Disclaimer - I don't own the G boys
and/or any other part of Gundam Wing. I just like to toy with them on occasion.
I don't get any money from this so please don't sue me ^_^ All I have is some
anime and a few figures. This fic contains shonen ai, its 1x2, ummm lots of
OOCness, its basically a "what would happen if the G boys were just normal
kids and there was no war" yadda yadda yadda. La La La… enjoy and please
leave feedback!!! Please Please Please!!!
Additional Disclaimer - I also
didn't write Shakespeare. I'm just quoting from his amazing talent by using his
unparalleled work of artistry A Midsummer Night's Dream. None of the
characters from that story (or any of his other for that matter) will ever be
mine. I am just borrowing from him. Anywhere you see this notation "quote
lines*" the * indicates that Shakespeare wrote that line.
Heero's
Art Class
He trudged through the snow,
lugging the huge portfolio with him on his way to art class. His breath made
steamy clouds before him and it was just too damn cold to be alive. Especially
alive at nine in the morning after spending another night out with his friends
at the bars. He didn't even like it anymore, too much booze and too many girls
throwing themselves at him. His bag banged against his side and he could hear
the myriad of pencils clicking against one another inside it. He was groggy and
the snow was wet. It stuck to his shoes and dampened the cuffs of his jeans. He
pushed the door open, banging the oversized portfolio on the doorframe, just missing
catching it in the door. He wiped his feet and headed up the three flights of
stairs to the art studio classroom.
He idly wondered what they would be
drawing today. Probably more upside down chairs or bored people. They paid for
models by the hour so every once in a while they had people to draw, but the
people were invariably bored and tired and it just felt as though something had
sucked the life right out of them. They were there to make a few dollars for
little work. He sighed as he wandered into the classroom and set up his
sketchpad at one of the easels. He pulled the Walkman headphones from his ears
and dropped a few pencils and his kneaded eraser into the tray. When he looked
towards the center of the room he nearly dropped the pencil box. A young man,
dressed in a robe, was seated upon a large wooden box. He had long light brown
hair, which was pulled back into a graceful braid which went down the length of
his back. His eyes were a beautiful blue violet color and they seemed to shine
with vitality. He had everything that other models lacked. Heero realized that
he was staring and reddened a bit dropping his eyes and hiding behind the
easel. The other boy turned, not quite fast enough to see the erstwhile admirer
who had disappeared behind the easel.
Heero busied himself with his
pencils and paper while he waited for the class to begin. When the professor
had explained the assignment he directed their attention towards the braided
boy, who then removed the robe reclined in a suitable position for the art
instructor. The professor instructed the class to begin, reminding them of the
emphasis on remembering to add value to their drawings, shadows and lights.
Everyone picked up their pencils and started to draw as they had many times
before. Heero could feel his face burning and wondered if it looked as red as
he imagined it must. The boy was on the slender side, with smooth skin, and
lithe limbs. Heero tried to concentrate on the sketch but he kept feeling his
mind wandering to ideas that were not appropriate for art class.
He excused himself from class for a
few moments and splashed his face with cold water. He shook his head and
mentally chided himself for losing focus. He went back inside and to his easel.
The boy watched him out of the corner of one eye and Heero could almost swear
that he smiled at him. Great… and now I'm delusional… what a great way to
start my morning.
The rest of the class went rather
uneventfully except for Heero's dropping his pencil seven times. He eventually
managed to gain enough control over himself to begin drawing. The time passed
quickly and he soon found himself adding the correct shading to a nicely
rendered drawing of the boy. The boy was turned so that his back was slightly
towards Heero… The perfect angle. Heero hastened to add shading to his picture.
He became so absorbed with the drawing and the careful application of the
charcoal that he failed to keep track of time. His concentration was finally
broken when the instructor addressed him.
"Mr. Yuy, the class is over…
I'm afraid we are closing the classroom. You'll need to wrap it up."
Heero's face went scarlet.
"I'm… I'm done sir. Sorry, I'll just pack up." He scrambled to throw
his things in his back. He hastily stuck the drawing in his portfolio and made
for the door. He could just see the braided boy pulling the robe back on with
an amused smile. He bolted for outside.
He paused to catch his breath, the
chill of the air was enough to get his cheeks to be less than scarlet. He was
so embarrassed at himself. Have you no self control at all?? That was
utterly pathetic, completely unprofessional, how on earth are you ever going to
pass this class if a pretty face… he paused, a small voice in his head
adding on to his thoughts "well there were the lithe arms and the
finely muscled legs not to mention that cute…" He cut off the little
voice with a shake of his head. He grabbed his portfolio rather annoyed with
himself and stalked away from the art building. Damned art credit… he
was a physics major! for the love of… He sighed. He was halfway up the
path and just about to enter the wooded area that separated these buildings
from the rest of campus when he heard a voice calling his name. His brow
furrowed and he turned wondering who it could be. All of his friends had classes
right now…
"Hey Heero!" Heero turned
and his eyes widened in surprise, once again, for what seemed to be the
umpteenth time that morning he nearly dropped what he was carrying.
It was the model from art class.
Fully dressed for the winter's chill now though. All of that beautiful skin
covered… Heero was tempted to hit himself over the head if he couldn't
regain some self-control. He simply blinked at the boy as he ran towards him.
"You forgot your physics book
in the classroom and I told the professor I'd run it out to you." The boy
held out a thick textbook to Heero. Heero blinked again. He took the book.
"Umm, thanks, guess I forgot
it…" Heero almost slammed himself in the head again. He was
certainly eloquent this morning. He felt like such an idiot. "Thanks for
bringing it for me. I've got an exam tomorrow. It's my major."
The other boy smiled at him,
"Art credit huh? Bet you hate to have to take it, and no problem about the
book. I was going this way anyway. I was about to go and have lunch anyway. Ya
wanna come? Oh yah, by the way, my name is Duo." He beamed and extended a
hand in greeting.
"Ummm, sure… I was just going
to go home but I am kind of hungry." Heero admitted trying to juggle his
portfolio and books and backpack around in order to shake hands.
"Sugoi, I know just the place!
It's got a mean Mexican buffet."
So Heero headed off with the boy,
Duo to have lunch, he was a bit dazed and had to make a conscious effort not to
stare openly at the boy who's beauty left him so entranced.
~*~
They were soon chatting amicably
over lunch in the warmth of the restaurant. Well to be honest it was more like
Duo was talking, non-stop, and Heero was listening. Heero's eyes widened as he
watched the smaller boy inhale his food like there was no tomorrow. Duo noticed
the baffled look on Heero's face and blinked.
"Something wrong?" He
asked
"Do you… always eat like
that?" Heero suddenly realized how rude his question was and immediately
regretted opening his mouth.
But Duo only laughed, he seemed
quite amused in fact. "Yah, I guess I do. Like they say, old habits die
hard." When Heero looked askance at the comment Duo proceeded to explain,
"I grew up on the streets really… My parents were killed in a car crash
when I was two years old. The medics that arrived on the scene said I had the
devil's own luck that I hadn't been instantly killed as well. I was safe and
sound, screaming and crying in the back seat. I was put into a state orphanage
and then bounced around in foster homes forever. I gave up on the system when I
was twelve and got a job working under the table at a bar. I washed dishes and
ran errands. Of course my having a job at twelve was illegal… but hell I needed
the money and the owner needed the help. That's how I have enough money for
school. I've been saving since I was twelve. That's also why I model for art
class. Every penny counts." He smiled offhandedly.
"Gee… My life has been pretty
boring compared with yours… my parents didn't really want kids and they shipped
me off to boarding school as soon as I was old enough. I've never really wanted
for anything… Guess I'm kinda spoiled… my parents money pays for my
schooling."
Duo grinned, "Believe me, I'd
prefer boring. At least I made it into school. Gotta love scholarships! I'm a
Theater major. Couldn't be more different from you ne? Physics… now there is
something I could never understand." He glanced down at his watch.
"Yipes… look at the time. I've gotta head out. I've got to be at work in a
few minutes. Hey it's been fun. Catch you another time maybe?" It was half
a question and half a statement. Heero wasn't sure how to answer.
"Ummm yeah… hey where do you
work anyway?"
Duo stood up slinging a bag over
his shoulder, "I work at a little mom and pop coffee shop tucked away just
near one of the dining halls. I actually live above it. Part of my salary is
room and board. It's a good deal. Well see ya around Heero!" He bounded
off out the door and Heero collected his things and made his way to the door as
well. Time to head home. Physics… got that test tomorrow… Gravitation forces
between bodies… I wonder if he'll be modeling for my class again sometime…
Heero! Get a hold of yourself! Heero scowled and walked home.
~*~
"Two café lattes coming right
up!" Duo made his way through the tables, he had a white apron on and he
tucked a notepad into one of the pockets. Tips were good today. He made the
coffees and selected two pastries to accompany them. He made his way back to
the table and served the hot coffee.
"Thank you very much, and is
there anything else I can get you? Alright, enjoy!"
It was a good job and his employers
really appreciated that he was dependable and honest. He earned his keep and he
had captured a special place in their hearts with his laughter and his humor.
He was glad when he finally wiped down the last tabletop and headed upstairs to
his room. His thoughts wandered to that boy, Heero. He had rather enjoyed
having someone to talk to over lunch like that. Heero had been rather flustered
though… Duo figured it was probably just awkwardness at having seen him naked
just moments beforehand in the art class. He flopped down on the bed and
laughed a bit. He reached over to the bedside table and after knocking over the
model Evangelion Unit there he picked up a rather dog-eared paperback manuscript.
He flipped open the book and read over the highlighted lines. He mouthed the
words as he read them. He didn't need to… he knew his lines down cold and he
knew that he did. But there was something comforting about reading through
them. Tomorrow was opening night… he was already feeling the adrenaline rush
that built from the moment he took a part until the moment when the curtain
parted and then it was heaven. There was nothing but him and the audience. It
was euphoric. He lived for those brief flashes of light when he could lose
himself in the character and just give himself entirely to the stage.
He lay awake for a long time before
finally falling asleep. Visions of stage paints and the bright lights danced in
his mind as he drifted to sleep.
~*~
Heero sighed, the girl on his arm
was gushing over something and it didn't interest Heero in the least. His
friends had set him up with her… what was her name again? Oh yes… Melanie, it
wasn't that she wasn't nice, or that she was stupid. In fact she was quite
intelligent and she was very pretty, an all around nice girl. His friends had
though they would be perfect for one another. They were going to see some play
on campus and he couldn't even remember the name of it. She was quite excited
but he just couldn't seem to make himself interested in either it or her. She
seemed not to notice. She kept raving about the lead in the play and how it was
supposed to be a smash hit. He sighed inwardly and held the door for her.
He reached into his pocket and
pulled out two tickets, which he handed to the usher. They were led towards the
front of the theater, rather nice seats in fact. They sat down and Heero
glanced down at the program. A Midsummer Night's Dream by William
Shakespeare. Hmmm… wonder what it's about. Heero flipped open the first
page and Melanie reached over to point at something inside the cover.
"See that's the one who has
the lead role, Puck," She pointed at a photograph. Heero looked down to
where she pointed. He started and nearly dropped the program. Smiling out of
the picture was Duo. Heero's eyes widened.
"I know him…" Heero
stammered. "I had lunch with him the other day… he brought me a book I had
left behind in one of my classes."
"You know Duo Maxwell?"
She almost yelped.
"Well sort of… I mean not
personally… we had lunch and talked a bit… that's all." He said off
handedly. He was nearly blinded by the stars in her eyes. He lifted an eyebrow.
Then he thought back to his own reaction at meeting the boy… he hoped that in
the darkened theater his red face would go unnoticed. He wondered if Duo had
that effect on everyone. As the lights fell the stage curtains pulled open.
The first scene passed rather
slowly… Heero listened to the story… rather impatiently awaiting the entrance
of Duo… what character had she said he was cast in? He flipped open the program
and squinted into the darkness trying to make out the words. He was just
growing impatient when he caught sight of him.
Duo dressed in the costume of a
forest sprite, a crown of flowers and thorns upon his head and his braid
falling down his back stepped out from behind a tree. His voice was clear and
there was not even the sound of breathing as his voice carried out over the
audience.
"How now, spirit, whither
wander you?*"
Heero sat spellbound. He was
entranced with the graceful movements of the braided boy. He seemed a different
person… he had almost totally become the character he was playing. The
mischievous sprite seemed perfect for him… it seemed to almost have been
written for him in fact. He listened to the banter back and forth between the
fairy and Puck, hanging on the words.
"Either I mistake your shape
and making quite,
Or else you are that shrewd and
knavish sprite
Called Robin Goodfellow…. *"
The fairy capered about the stage as she questioned him. Her graceful costume
fluttered around her as she moved.
"Thou speakest aright;
I am that merry wanderer of the
night.*" Puck simply outshone her… Duo was like the light of the sun and
she paled in comparison. She was wonderful but there was simply no competition.
Heero felt himself drawn in
completely into the story and the characters. He was almost sad when the
production drew to a close. He was on his feet instantly along with the rest of
the theater. Applauding wildly for the young star. The curtain calls were
jubilant but the applause didn't stop when the curtains fell. People called for
encores. Suddenly the curtain was pulled aside and a rather shy looking Puck
smiled and waved at them all as his fellow performers pushed him out onto the
stage. People threw flowers and Duo just smiled graciously. He caught one of
the roses and with one final bow he disappeared behind the curtains again.
~*~
Duo's face was flushed with
excitement as he was pushed out onto the stage. The lights dazzled him and the
sound of applause rang in his ears. This was truly what he lived for. The
feeling of the stage, that last moment when you've done your best and the
audience is cheering just for you. Duo caught a rose thrown in his direction
and vanished backstage again. The girl who had played Titania rushed over to
him and wrapped him in a giant hug.
"You were fantastic!" She
kissed him on the cheek as everyone else crowded in together.
He had a splendid time at the cast
party that night. As everyone was beginning to filter out he collected his
props and costume and made his way out the door. The fresh air felt good on his
face. He walked down the main street towards his home. He was almost there when
someone stepped out of the alleyway and knocked him to his knees. He spun
around to see who it was.
There looming over him was a much
larger boy who looked to be around his age. Duo scrambled to his feet but not
before the boy could grab him by the collar.
"What are you doing?" Duo
tried to yank away but the other boy's grip was stronger than his own and he
couldn't budge.
"I'm here to give you what you
deserve you damned fag." He leered. The other boy's breath stank of
alcohol. Duo felt himself tense. This wasn't a good sign. He tried to pull away
and began to argue with the other boy, but to no avail. He was slammed back
into a wall and the wind was knocked from him. He slumped down gasping, trying
to fill his lungs with air again. He was dragged to his feet again and the boy
pulled back a fist. Duo lifted his arms to try and block the punch. But he was
still knocked backwards into the wall again by the force of the blow. He winced
and clenched his fist. He spun around aiming a well-timed kick at his attacker.
His foot met with the attacker's stomach and the bigger boy bent over wheezing.
Duo used this opportunity to make a run for it. He could hear his own heart
pounding in his ears as he ran down the street. The other boy was not far
behind him and was running faster too. Duo looked over his shoulder and cursed.
He felt the iron grasp of his attacker on his shoulder. It spun him around and
then a swift punch crashed into his face and the whole world went black.
~*~
Heero was quite polite to his date
all the way home. He dropped her off and she asked if she could call him
sometime. He had simply shrugged. She seemed satisfied and went inside. He
shoved his hands into his pockets and headed home. He rolled his eyes at the
though that his friends would want to know if he had 'scored' last night.
Sometimes he just felt like he was just in the wrong place. I should have
just been born a terrorist or something… I don't think I'm cut out for this
kind of life… He mused to himself as he walked down the street.
He turned as he heard the sound of
some kind of struggle going on just down the street a little bit. He narrowed
his eyes as he saw someone beating up on another person. Another person who was
much smaller… another person who had a long chestnut braid…
Heero was racing down the street
before he even knew what he was doing. He saw the slight figure of Duo falling
backwards onto the sidewalk and then stop moving. The larger boy towered over
him menacingly. Heero slammed into Duo's attacker and threw him off balance.
The larger boy tripped and fell into a lightpost. He turned to growl at Heero
and spat curses in his direction. Heero crouched low, surveying the situation.
He had an uncanny knack for this kind of thing. He had never lost a fight in
school. He had a strange inherent ability to evaluate his opponent's strengths and
weaknesses and then use them against him. He also had a fearless determination
and he didn't care if he got hurt a little bit along the way. His lack of fear
won him the respect or at least the fear of all his other classmates.
Within moments the larger boy was
on the ground and whimpering. Heero glared down at him.
"Let that teach you not to
pick on someone smaller than you. Especially not my friends." He turned
towards the fallen figure of Duo. He had a nasty bruise on his cheek and one
black eye. He seemed to have gotten roughed up a bit but nothing too serious…
well except for the fact that he was unconscious. Heero picked him up and made
his way to the University Medical Center.
~*~
Duo woke up very groggy. He blinked
clearing his vision, he was somewhere unfamiliar. He thought back to last
night… the play had gone off splendidly and he had been walking home. He sat up
and winced, that was right… He'd been attacked… As he regained his bearings he
realized he was in a hospital bed. His head ached and he felt like crap. The
last thing he remembered was being knocked off his feet and hitting the
pavement. He rubbed the back of his head… he'd hit it all right… he could feel
the bump. But how had he gotten here? He lay back in the pillows.
A nurse came into the room holding
some charts. "Oh you're finally awake! That's good news. You got rather
beat up young man. You're lucky someone brought you in." She said as she
brushed a strand of bleached blonde hair out of her face.
"Someone brought me in?"
Duo blinked groggily at her.
"Why yes, a rather quiet young
man, he carried you in here himself. Spoke with the police about the man that
attacked you and I believe he led them right to him and he is being held on
charges of assault and battery." She picked up the chart at the foot of
his bed and made a few marks on it.
"What did he look like?"
Duo's head throbbed and he had to close his eyes, what a whopper headache… he
felt like he was hung over ten times over.
"Around your height… most
likely the same age… dark hair, blue eyes, didn't say much… his name was…"
she paused in thought… "Heero… yah that was his name."
Duo blinked his eyes open. Heero
brought me in? The guy I had lunch with? The nurse walked up to him jolting
him out of his thoughts.
"I need to get your name young
man."
"Duo… uhh Duo Maxwell."
He stammered. She poked and prodded and then informed him he would be kept
overnight tonight for observation to ensure he didn't have a concussion and
then he would be released if everything was fine. Was there anyone she could
contact for him? He said no… no sense in worrying the couple he worked for. He
would call them after she left and say that he was staying at friends. He took
the painkillers she had left and leaned back into the pillows to rest.
~*~
Heero was
just walking away from the police station after having talked with them about
the attack on Duo. He shoved his hands
into his pockets and headed home. He
lived all alone in an apartment that could have easily housed four other
people. His parent's money at work
again… He fitted the key to the lock and closed the door behind him. He dropped his keys on the table by the door
and walked into the kitchen. He pulled
a can of beer from the fridge and flopped down on his couch. He turned on the TV set but didn't watch
it. The light from the screen played
across the room and Heero could just see the figures moving as they were
reflected in the window. He lay on his
back and stared up at the ceiling, thinking over his night. His mind lingered on Duo… he couldn't seem
to get the image of him out of his head.
He frowned a little bit… he thought back to high school… he'd never
really had any real love interests… sure he'd been on dates… but it never
lasted… come to think of it… he'd never asked a girl out himself… they had all
been either instigated by the girl or set up by friends… Heero frowned… He'd never been attracted to
girls. He suddenly realized it… he was
never interested in girls… because he was more interested in boys. His face went red and he wasn't sure what to
think now… could he really be… he wasn't even sure he could think the
words. An image of Duo flashed through
his mind and he had to admit there was no question that he was very attracted
to Duo… He set the beer can aside and went to splash his face with cold
water.
Heero
stared at himself in the mirror. What
was he going to do now? He couldn't do
anything about his newly discovered… identity… Duo would probably be disgusted
and never want to speak to him again…
but… there might not be anything wrong with talking to him… after all he
ought to go and see how the boy was doing after being jumped like that… He'd
been able to hide this from everyone else who knew him, there was no reason he
couldn't just keep doing so. He decided
that he would go in and see how Duo was feeling the next day.
Heero
dropped by the comic book store on the way to the hospital to pick up a comic
or two for Duo… Wonder if he reads Eva?
Heero decided that he would just go ahead and pick up the latest issue
of the manga and hope Duo read it. He
paid for his purchase and, shoving his hands into his pockets, he headed for
the University Medical Center.
He asked
the receptionist about the long haired boy who had come in last night. She looked him over and then glanced down at
her records.
"Oh he
left, went home earlier this morning.
He was fine." She informed him.
"Thanks… I
just wanted to see how he was doing… I appreciate your time." Heero went back to the elevator, rather
disappointed. Well I still need to
give him the manga… maybe I can find his place… he said he lived over a small
coffee shop… near a dining hall I think… hmmm.
Heero found
the little coffee shop easily and sat down at a table. He was looking over the menu when he heard a
familiar voice.
"May I
help… oh hi there! It's you Heero. Almost didn't recognize you without the art
stuff." Duo smiled at him. "Hey, the nurses told me that you brought me
into the hospital. Guess I owe you my
thanks… You really saved my ass back
there… Thanks."
Heero, who
felt as though he had lost his voice… again, finally managed to find a coherent
sentence. "Yah… I just hate to see
anyone get hurt…" Especially someone like you… "I was just walking home
from your play when I saw that guy."
"Oh you came to our
production." Duo beamed. "Hope you liked it! First time I'd ever done Shakespeare
before."
"I thought you did a great
job. Best in the show, I'd never seen
any Shakespeare before actually… always figured it'd be boring… but that really
changed my mind." And the fact that
his costume was mostly skin tight had nothing to do with it… Heero needed
to steer the conversation away from such images, "I dropped by the Medical Center this morning but you'd already
been discharged… I wanted to bring you this."
Heero handed him the bag and Duo looked at it curiously.
"Hey thanks, glad you enjoyed the
show." He reached into the bag and
pulled out the comic. "Eva! That's awesome! I'm a big fan of the series.
I hadn't gotten around to the store to get this issue. Gee thanks!
Hey let me get you something on the house. What kind of coffee do you drink?"
Duo took his order and was soon
back with a cup of the best smelling coffee that Heero had ever smelled. He inhaled deeply and thanked Duo.
"No problem, it's the least I
could do for the guy who dragged me all the way to the Hospital and beat the
crud out of the guy who tried to jump me."
Duo tucked his order pad into the pocket of his jeans. "Hey I get off work in about fifteen
minutes… ya wanna go do something?"
"Sure… yah that'd be cool." Heero said rather non-chalantly.
"Awesome! Just hang out!" Duo grinned and headed off to take some new customer's orders and
to clean up the shop a bit.
~*~
To Be
Continued…
