Title: Candy from Strangers (1/1)
Author: Sailor Seraphim
Archive: FanFiction dot Net and Sweetly Sour. All others please ask.
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing or any of its related characters. If I did, the series would be chock-full of tasty shounen ai goodness. I do, however, own the situations which occur in this fic.
Warnings: Solo POV. Spoilers for Duo's Episode Zero, way pre-series. Bad language, mentions of drugs and sex, bleak descriptions of L2 life and all that entails. Spoilers: Episode Zero, the novelization of Endless Waltz, and Duo's past.
Feedback: I take all constructive criticism. No flames, they leave nasty scorch marks on the carpet.

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I met him on a Friday.

I knew it was Friday 'cuz the old broad on 5th, Petersen or something, always baked extra bread for the store on Fridays, so she didn't have to do it over the weekend. Fridays were the best day to try and lift something from her, but I think she had tagged me 'cuz every time I got close to the store, she was there, swinging her broom at me like I was a pinata. 'Course, her chasing after me meant the rest of the gang could bust in and take stuff, so me having that hag on my tail for half a block wasn't such a bad thing.

I'd actually managed to knick a loaf of bread this time, the tattered broom bristles fluttering my hair as they passed over my head. I'd ducked down quick, and took off down the street. I was rounding the corner onto Press Street when I saw him. I skidded to a stop, leaning against the wall of the old Regent Theatre to make sure I wasn't being followed. I tore off a chunk of bread and stuffed it in my mouth. I had to save most of it for later tonight, to share with the others, but a bit now was deserved.

As I was chewing, I just watched him.

He was a scrawny kid, all elbows and knees, swinging his legs and humming as he sat on the faded bench of the bus stop. The buses never ran anymore, there wasn't enough money. Nobody actually sat on the benches anymore... not unless they were winos sleeping off their drink, or druggies who didn't care what they were doing as long as they were high. But this kid... he wasn't a wino and he wasn't a druggie. I looked down the street and didn't see a pimp or an enforcer, so he wasn't a whore neither. He was just a kid, wearing a sweater that was too big for him, pushed up over his elbows. His pants were cuffed up, too. He looked clean and was bouncing a stuffed puppy on his lap, just humming to himself.

I wondered if he was crazy.

Finally, I sidled up to him. He didn't even look in my direction, just kept tugging on that damned puppy. That was my second clue. Nobody who lived on the streets was as clean as him. Nobody who lived on the streets lost track of their surroundings. This kid was way out of his league. He was younger than I had thought, maybe four, but still damned small. His brown hair was tucked behind his ears, getting shaggy like it'd been a while since he'd gotten it cut. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out what a kid like him would be doing sitting at the bus stop.

"Hey, kid."

The kid didn't answer, but he stopped humming, cradling the stuffed toy against his chest.

"Hey, kid," I said again. "You deaf or somethin'?"

The kid hunched over, hugging the puppy tighter. "Mama said to not talk ta strangers."

Oh. So he was waitin' for his mom. What the fuck some broad was thinking, leaving her kid out alone, I don't know. There's lotsa stupid people on the colony. I think I've met most of them.

"Well, kid, your mom's not here right now, so she won't know," I said, leaning against the bus bench. "Where's your mom?"

The kid just shook his head and pointed his finger down the street. I turned to look, but there wasn't anybody out. It was getting near the night cycle, and nobody who was smart stayed out on the streets after dark unless you had business to do.

"I dun see her."

"Mama said she'd come back," the kid whispered. He was staring into the glossy black eyes of his toy.

I could feel something strange in my gut, twisting around like I ate something bad, or something wanted ta bust out. Shit... the kid'd been ditched, and he didn't even know. I'd seen this way too many times. Hell, even happened to me, 'cept instead of my mom leaving me on a bus bench, it was my dad who OD'ed on some bad shit. Fuck... what the hell was up with the adults? Weren't they supposed to protect us or some shit. Yeah, that's all it was... shit. Fuck the adults anyway... they'd never done anything for us.

I stood there, then shook my head to clear the thoughts. I reached out, putting my hand on the kid's too-long sleeve. "Look, kid... you better come with me."

The kid jerked his arm, rubbing the place as if he was gonna get cooties or something from me touching him, and curled up around the stuffed toy.

I admit I got sorta pissed then. "Your mom's not coming back," I snapped out, grabbing the kid's arm again.

"NO!" the kid screeched. It was then I saw something different about him. His eyes were narrowed at me, but it was the first time I'd seen them, and I realized they were purple. I'd never seen purple eyes before. I dropped my hold on his arm. But that thought went away when I saw the kid. He was still sitting on the bench, still clutching the puppy to his chest, but there was something different about him... something that raised the hairs on the back of my neck. "My mama's coming back! She said she would! She said! She did! You're a bad person and a stranger and I'm not supposed ta talk ta strangers!"

I couldn't say anything about that. I'd seen his type, too, the ones that hoped their parents would come back. They were all idiots. I shrugged, shaking off the bad feeling I had.

"Fine, kid, your funeral. Don't say I didn't warn ya."

I walked away then, toward the place where the gang was staying. Poor kid, was all I could think. He'd probably be dead by morning. If it wasn't the crazies or the pimps or the drug runners, the Federation would get him. I sniffed, making sure the loaf of bread was still tucked away. Damn kid... what the hell was he waiting for anyway?

I can admit when I'm wrong.

He sat there, on that damned bus bench with a stuffed puppy on his lap, for the whole weekend and no one touched him.

It was actually Monday afternoon when I saw the kid again. Old lady Petersen walloped me with her broom right off the bat, so I guess she hadn't forgotten Friday yet. I'd have a shiner eventually, but it's not like I hadn't had worse. And hey, I could show it off and increase my rep, so it's all the same in the end.

I was passing the old Regent when I noticed him still sitting there. But he wasn't swinging his legs or nothing, humming under his breath like he was on Friday. He was curled up, knees to his chest and arms around them and his stuffed puppy. I didn't notice anyone around him, but there were empty burger wrappers and ration bar plastic and even an empty bottle of water and junk all around the bench. Huh... the kid sits on a bench and it looks like the whole of L2 wants to feed him. What a stupid fucker. Don't he know better than to accept handouts from people?

I hopped up on the bench myself, sitting next to the kid and looking him over. He looked... well, he looked like he fit. His clothes were dirtier, there was a rip in his sleeve from something, and his hair was looking like it would end up a rat's nest; he definitely wasn't the same boy who cried for his mama.

The kid sniffed, and looked over at me. Then, get this, he smiled.

"Hello."

"What the fuck is that for?" I grumbled, crossing my arms. "What happened ta not talkin' ta strangers?"

The kid shrugged, uncurling from around his toy. "You're not a stranger. I met you already."

Huh. "Yeah? And ya just talk to anybody who comes here twice? That where ya got the food from? You really are a dumb shit."

The kid frowned, so I figure no one ever called him a dumb shit before.

"They were nice and I was hungry and mama didn't come and they said I could have more food if I went with them and I said I had to wait for mama and the big man with the shiny teeth just laughed and said he'd come back to make sure."

It took me awhile to figure out just what the kid had said in the one rush, but once it did, I couldn't help myself.

"Fuck."

"That's a naughty word."

I glared at the kid, but he was just hugging his puppy again. "Look, kid, ya gotta come with me, okay?"

He shook his head and I almost swore again. From what I heard, the kid had been tagged by someone... probably a pimp looking for fresh meat. Those perverts are everywhere. This kid was too... fuck, he was hugging a stuffed puppy like it was his only family and I'd be damned before I see him giving blowjobs in a back alley somewhere. But how the hell was I supposed to tell this dumb ass kid THAT?

Then I remembered, and reached into my pocket. The kid watched me, with a wide-eyed purple stare; the kind that said he hoped he would get something nice, and damn if I didn't wanna disappoint him. I finally held out my hand to the kid, and in the middle of my palm was a slightly squashed candy, wrapped in shiny red plastic.

"Is... is that for me...?" the kid asked, his eyes shining.

"Yeah, it sure is."

The kid was quick, I'll give him that. He had that candy out of my hand, unwrapped, and in his mouth before I could blink.

"Mmmm... it's stwawbewwy...!" he said, sucking on the cheap piece of sugar.

I grinned at the kid. "Yeah... good, huh?" The kid nodded happily and I went on. "I got more candy, but not here. If ya come with me, I can give ya some more."

The kid frowned, looking at his toy. "Mama..."

I rushed on, wanting to get this kid OFF of the damn bench and back somewhere safe. Away from anybody who'd hurt him. "Hey, it's just candy. You can even bring your friend."

I gave the stuffed puppy a pat between its floppy ears.

The kid looked at me again, sucking on his candy, and his purple eyes just kinda... they burned through me, but I felt a shiver down my spine and had to look around to make sure no adults were coming by.

"I think... I think my mama isn't coming back," he finally said, swallowing the last of that artificial flavor.

I scuffed the sidewalk with the toe of my shoe. "I'd still help ya look for yer mom, if ya wanna."

Purple eyes looked at me, then up and down the street. Then the kid nodded, squirming his way off the bench. My damn heart could've stopped, I swear. Then the kid looked up at me -- damn, he was so little -- then sat his stuffed puppy on the bench and patted its head. I couldn't help being confused.

"W-what're ya doin', kid? That's yours."

"Ruffy will tell mama where I am," the kid said, his voice so sure that, hell, even I wanted to believe him.

"Sure, kid. Ruffy's a good dog. He'll tell her where ya are."

Then I held out my hand to him, without any candy in it, and he took it, easy as pie. His hand was warm and soft in mine and I realized that this kid would be somethin' someday... I'd make sure of that. I led him away from that bus bench, and the empty wrappers, and the memories of his mother, and the floppy-eared stuffed dog named Ruffy. I led him from all that, and into a whole new life.

"Hey, kid?"

"Yeah?"

"My name's Solo, kid. Ya just listen to me an' everything'll be okay."

The kid nodded his head and smiled at me, the same way he did when he was looking at his toy. Yeah, kid, it'll all be okay now.

I promise.

-- Owari --