight-year-old boy cried in anguish. Again... he'd lost everything... and again... he was alone on the streets...
Duo whimpered in his sleep, unable to stop it from coming. He knew the dream too well, remembered everything, and tried to call out. His quiet sobs as he tossed and turned were interrupted with small murmured words... mostly unintelligible.
Quatre shot awake, a hand hovering above his heart. He looked over at Duo. He detangled himself from the blankets and slipped out of bed. Quietly, he padded over to the other pilot's bed. With worry written all over his face, he sat down on the bed next to him and gently shook him.
Duo's clothes were damp from sweating as he pulled sharply away from Quatre's touch.
The blonde frowned and shook the American again. "Duo!" he said, worry creeping into his voice.
Somewhere, a self-defense mechanism from years of sleeping on the streets followed by being a lone rebel on the run kicked in, and Duo's arm lashed out at Quatre with surprising speed before he was even awake.
He tried to move, but just wasn't quick enough. Fighting back a cry, he found himself of the floor, the side of his face hurting.
Duo gasped sharply as that same mechanism forced him awake to answer the physical threat more thoroughly. He shot up into a sitting position, gun in hand and safety off, when he realized what had happened. The dim light reflected off the pale head next to him, sitting on the floor. "Q-quatre...?" he asked hesitantly.
"You're awake..." The blonde whispered shakily, eyes wide.
Panting, Duo swallowed hard and nodded, not trusting his voice. He eventually clicked the safety back on once the initial spook response was over and slipped the weapon back under his pillow. "Y-yeah..." he said, just as shakily. He was trembling. He curled into himself, hugging his knees and staring into the darkness.
He climbed up onto the bed and tentatively hugged Duo.
The American flinched from Quatre's touch, tensing up as he continued to tremble. "I... did I hurt you?" he finally whispered, feeling bad because he knew he probably had at least swung at him.
"No Duo, you didn't hurt me." Quatre lied softly, not letting Duo go. He wanted to reassure his friend that he was okay that it was okay.
He sniffed sharply, slowly forcing himself back into the present. "Sorry..." he whispered, lowering his head onto his knees.
"Don't apologize, you did nothing wrong."
Duo shook his head. His trembling began to calm slightly, though, as he forced himself to take deep breaths. "I'm okay... I just... I just need a minute..."
The blonde gently stroked Duo's long hair.
The American shivered slightly. He was awfully tired, and that petting didn't help him stay awake. He picked up his head, rubbing at his face for a moment, and then uncurled himself so he was sitting normally. "I'm gonna get some water..." he said, his voice rough.
"Why don't you stay, I'll go get it for you." Quatre said pulling away and standing up.
"It's alright," Duo said, shaking his head. He balled his hands into fists in attempt to get them to stop shaking. Damn, he hated this. Everything in his life he'd been through, and a stupid dream could bring him to his knees like this. He looked down.
"Stay put Duo, I'll be right back." With that and without another protest from Duo, the blonde was out the door and down to the kitchen.
"Q..." But the Arabian was gone. He grumbled to himself, but pulled his legs back up on the bed. He curled up under the blanket, waiting for Quatre to come back.
Quatre returned a few minutes later with a bottle of water and a few white pills.
Duo had the blanket pulled over his head, but he sat up when he heard Quatre return.
"I brought you some aspirin." Quatre said sitting back on the bed.
"For what?" he asked, taking the water bottle.
"You where thrashing in your sleep Duo, you might have hurt yourself. Please?"
"I don't feel like I did," he said. Though his hand smarted a bit... Duo was fairly sure he'd hit something if not Quatre himself. He eyed the blond closely, but it hard to tell anything in the dim light.
"Please Duo?" He asked softly, holding out the pills. His face was hurting, but he didn't want to tell Duo that the other pilot had hit him. It would only increase his guilt.
He sighed. Well, it's not like it would do any harm if he took the damn aspirins without actually needing them. He took the pills, swallowing them with some water. This way, it would get Quatre off his back for a while.
Quatre smiled, trying not to let on that he'd actually given Duo sleeping pills. "Thank you."
"Yeah..." He sighed, staring at the water bottle for a moment.
The blonde smiled softly.
Duo's exhaustion, coupled with the fact that he didn't take sleeping pills very often, compounded the effects of the pills surprisingly fast. He blinked a few times as his sight started getting a bit blurry.
"Lie down Duo, you look exhausted."
"I don't wanna go to sleep..." he said slowly.
"You won't dream, I promise."
"But... it always comes back..." His grip on the water bottle started to slacken.
Quatre took the water bottle. "No... You won't. Not tonight at least." He set it down on the table next to Duo's bed. "Trust me."
Duo closed his eyes, still sitting up. Something wasn't right. At least, something didn't feel right. "What... what did you give me...?"
"Lie down, please Duo." Quatre said softly, stroking his friend's hair, "And please don't hate me in the morning."
"Quatre...?" Duo pulled away from the blonde’s touch. "What are you talking about?"
"I gave you sleeping pills."
"You what?" Well, that explained the sudden feeling of grogginess. "Why?"
"You need to sleep."
"I..." He shook his head. He could feel everything starting to relax, despite his attempts to fight it off. "Quatre... I don't..." He rubbed his face. "I don't like to be drugged..." he said.
"I'm sorry Duo, but you need it. Please, don't be mad." He begged softly.
"I was... fine..." He yawned.
"Liar."
"And you said... you had aspirin..." Duo managed to give back as his eyes started to droop.
He started to stroke Duo's hair again. "You need it."
"I don't... I don't need it..." he argued, though his resistance was definitely getting weaker. He closed his eyes, resting his head on his knees again.
"Why don't you lie down. It'll be better for you." Quatre soothed.
Duo yawned again without picking up his head. "I... really..." He didn't want to sleep now. Stupid pills. He hated feeling like this. "I don't want to... You owe me..." he finally muttered out.
"I know... Just go to sleep." He said softly as he continued to stroke Duo's hair.
Duo's arms slipped free as his breathing evened out, laying limp next to his sides. He'd fallen asleep half curled into a ball. Stubborn to the end, he hadn't laid down, either.
Quatre made a move and laid Duo down on the bed. He smiled and brushed some hair out of the taller pilot's shut eyes. He leaned in and brushed a gentle kiss across his forehead. "Sleep well Duo."
And he did, though he'd be hard-pressed not to be angry in the morning.
The blonde crawled back into his bed, wondering if he should ask Unohana to look at the bruise he knew was forming on the side of his face. With a yawn, he drifted off to sleep.