L2's Child

Chapter 12

by Nix Winter

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing or Naruto. This story is mine though.

Chapter 12

He was sleeping. He knew it, with the in fallible instincts that had gotten him through war and worse. Dreaming.

They were on Earth, in the 'City of Trees' as Duo had called it. It was just after, maybe a few weeks, after he'd rescued Duo. Stars stretched overhead, brilliant and sparkling. From L3, stars didn't sparkle.

Duo squatted in front of a small fire, some concave part of a leo that Duo had seemed to be shooting for no reason, now hung from scavenged cabling over a fire. Inside stew bubbled, made from things that Heero was sure had not come from their limited military rations.

They'd fought earlier, over the distribution of those rations. Two Heero's watched Duo fiddle with his repurposed parts and stew. Both of them stood, arms crossed, watching Duo gingerly shift, being protective of his ribs still, to reach for what could be considered a bowl, if one really stretched the definition. The difference between the two Heeros was that one was no older than Duo, physically bruised and mentally confused by a good many things.

The older Heero, wearing a man's body, wiser blue eyes, could look back at this memory of himself and know just how much the scruffy Duo Maxwell was changing the world for the neat and orderly Heero Yuy. Younger Heero bit the edge of his lower lip, hungry eyes watching Duo stir the thick caramel colored stew.

He couldn't ask for some. He'd called Duo a worthless idiot, baggage only hours before. Adult Heero could remember not understanding why he couldn't just shoot the long haired, crazy dysfunctional violet eyed man.

Memory Duo turned his head, grinned, toothy, even with the one missing tooth. Unselfconscious, glitteringly alive, and both Heero's felt their hearts speed up. There hadn't been words in their training for beauty, esteem, companionship, friendship… love. Well, the words had been trained. All words had been trained. The meaning had hung empty and worthless until Duo.

"Come on, Heero. It's safe to eat. Tastes better than that other crap."

Hands covered in fingerless black gloves, a bit too big for him, Duo held out what had probably been a hydraulic housing at one point.

"What's in it?"

"Funniest looking rat I ever saw," Duo said, "Had long ass ears and paws kind of like a cat, but less useful. Earth has the biggest rats!"

"What else?"

"I got some carrots, potatoes, herbs and shit from a woman."

"Did you kill her?"

"Shit no. Damn, Heero, it's okay. She don't know who I am. I fixed'er car up for her and chopped a bit of wood."

"Your braid is too distinctive. People will recognize it, turn you in." Young Heero complained, grudgingly accepting the serving of food. Adult Heero finally understood why that had seemed so important, why losing Duo had become such an unacceptable outcome. Young Heero had just been angry.

"I hid it. Don't worry, 'Ro. 'Sides! We got this," he said, pulling brown paper wrapped object from his bag. "Hey! Don't drop your stew! It's just bread and cheese!"

Young Heero felt his jaw try to unclench and older Heero recognized chagrin. Not a weapon. Duo wasn't solving all the confusion by becoming his enemy or even just simply focusing on war. Bread and cheese should hardly have been something to cringe from, but it wasn't really the bread and cheese. It was this push for something more than war in Duo, something cheerful and light filled, something that promised there'd be something to do when they weren't fighting, some life other than being… a weapon.

Younger Heero covered his chagrin with distain, but took the bread nonetheless.

Older Heero couldn't believe how young Duo looked, how fragile. As the dream played the memory back, he could see how much pain Duo was still in, see Duo's flickering from the present to PTSD moments. As the sun left them alone in the fire light, Duo scooted a little closer to young Heero.

"Wanna have sex? You can be top," Duo offered.

Young Heero scowled, blue eyes narrowed to slits. Older Heero found himself smiling, almost snickering. Duo on the balcony had been the same as this Duo, rushing forward to whatever light he found, full of some instinct that make him more alive than numb. Young Heero's idea of sex wasn't exactly worth living for at that point in his life. Older Heero felt sympathy and tenderness for both those boys in the chilling forest.

"I told you," he said, annoyed, "I do not require such services for helping you. I require you to return to health."

"That ain't the only reason people phuck," Duo said, chin dipping towards his chest. "Maybe I just like you."

Young Heero looked away then, nervous. "If you're cold, we can share blankets."

"Okay!"

A few minutes later, stretched out on some cleared forest floor, Heero made a face as Duo scooted closer, snuggling up close. Making that face didn't stop him from slipping an arm around Duo, giving up his shoulder for a pillow. Duo slept. Young Heero had found out very quickly that Duo slept better if they slept together.

Older Heero startled out of his own sleep. A coma was a little like sleep. The monitor showed brain activity. Duo was in there somewhere. Duo's memories were in there somewhere. "It was a rabbit, you know," he told Duo, years after the fact, his own way of telling himself that it had been love as well.