Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Gundam Wing. I just try to write about what I enjoy, and have a little fun doing it. Please don't sue me.
AN: Due to writer's block on some of my other stories, I've decided to try something else. Here's hoping that it works out, because if this fails, well, I might just have to give up. Nothing seems to be going right with my writing anymore, so here goes.
"What was that?" Heero asked his braided friend, hearing an odd noise. His friend shrugged, not having heard anything. Heero paused, hoping to hear it again. It was soft, almost lost in the other noises of the crowded colony. "There it is again."
"You must have super hearing, Heero," Duo laughed, clapping him on the shoulder, "because I don't hear anything." Duo was one of the few who could get away with touching Heero without his permission. Years of being forced into close proximity with the braided baka had given Heero a rather unique perspective into his personality: even if Heero objected to his over-familiarity, and he had, strenously, Duo would do it anyway, saying that Heero needed to loosen up and live a little. "Where's it coming from?"
"Not far from here," he replied, pushing the louder sounds from his mind, trying to focus on the sound. "Might be down this alley."
"Might be?"
"Even I have limits, Duo." Leaving his stunned friend behind, he wandered into the alley, one hand drifting into his jacket to grip the familiar butt of his pistol. Who knew what might be in there? There was a small box hidden among the other refuse of the apartment buildings on either side. It shook slightly and the sound came again. Duo shook his head and kept a close eye on his friend as he stood back to study the box for a moment before approaching it. All of his training and instincts told him that the box held nothing threatening, but he wasn't taking any chances. Heero shifted other objects off of the box in question, and something fell with a clatter, making the box shake again and there was a slight hissing noise from it. "Something doesn't seem right, Duo," Heero said as he pulled the box closer to open it.
"What do you mean?" the braided pilot asked, wondering what might be in the box. He was bouncing, almost literally, with curiosity, but he waited for Heero to open box.
"I don't think it's dangerous," Heero replied, peeling back the tape that had been hastily pulled across the top. "Whatever's in here isn't going to hurt anyone."
"So open it, Heero!" Duo yanked at the end of his braid in frustration. "I've seen you hotwire a car or disarm a bomb in less time." The ends of Heero's mouth kicked up a little in his version of a smile as he finally, finally, opened the box. Inside was a small ball of fur, curled up as far from him as it could get. Small yellow eyes squinted at him and a small mouth opened in a hiss, revealing small, sharply pointed teeth. Duo came closer, and the eyes shifted to him. "It's a kitten!" he exclaimed, taking the box from Heero to move it closer to the head of the alley for more light. The kitten squinted in the brighter light, rising shakily to it's feet in the unsteady box. Tail fluffed and back arched, it took a short swipe at Duo then growled, keeping as far from Duo as the box would allow. "Just a tabby kitten, and not very old, if the size is anything to go by."
"Who would put a kitten in a box with no air holes, and just leave it in a trash heap?" Heero wondered, following his friend out of the alley. He thought he knew the depths a human being would stoop to, but this was a new low.
"Someone not interested in the responsibility of a pet, that's for sure," Duo replied in disgust, shaking his head as he gazed down at the trembling kitten. "What are you going to do with it?"
"Why me?" Heero asked, his eyebrows lifting in slight surprise. "I can't have a cat."
"You're the one that found it," Duo explained, shrugging one shoulder, "you have the responsibility to take care of it. If you don't want it, then take it to a shelter." He passed the box back to Heero, then glanced at his watch. "You'll have wait until morning, though. None of them are open at this time of the night."
"I don't know the first thing about animals, Duo," Heero said, as close to complaining as he ever got.
"You need a few things, true," he replied, already making a list. "Where's the nearest supermarket?"
"Two blocks up, three over," Heero answered automatically, calling up a map he'd looked at before they'd even left for the colony. They'd originally come to check into some rumors of someone amassing mobile suits, but it turned out to just be a scrap yard, much like the one Duo ran when he wasn't working for the Preventors. Finding the kitten hadn't even been on Heero's radar, but now he seemed to be stuck keeping the little thing at least until morning when the shelters opened. He followed Duo through the streets, closing the box again to keep the kitten safely inside. After all this, he refused to chase the kitten all over the colony, or have it get run over by a car. "You're going to have to wait outside, Heero," Duo was saying as they approached the store. "They don't allow pets inside."
"It's not a pet," Heero growled as Duo ducked into the store, laughing at him. "American baka."
Inside the store after grabbing a cart, Duo headed directly to the pet section and laughed in delight. He knew Heero had a soft heart, though he hid it well, and after tonight, that little ball of fur would have a home. "Let's see, kitten food, litter box, litter, of course," he said to himself, picking up each item and setting them in the cart. He wandered along, picking up everything else Heero would need, then heading for the checkout. Once he was done, loaded down with bags, he went back outside to where he left Heero. He found him sitting on a bench just outside the door, looking inside the box at the kitten. There was an odd sound coming from the box, but as he got closer, he could hear that the kitten was purring softly. "Hey, I think he likes you, Heero."
"How do you know it's a boy, Duo?"
"Fifty-fifty shot," Duo replied with a shrug. "It's also a generic term. Let's take the little one back to the hotel."
"Duo, they don't allow pets at the hotel."
"I thought you said it wasn't a pet," he said with a smirk, knowing that little things like that got under Heero's skin. "Besides, I have a feeling you can slip it passed that eagle-eyed desk lady any day of the week." The hotel, luckily, wasn't far from the grocery store, and as predicted, it wasn't hard to sneak the box passed the desk clerk. As Duo had his hands full, Heero carefully shifted the box to one side and unlocked his door. Once he was inside, Duo stepped in just far enough to dump the bags on the small loveseat that came with the room, then went back out with a cheery wave. "See you in the morning, buddy!" he called out, closing the door behind him.
"One of these days," he muttered darkly into the empty room, "I'm going to kill him. I'd be doing the universe a favor." He sighed and dug out the food and the dish Duo had bought. Heero gently turned the box on it's side and set the food dish in front of it before going back to the bags. "A collar? Catnip mouse?" he wondered, looking at everything. "How much do I need for just one night, Duo?" He heard a soft crunching noise, and pretended to ignore it, sure the kitten wouldn't want to be distrubed as it ate it's first meal in, quite possibly, days. Keeping as far from the box as the small room would allow, he set the litter box beside the bathroom door and filled it with litter, hoping the kitten would actually use it.
Suddenly, he was exhausted. It had been a long day, and an even longer night the night before, so he stretched out on the bed, leaving the bathroom light on for the kitten. He could sleep anywhere, anytime, so the light wouldn't bother him. It should be the work of maybe an hour in the morning to drop the kitten at a shelter, so they would still be able to leave on time. He was drifting, thinking about heading back to Earth, when he felt a warm, furry presence near his hip. Holding very still, he waited, wondering what the kitten would do next. It crawled up his side, and slowly crept up his chest to just under his chin. He glanced down to find the kitten watching him, studying him in return. Very slowly, he reached up, not wanting to frighten the little thing, and rubbed small, silky ears. Closing its eyes slowly, it started to purr again, slowly curling into a ball, it's nose under it's tail. Smiling slightly, Heero closed his eyes, and went to sleep with the sound of purring in his ears.
When he woke in the morning, the kitten wasn't on the bed, but from the sound of it, was using the litter box. One worry down, he mused as he sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. The kitten crept out of the box, watching him warily as it approached the food dish again. He didn't do or say anything, giving the kitten the opportunity to eat at it's own pace. "You know, kitten," he said quietly as he stood, "using the bathroom then eating isn't a bad idea." The kitten ignored him, continuing to eat and making him smile again. As he was coming out of the bathroom, there was a knock on the door, startling the kitten. With a yowl, it ran toward him, quickly climbing his leg to his shoulder, there it curled against his neck, shaking like a leaf. Gently patting it, he walked to the door, knowing Duo was on the other side.
"Still going to the shelter?" Duo asked, mile-wide grin on his face at seeing Heero stroking the kitten.
"You keep saying I need a life," Heero replied, shrugging the shoulder that didn't have the kitten on it. "Why not start with Jack?"
"Jack?"
"It works if it turns out the kitten is either a boy or a girl."
"I like it." Duo came closer, looking the kitten in the eye. "Hello, Jack. Looks like you found a home." The newly-named kitten reached out with one paw and swatted at Duo's bangs, making Heero laugh. "Jack's already good for you, Heero. I don't think I've ever heard you laugh before."
"You may be right, Duo," Heero answered, shrugging the shoulder that the kitten wasn't on. "It would be nice to have something to come home to after a mission."
"Releena's not enough of a draw?" Duo joked, knowing that the honey-blond girl was a touchy subject with Heero. Anyone with eyes in their head could see that the two cared about the other, more than a little, but neither was going to openly admit it, despite how many times they'd been in life or death situations together. It would probably come one day when no one was expecting it, and he was looking forward to how Heero would deal with Zechs.
"Watch it, Duo," Heero growled, the kitten echoing him, making Heero and Duo laugh.
"Well, we need to get a move on, Heero. We've got a shuttle to catch."
"Hn."
AN: Well, that seems to be a good place to stop. Nothing else seems to fit after this, so, if you liked it-or didn't- let me know.