semi AU
will be 1x2/2x1, some 3x4, citrus in later chapters
Warning: If you don't like yaoi, don't read, no one is twisting your arm and you won't change my mind.
Takes place AC 195, only four gundams are being used, Deathscythe is unpiloted as it has been deemed unmanageable after killing two pilots and making three more insane. It is semi-AI (ZERO prototype).
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing belongs to Sunrise, Shotsu Agency, Bandai, and other corporations, and has been used without permission, purely for entertainment purposes and not profit.
CHAPTER FIVE
I couldn't sleep. I don't need much sleep anyway and can easily get by with four hours a night. But this was different. I rolled away from the wall and faced the boy who lay sleeping a short distance away from me. Boy. Youth. Man. He made me uneasy and I did not like that feeling. I did not like feeling at all, let alone that one. I stared at his immobile form. His back was to me, braid tucked neatly beside him like a cat's tail. The blanket and sheet were tangled around his legs leaving the well- formed upper torso bare. I was not used to sharing a room – being both unsociable and stubborn enough to merit one of my own.
I sat up. This was not getting me anywhere. I was uneasy because he was one very dangerous person. He had been noticeably uncomfortable telling us how he had managed to kill off a mother house of more than 400 assassins. Something about many exploding devices he had made, set and used after he had garrotted the highest ranking members. Revenge, he had said. Though he didn't say for what. Something personal. I still had a gut feeling that there was more there that he was leaving out.
With a sigh, I gave up trying to pretend I was going to nod off anytime soon and padded quietly over to my laptop. I pulled up the program I'd copied from the lab and started sifting through the information.
"Can't sleep?" A voice asked quietly at my shoulder.
I jumped. FUCK! This was getting to be a habit!
"Do you know anything about this? From that guy's memories that you have?" I snapped, more than a little annoyed. I don't care if he's the assassin from hell, no one should be that silent when moving.
He bent forward and peered at the screen, a look of mild puzzlement on his face.
"I can read the words, but they are not triggering anything. The machine you are using – a laptop? That seems familiar."
This wasn't going to help much then. But I was not about to admit to making a mistake bringing him back with us. Not yet anyway. I kept scrolling through the words, the technical stuff wasn't what I wanted, I'd leave that to our handlers to interpret. The formulas and permutations flashed by at a high rate, then I found the original project proposal. It did indeed involve searching through alternate realities for possible weapons that would be capable of countering or neutralising the Gundams.
"Do you think I'm a weapon?"
He'd been reading right along with me – I was impressed, there's not too many who can keep up with my speed.
"Are you?" I countered.
He looked at me with laughter in his eyes. "Of course!"
I glared back at him – the last thing I needed was a cocky killer roommate. His smile never faded as he put his arm around my shoulder and said, "Well, Heero my friend, your weapon would feel a lot more comfortable if he was armed a bit. That is of course, if you feel I can be trusted and all. But, for your own security, if I had some decent weapons then I could take care myself and none of you would have to be burdened with that responsibility. I'm not used to having other people look after me. Makes me feel….like I owe something."
He had a point. Several in fact. I just wasn't sure if I wanted him to have weapons at hand, so to speak. Maybe it was the trust issue. Or something else. I told him I would think about it. And to go back to sleep. And to take his goddamned arm off my shoulder before I ripped it off. He chuckled at my I-mean-that-in-all-seriousness threat and sedately moved toward his bed. Then he reached under his pillow and casually tossed a gun at me. I caught it mid-air. It was mine. The one I keep under my pillow.
I looked at him. He did not say a word. I knew that we both understood each other in that instant. He'd demonstrated again that he had the ability and the opportunity to kill and had chosen not to. He was just waiting for my confirmation of trust.
"Fine."
I turned back to the laptop screen while he slid under his sheets and promptly feel into a quiet slumber. I stayed online for a while longer, but did not discover anything else of value. I powered off and lay down on my own bed. But did not sleep. I just stared. And watched. Him.
************* **************** **************
It was the escalators that did it. Duo had managed to keep his curiosity and surprise well controlled as the three of us – Quatre and his credit cards being our third party - clothes shopped in the mall. The crowds didn't seem to bother him at all and his enthusiasm could be disguised as that of a "country cousin's" first time visit to the big city. But the moving stairs had him entranced. He had ridden them a good four times before I'd had enough and pulled him off forcefully, calling him a fool. His eyes were still glued to that top stair disappearing into the floor, walking backwards until I yanked him into the hunting goods store that I'd found in the upper level of the mall. Once there, he stood grinning like a little kid, smile stretched a mile wide and eyes sparkling with delight.
Quatre had done a good job getting nondescript clothing for our new comrade, black being Duo's predominant colour of choice. It was my job to do the weapons. After group consultation – being part of a team does have its down side – we'd agreed on arming Duo with knives as they were a weapon he was quite familiar with and, unlike a gun, would not need any instruction. I chose out one large Brusletto and two smaller ones that could be hidden in sleeves, pockets, just about anywhere. Duo picked out two more – boot knives, and a couple of sheathes for the ones I chose. He seemed pleased with my choices and had not quibbled or argued about any of them. I should have known. As I placed the knives on the counter, he reached into a pocket, pulled out a wallet and selected a credit card.
When I picked my jaw off the floor and found my voice, I hissed, "What the hell do you think you are doing?"
"Paying for my purchases. What do you think? Can't have Quatre pay for everything, that wouldn't be fair. I can pull my own weight!" was the slightly miffed reply.
I removed the wallet, and the credit card – Marvin Hertz – handing both back to him. I pulled out Quatre's card and gave it to the clerk. He rang up the purchases and we left. I waited until we were well away from the store before pulling Duo off into one of the side alcoves to give him a piece of my mind.
"Where did you get the wallet?"
"Thief before assassin, remember?"
"You pick-pocketed it?"
"Why are you asking me this if you already know?"
"You can't do that!"
"Why not?"
"We have to keep a low profile, you could get caught."
Glare. Very pissed off glare. Rapidly turning darker glare.
"Caught???" he drawled slowly, voice dropping in tone.
"Where I come from, caught means dead. Do I look dead to you? Incapable? A fool?"
I felt a bit guilty at that last one. Didn't say anything, though. Maybe I could make up for it by treating him to ice cream at the food court. I doubt he would have had anything like that where he came from. I directed him out into the stream of shoppers as if nothing had happened when the hairs on the back of my neck began to stand up. I always know when I'm being watched and did not ignore my body's subconscious warning…..where….who….
"Heeeerooooooo!"
will be 1x2/2x1, some 3x4, citrus in later chapters
Warning: If you don't like yaoi, don't read, no one is twisting your arm and you won't change my mind.
Takes place AC 195, only four gundams are being used, Deathscythe is unpiloted as it has been deemed unmanageable after killing two pilots and making three more insane. It is semi-AI (ZERO prototype).
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing belongs to Sunrise, Shotsu Agency, Bandai, and other corporations, and has been used without permission, purely for entertainment purposes and not profit.
CHAPTER FIVE
I couldn't sleep. I don't need much sleep anyway and can easily get by with four hours a night. But this was different. I rolled away from the wall and faced the boy who lay sleeping a short distance away from me. Boy. Youth. Man. He made me uneasy and I did not like that feeling. I did not like feeling at all, let alone that one. I stared at his immobile form. His back was to me, braid tucked neatly beside him like a cat's tail. The blanket and sheet were tangled around his legs leaving the well- formed upper torso bare. I was not used to sharing a room – being both unsociable and stubborn enough to merit one of my own.
I sat up. This was not getting me anywhere. I was uneasy because he was one very dangerous person. He had been noticeably uncomfortable telling us how he had managed to kill off a mother house of more than 400 assassins. Something about many exploding devices he had made, set and used after he had garrotted the highest ranking members. Revenge, he had said. Though he didn't say for what. Something personal. I still had a gut feeling that there was more there that he was leaving out.
With a sigh, I gave up trying to pretend I was going to nod off anytime soon and padded quietly over to my laptop. I pulled up the program I'd copied from the lab and started sifting through the information.
"Can't sleep?" A voice asked quietly at my shoulder.
I jumped. FUCK! This was getting to be a habit!
"Do you know anything about this? From that guy's memories that you have?" I snapped, more than a little annoyed. I don't care if he's the assassin from hell, no one should be that silent when moving.
He bent forward and peered at the screen, a look of mild puzzlement on his face.
"I can read the words, but they are not triggering anything. The machine you are using – a laptop? That seems familiar."
This wasn't going to help much then. But I was not about to admit to making a mistake bringing him back with us. Not yet anyway. I kept scrolling through the words, the technical stuff wasn't what I wanted, I'd leave that to our handlers to interpret. The formulas and permutations flashed by at a high rate, then I found the original project proposal. It did indeed involve searching through alternate realities for possible weapons that would be capable of countering or neutralising the Gundams.
"Do you think I'm a weapon?"
He'd been reading right along with me – I was impressed, there's not too many who can keep up with my speed.
"Are you?" I countered.
He looked at me with laughter in his eyes. "Of course!"
I glared back at him – the last thing I needed was a cocky killer roommate. His smile never faded as he put his arm around my shoulder and said, "Well, Heero my friend, your weapon would feel a lot more comfortable if he was armed a bit. That is of course, if you feel I can be trusted and all. But, for your own security, if I had some decent weapons then I could take care myself and none of you would have to be burdened with that responsibility. I'm not used to having other people look after me. Makes me feel….like I owe something."
He had a point. Several in fact. I just wasn't sure if I wanted him to have weapons at hand, so to speak. Maybe it was the trust issue. Or something else. I told him I would think about it. And to go back to sleep. And to take his goddamned arm off my shoulder before I ripped it off. He chuckled at my I-mean-that-in-all-seriousness threat and sedately moved toward his bed. Then he reached under his pillow and casually tossed a gun at me. I caught it mid-air. It was mine. The one I keep under my pillow.
I looked at him. He did not say a word. I knew that we both understood each other in that instant. He'd demonstrated again that he had the ability and the opportunity to kill and had chosen not to. He was just waiting for my confirmation of trust.
"Fine."
I turned back to the laptop screen while he slid under his sheets and promptly feel into a quiet slumber. I stayed online for a while longer, but did not discover anything else of value. I powered off and lay down on my own bed. But did not sleep. I just stared. And watched. Him.
************* **************** **************
It was the escalators that did it. Duo had managed to keep his curiosity and surprise well controlled as the three of us – Quatre and his credit cards being our third party - clothes shopped in the mall. The crowds didn't seem to bother him at all and his enthusiasm could be disguised as that of a "country cousin's" first time visit to the big city. But the moving stairs had him entranced. He had ridden them a good four times before I'd had enough and pulled him off forcefully, calling him a fool. His eyes were still glued to that top stair disappearing into the floor, walking backwards until I yanked him into the hunting goods store that I'd found in the upper level of the mall. Once there, he stood grinning like a little kid, smile stretched a mile wide and eyes sparkling with delight.
Quatre had done a good job getting nondescript clothing for our new comrade, black being Duo's predominant colour of choice. It was my job to do the weapons. After group consultation – being part of a team does have its down side – we'd agreed on arming Duo with knives as they were a weapon he was quite familiar with and, unlike a gun, would not need any instruction. I chose out one large Brusletto and two smaller ones that could be hidden in sleeves, pockets, just about anywhere. Duo picked out two more – boot knives, and a couple of sheathes for the ones I chose. He seemed pleased with my choices and had not quibbled or argued about any of them. I should have known. As I placed the knives on the counter, he reached into a pocket, pulled out a wallet and selected a credit card.
When I picked my jaw off the floor and found my voice, I hissed, "What the hell do you think you are doing?"
"Paying for my purchases. What do you think? Can't have Quatre pay for everything, that wouldn't be fair. I can pull my own weight!" was the slightly miffed reply.
I removed the wallet, and the credit card – Marvin Hertz – handing both back to him. I pulled out Quatre's card and gave it to the clerk. He rang up the purchases and we left. I waited until we were well away from the store before pulling Duo off into one of the side alcoves to give him a piece of my mind.
"Where did you get the wallet?"
"Thief before assassin, remember?"
"You pick-pocketed it?"
"Why are you asking me this if you already know?"
"You can't do that!"
"Why not?"
"We have to keep a low profile, you could get caught."
Glare. Very pissed off glare. Rapidly turning darker glare.
"Caught???" he drawled slowly, voice dropping in tone.
"Where I come from, caught means dead. Do I look dead to you? Incapable? A fool?"
I felt a bit guilty at that last one. Didn't say anything, though. Maybe I could make up for it by treating him to ice cream at the food court. I doubt he would have had anything like that where he came from. I directed him out into the stream of shoppers as if nothing had happened when the hairs on the back of my neck began to stand up. I always know when I'm being watched and did not ignore my body's subconscious warning…..where….who….
"Heeeerooooooo!"