He took a deep breath. The pain in the back of his head wasn't abating. If anything, it was getting worse. He grimaced as it pounded, harder and harder. He almost thought he could feel it thrumming against the lines of his brain, that damn metal flicking and sparking. Apparently, it was doing no damage at all to his imagination.
"That will become permanent, you know," Nind said, and Duo jerked. The man had moved. Fuck. The man was silent, and Duo couldn't see him. He'd sounded like he was nearing the kitchen, but he could simply be circling Duo like a shark. "There are issues with the installation of the Neuro-Optic Shock Link. I'm sure, by now, you've noticed a few of them."
Hell, there were more issues than just this? But Duo gritted his teeth and rode it out. "Fuck you."
The man actually laughed.
Hell, his leg hurt.
"That sounds more like the Duo Maxwell I've read about."
"There's no room for love in a war, but sometimes you don't really have a say in the matter." What starts as stress relief between Duo and Heero turns into something deeper... but unfortunately for Duo, Heero's handlers see that as a liability... all except one, who sees it as something worse.
My notes: CW for sexual assault, mild sexual coercion, and serious Duo whump. Duo gets the crap kicked out of him repeatedly here. to the point that you'd think he wasn't competent if the enemy was any less of a threat than they are. The story is a product of its time, so there are some stereotypes in the pilots' behaviors, and some references that feel out of place like an offhand quidditch reference. But overall I still like this fic, and if you like Duo beaten but unbowed, this fic gives you that in spades.