Obligatory Disclaimer Type Thinige - Chapter I
Kat: Welcome to my pathetic attempt at a 1x2 Gundam Wing fanfiction.
Duo: I've been after you for HOW long with this idea?
Kat: ::sweatdrop:: It's been quite a while, hasn't it?
Yama: The only reason *he's* been on you about it is because it involves him.
Duo: Yeah, so? I've been waiting 2 years for this fic. I deserve it!
Yama: So do I, Shinigami no baka! What about that songfic to "The Motivation Proclamation" she owes me?
Duo: You haven't been here as long as me, wait your turn Ishida.
Kat: Speaking of not being here. where's Jou-kun? I'm short a muse here, and I *really* don't want to drag Yohji-kun away from primping. Chaaa. Jou- kun's not playing Duel Monsters again is he?
Yama: Of course he is. That or hunting down some food.
Jou: ::skids around the corner, panting:: Gomen! Got caught up ina duel! What'd I miss?
Yama: ::snorts:: A lot. Your obliviousness amazes me, which is saying something considering my Tai-chan. What you missed was us yelling at her for not finishing any fics.
Jou: I 'eard she does dat a lot.
Duo: ::nods:: Believe me: you've no idea.
Kat: Urusai minna!! You all know quite well that I'm lazy and don't want to write!
Yama: NANI?! How many unfinished fics do you have lying around?! You write all the time, you just don't ever FINISH anything! Even with US yelling at you!
Kat: But writing involves effort. I don't want to DO anything.
Duo: Then why do you do it?
Kat: I dunno.
Jou: Ano. Ain't dis supposed ta be a disclaimer?
Kat: ::clears her throat:: Anyway, yes, this is a FANFICTION. Hence, written by a fan. I do NOT own Gundam Wing. There isn't enough blatant yaoi in it for me to have written it. I'm just borrowing the characters, but I promise I'll return them (though asking to have them returned in 1 piece is pushing it). If you want to sue me, all you'll get is pocket lint and a bottle of black nail polish. Also, I need to inform everyone that although the first 4 pages is my own creation, the "cruse/mission" idea is actually borrowed off of a Weiß Kreuz fic called "Something New" by Deena, who I love and adore and worship. This fic is no longer up on ff.net, but I'm fairly certain it is still in existence. If you find her, BEG her to continue this fic. So, alas, I'm just BORROWING the "cruse/mission" idea, since I needed a (and I quote my insane ramblings) "circumstance with no escape". Everything else about this fic is my own demonic creation.
Duo: Do I have to be such a bastard in this fic?
Kat: Remember Duo-kun, you hate Heero-kun in this fic. That's why you're so mean to him.
Duo: ::grumbles:: Like I could ever hate Heero.
Yama: You've got a history of hate-makeup fics, you sadist.
Kat: URUSAI!! We need to stop talking and get to the fic!!
Jou: ^___^ Enjoy minna-san!
Kat: Now, back to my filthy evil I guess... (A treat to the person who can identify this quote)
NOTES: "____" -speaking
'____' -thinking to oneself
* * * -scene change
(A/N: ) - author's notes
ADDITIONAL AUTHOR NOTES: I am basing the speaking patterns off of the American dub version. Though I own the first quarter of Gundam Wing on bilingual DVD, I am more familiar with the dub, I'm sad to say. So, bear with me in that aspect. Heero may also be OOC, I'm not sure. I'm trying to write him as a person who's been around society for almost 3 years, learning to adapt at acting human. Also, excuse the overabundance of Doc Martens. They're my favorite boots, and I think everyone should wear them! Lastly, I'm a Tshirt and jeans person and have no fashion sense what-so- ever, so making outfits for everyone is really hard; so excuse the unoriginal and repetitive clothing ideas. Alright, now enjoy the fic.
~*~*Am I Lying to Myself*~*~
Heero Yuy stood outside of apartment 24B. He'd been standing there for about 15 minutes, banging on the door, knowing damn well that the occupant was there, he just wasn't awake yet.
It was a chilly Saturday morning, AC 199, and one could see the effect that the 2 and a half-year cease-fire had had on the once stoic ex-Gundam pilot. He still kept his dark brown hair cut short, but his face was a bit softer than it had been. He wore his trademark green tank top tucked into blue jeans, an open white button up shirt, and 10 eye black Doc Martens.
A slight frown tugged on his mouth as he began a fresh assault on the door. He'd stand here until the door opened; just whether it was by him breaking it down or the occupant opening it had yet to be seen.
Finally a muffled "Coming" percolated through the door, and Heero let his hand drop down to his side, clenching it into a fist as he took a step back. He wondered what kind of reception he would receive, and prepared himself for the worst.
The locks on the door were turned, and the door opened.
Only to be slammed right in Heero's face.
Heero allowed himself an exasperated sigh. 'Of course he'd be childish about it,' he thought.
"What the fuck do you want?" the occupant yelled through the door, the tone low and dangerous.
"Quatre sent me," Heero replied evenly. He knew that the door would open now, and he was right. The door slowly swung open.
An enraged Duo Maxwell glared at him from the safety of the door. His long brown braid was sleep mussed, bangs sticking up in odd directions. He was still tanned and muscular; a black rose tattoo standing out on his upper right shoulder, a tattoo of barbed wire circled his upper left bicep, and a silver hoop glittered from his left earlobe. The same black wristwatch circled his left wrist. He wore a pair of baggy blue jeans that had slipped down his hips, showing off black boxer shorts. The ex-Gundam pilot was barefoot, and had a death grip on the door.
"Why did he send you?" Duo growled.
"A mission, Duo," Heero replied.
Duo threw his hands up in the air in exasperation. "Aa! Wakatta ne! A mission, is it Yuy? Lovely! JUST FUCKING DANDY Yuy! Tell Quatre gomennasai, but I."
Heero cut him off. "You have to take this mission Duo. Quatre can't."
"I don't HAVE to do anything, Yuy, not a DAMN thing. Get the hell out of here." Duo was pissed, his eyes holding rage like they normally held laughter.
"Did you not hear me? Quatre is unable to participate in this mission, thus the only available candidates are you and I," Heero said.
"Did you not hear ME? I said I won't do it," and he stepped back to slam the door again.
Heero moved quickly. He thrust his hand forward, stopping the door from closing, and then used his strength to push the door open. It caught the side of Duo's arm as it was shoved open, and Duo let out a hiss and pulled his arm to his chest, stumbling back a few steps from shock. This left the door unguarded, and Heero walked right into the apartment, and shut the door behind him. He leaned his right side against the door and crossed his arms, regarding Duo with a self-satisfied smirk.
"I would have expected more from you Duo. Even you should have been able to anticipate that."
"GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HOUSE! YOU'VE GOT NO FUCKING RIGHT TO BE HERE YOU HEARTLESS BASTARD!" Duo exploded, finally losing it.
He lunged at Heero, fully intending to smash that smirk into the door, but Heero sidestepped him effortlessly, and Duo's fist hit the door with a smack. Not skipping a beat, Heero grabbed Duo's arm and wrenched it behind his back. He shoved Duo against the door, and Duo's left arm came up to catch himself before his face slammed into the door as well. His left arm was quickly caught and tugged behind his back, Heero's weight pinning him fully to the door in a lock.
"Get the fuck off me." Duo's voice was calmer, but he struggled.
"I will 'get the fuck off' when you calm down," Heero said mockingly.
Duo slowly ceased his struggles, sighing as he did so.
"Are you through, Duo?" Heero asked after a bit.
"Hai." The word was clipped. Heero had hurt his pride more than hurt him physically. Despite his earlier jibes, only Heero was able to have gotten the best of him. Had he been a normal civilian, Duo would have punched him into next week.
Heero slowly stood, released Duo's arms, and stepped back a few steps. Duo turned around, rubbing his wrists absently, as he glowered at Heero, who had a few inches over Duo's 5'5", being at least 6 feet tall. (A/N: Not really likely, I know, but whatever. I like a tall Heero.)
'When the hell did he get so tall?' Duo thought angrily. Shaking his head, he narrowed his eyes at Heero, growling "I see you've let yourself in, how about showing yourself out?"
Heero let out a small sigh. He couldn't believe that Duo was still being a bullheaded idiot. "I'm not leaving until you agree to do this mission."
Duo shrugged. "Sou ka. Have it your way." He stepped away from the door, brushing past Heero as he did so. He still moved with the liquid grace that Heero associated with him, his feet making soft padding noises on the tile floor. Duo had more tattoos on his back; the katakana for "Death" poked over his boxers on the right side in thick black strokes, "Pain" mirroring on the left. There was also a black cross on his upper right bicep, which Heero hadn't noticed since it had been behind the door.
The door opened into a large room, which was divided into smaller sections by half walls. The living room was the biggest, and there was a bar with barstools that separated the kitchen from the living room. Duo wove through the living room, which had a black leather couch and recliner, a low coffee table that had quite a few take out soda cups and magazines spread over it and a rather large entertainment center.
Heero followed Duo down a small hallway. There were two doors down this hallway, and Duo entered the one on the left, leaving it open behind him. Heero peeked in, and noted the large stereo system, bed with messy sheets, dresser overflowing with black clothing with more clothing spread over the floor with more magazines, a few books, and music disks. A massive music disk holder took up one wall, and the rest were covered in anime posters and pages torn out of motorcycle magazines. There was a door on the far wall for some reason.
Heero leaned against the door jam and watched as Duo picked a tight black T- shirt off the floor and yanked it over his head roughly. Duo turned around and regarded the boy leaning against his door jam.
"Welcome to my world, Yuy," he intoned darkly.
"You haven't changed. Still leaving everything all over," Heero observed, glancing around with a look of distaste.
"I'm the only one who lives here. It can look however the hell I want it to look. Though if I had known I was going to be having visitors, I would have cleaned up a bit. Oh, chotto matte, scratch that. I wouldn't clean up for you." The remark was bitter, and meant to hurt.
Heero ignored the obvious scathing remark. "When should I brief you on the mission?"
Duo threw his hands up in the air again, and let them fall to his thighs with a slap. "Ninmu, ninmu, ninmu! That's all that's ever been on your mind, isn't it Yuy?" he asked in a singsong voice.
Heero just looked at him.
Duo shrugged. "This must be some mission for *you* to come all the way here. Tell you what, I'll humor you, listen to what Q-man wanted you to say. just not right now. It's way too early to get back to work."
Acknowledging the statement with a nod, Heero spun on the heel of his boot and walked back into the living room area. He felt Duo leave his room, shutting the door behind him. Having snagged a brush, Duo followed, undoing his braid as he walked. Heero sat on one of the barstools and watched as Duo brushed the tangles out of his braid and redid it. Duo then walked into the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of soda out of the fridge, and popped it open with a bottle opener. He leaned back against the countertop, and studied Heero as he took a long chug from the bottle.
Heero just looked at him with a raised brow and Duo stared right back, until it dawned on him. "Do you want one?" he asked finally. Heero nodded once, and Duo fetched him a soda. He purposely neglected to hand Heero the bottle opener, but Heero opened it anyway, and sipped it. He wasn't a fan of carbonated sugar water, but it was liquid and he was thirsty.
Silence.
"What do you do?" Heero asked, spinning his bottle around, not meeting Duo's eyes.
"Betsuni," Duo replied icily, taking an angry gulp from his bottle.
Silence.
"Do you have a job?" Heero tried again after a few moments.
"Iya."
Heero looked up. "How do you afford this place?"
Duo snickered. "Aren't we the budding conversationalist? Relenaoujou-san sure can work miracles, can't she? It almost seems as though you're trying to talk to me."
Heero just grunted.
"Oooh. lost your gift so soon?"
Silence.
"Saaa. It's apparent that I'm no match for your conversation skills, and I've got shit to do. Sit here and talk to the wall, I'm sure it'll be much more interesting than me."
Heero cocked an eyebrow. "Shit to do?"
Duo ticked things off on his fingers, more to himself to make sure he'd remembered them all than for Heero's benefit. "I need to pick up a few parts for the 2 ways Prescott asked me to fiddle with, then I need to return the wires I'd gotten for Irving's portable, kuz they're the wrong size. After that I need to go and pick up Corey's motherboard to add more RAM. plus I'm all out of food so I need to go pick up something edible."
Having said this, he set his half empty bottle on the counter and padded back down the hall, Heero deciding against following him. He knew that he was treading a very thin line by showing up at the braided boy's door; since it was obvious Duo still harbored ill feelings towards him. This was most evident in Duo's calling him "Yuy". He'd always called him "Heero" before. A frown settled on his features as he pondered the situation. He knew the only reason that Duo was even sharing the same oxygen as him was because of Quatre. He had to make the best of the opportunity this mission had presented him with; otherwise he'd never get another chance.
The padding of feet announced Duo's presence. Heero glanced over at him, noting that Duo had washed up, and was holding a pair of socks in one hand and his own pair of 14 eye Docs in the other. Not even acknowledging his guest, Duo shuffled to the couch, and began pulling on his boots. When he was done, he stood and glanced at Heero.
"Have fun talking to the wall," he murmured, before heading out the door.
Heero slowly got to his feet, pushed his barstool in, and left the apartment, making sure to lock the door behind him. He headed out into the parking lot, to see Duo climbing onto a black motorcycle. He walked across the blacktop and hoisted himself onto the bike. Duo took off without waiting for Heero to grab onto something, so he ended up holding onto Duo's shoulders as they roared into the city.
* * *
"I have to WHAT?!" Duo shrieked.
Quatre Winner winced. Even over vid-phone, Duo's voice still carried. The somewhat hazy figure of Duo stared back at him from his couch; mouth open, eyes wide, his right hand disfigured and twitching. Had it been any other situation, Quatre would have snickered, but this wasn't the time to laugh.
A quick glance to the right showed Heero, who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his stomach, looking as stoic as ever. He hadn't even batted an eye when Quatre had briefed him on this mission, which was much better than how Duo was managing.
'If you call freaking out managing' Quatre thought with an internal sigh. Outwardly, he smiled slightly and said, "Gomen Duo-kun. Demo, we've concluded that this would be the best time to engage the target, since he will be relaxed and not expecting."
"A GAY CRUISE?!" Duo wailed, interrupting Quatre. He was off the couch and advancing towards the vid-screen, eye twitching.
Quatre sighed. "As I said before Duo-kun, I am unable to participate in this mission because I would be recognized."
"And Trowa is incapable because?!" Duo demanded.
Quatre coughed softly, a pinkish hue staining his nose. "He has other duties." He quickly continued, "And Wufei is away on a mission himself, therefore you are the only person available."
"I'll just bet that Trowa has other duties. You're just too protective to let him do this one. Well, I'm NOT available for this! There is no way in fucking hell that I will go on a *gay* cruise with Yuy. I don't care if this will destroy the world, or some other kind of disaster, there is no way!"
Quatre wisely ignored the scathing remark about Trowa, mostly because it was the truth. He'd vetoed Trowa's participation in this mission immediately, and he knew that had it been reversed, Trowa would have done the same with him.
Heero's remark of "You're acting childish" to Duo jerked Quatre back to the matter at hand.
Duo turned to Heero, rage flashing in his eyes. "Who gives a damn if I'm acting 'childish'? I have spent enough time in your presence today to last me a lifetime! I prayed that I would never have to look at you ever again, and then you waltz into my house and tell me I have to pretend to be your lover?"
Quatre interrupted before things got ugly and they had a repeat of the last Maxwell/Yuy brawl. "It will only be for a maximum of a week, Duo-kun, and this is a large ship. You don't have to spend all your time with Heero- kun."
"I am NOT doing this Quatre, and that's final," Duo growled, before stalking from the room, slamming his bedroom door shut behind him.
Heero made a move to follow the braided teen, but Quatre's voice stopped him. "Matte yo Heero-kun. He's had a tough day, let him go"
Heero shook his head. "Irrelevant. I don't care if he's just returned from brain surgery; we need him for this mission."
Quatre was slightly taken aback by the slight tinge of humor, wondering if Heero himself had noticed it. He ignored the humor and said "I don't argue with you on that point, but we need to approach this problem from a different angle, since it's obvious that simply asking him isn't working. Even tapping into his sense of righteousness didn't yield results. We need a new plan of action..." he trailed off.
Heero sighed. He needed a way to get Duo onto that ship. He had never turned a mission down, and he was not going to start now just because Duo was in a funk. Besides, he needed this mission's chance.
"I know what you're thinking Heero-kun" Quatre said after a minute, "But you've got to understand. Duo-kun is very stubborn as far as emotions are concerned. It's to be expected that he would act this way."
"This is a mission. Personal feelings do not factor into mission acceptance. You just do them."
Quatre shook his head. "That attitude may work with you Heero-kun, but Duo- kun isn't you. If you'd but remember, that's exactly the same attitude that caused this rift between you in the first place."
Heero scowled. "I am well aware of that."
"Then I'm sure you're aware that Duo-kun's feelings won't change any easier than your feelings about missions will. You two will need to come to some sort of truce, and soon. You only have 2 days, Heero-kun. Ja ne."
Quatre disappeared from the vid-screen, leaving Heero standing in the middle of Duo Maxwell's house, unsure of what to do next.
* * *
Duo had paced back and forth in his room for about 20 minutes, mulling the whole thing over. He knew that he was being childish, but he felt he was well within his limits to act as thus. He'd sworn back then to never give him another chance, and he was going to hang onto his vow. Duo Maxwell never lied, and if he said he was going to damn "Heero Yuy" to hell, then by God he'd do it.
'I just don't understand why Trowa and Q-man can't do this mission. Okay, so Quatre is known by everybody, from the smallest street rat to the richest businessman. That's fine, but nobody knows who Trowa is. Hell, TROWA doesn't know who Trowa is. This is probably just a Quatre plan to get Yuy and myself talking again. Well, nice try Q-man, but I am not cracking. You'll just have to find somebody else to fulfill this mission's requirement of two people. I guess you'll just have to call Wufei back or something.' Duo thought with a small grin of satisfaction at having come to a consensus about this "mission."
So with that, Duo shed his jeans and crawled into bed. He briefly thought about going back out into the living room and demanding that Yuy get his bastard ass out of his house, but decided against it. Even at his most pissed off, he wouldn't be able to MAKE Yuy leave, so that wasn't a good idea. Besides, he'd rather not look at that boy's face ever again; though he would LOVE to see the expression on Wufei's face when this mission was presented to him, if it was a real mission at all. Yuy probably wouldn't waste any more time here anyway, and was probably hauling Wufei back to Preventer's HQ right now.
However, his plan to go to sleep and write the whole thing off didn't work as planned. He kept tossing and turning, since his mind refused to shut off. Normally he could fall asleep anywhere, something that Yuy had been quite fond of pointing out back when they'd still been talking.
"You would sleep through a battle if it wouldn't get you killed," he'd said one time when he'd been in a light mood, which wasn't very often.
Scowling, Duo rolled over again. The war had been over for almost three years. There weren't supposed to BE any more missions. Why was this one so special? He wouldn't get an answer to his question, since he freaked out so early in Quatre's briefing, and asking Quatre details about a mission he refused to participate in was certainly out of the question.
A quick glance to his watch showed it to be 2:32 in the morning.
'Good one, Duo-chan. Stay up all night agonizing about it, why don't you?'
With a groan he sat up and stood, wincing as his muscles cracked. Running a hand through his bangs, he shuffled to the other door in his room and walked out onto the small deck that he'd paid extra to have. Still wearing his T-shirt and boxers, he sighed as he leaned against the railing. Yesterday had been the day from hell, but hopefully this next one would be better.
The opening of the other door to the balcony a few minutes later surprised him so much he jumped. Turning around quickly he saw Heero standing in the doorway, which lead to the other bedroom that was only used by his buddies when they were too drunk to get back home safely. Heero had taken off his over shirt and boots, and had a look on his face that Duo couldn't read.
"You're still here?" Duo demanded.
"I wasn't asked to leave," Heero replied.
"Of course you wouldn't leave without a written order. How about a verbal one? Leave."
"You couldn't sleep?" Heero made it a question.
"Why do you care? Shouldn't you be off dragging Wufei to Preventers or something?"
Heero shook his head. "Wufei is away on Earth. He wouldn't be able to make it back in time to participate in this mission. He wouldn't participate anyway."
"I wonder why." Duo muttered.
"I won't ever see you again."
Duo froze. "Nani?" he asked.
"If you agree to do this mission, when it's over I will never see you again."
This was certainly unexpected. Duo's mouth fell open from shock.
"I don't go back on my word," Heero said stiffly. He didn't really want to have to resort to this action. In all honesty he missed Duo's playful chatter, and the friendship the braided boy had worked so hard to achieve. He'd actually planned to apologize to Duo on this mission, to ask if there was any way to salvage the broken ties that had been the only thing keeping him alive during the war. Hopefully, Duo would forgive him and not make him stick to his word and never see him again.
Duo, however, was quickly weighing this new development in his head. If he could survive a few days with Yuy, (less if they found the target early on and eliminated him) then he would NEVER see him again. Plus he'd be able to go on a cruise, something he'd always wanted to do. This had some merit to it. It was a small sacrifice for a Yuy free life.
"Fine, Yuy. You've got yourself a deal."
Duo: ::outraged:: YOU'RE GOING TO END IT THERE?!
Yama: Slacker.
Kat: Why shouldn't I end it there?
Duo: But there was no action! None at all! I mean, even your hints were hints!
Yama: You expected Heero to rip your cloths off in the first chapter?
Duo: ::mutters:: I was hoping.
Kat: I finally get around to writing this damn fic, and then you bitch at me FOR writing it! Make up your mind.
Jou: It's a *sort* of cliffhanga endin'.
Kat: Exactly. You want people to come back and read your fic.
Duo: Why the hell did you give me so many tattoos? What am I, a damn pincushion?
Kat: can just see you going out randomly and getting them. 'Sides, it's my fic and I can write you however I want to, and I like you with tattoos. They match your character.
Duo: ::rolls his eyes:: You need mental help. So, anyway, when do I stop hating Heero-kun?
Heero: You hate me?
Kat, Duo, Yama & Jou: GAHHHH!
Heero: Nani?
Jou: You'se just scared us, dat's all.
Duo: 0_o H.Heero! Of course I don't hate you! This sadist is just writing a fic where I hate you.
Heero: Hn.
Kat: Why are you here, Heero-kun? Onee-sama let you out?
Jou: Dat's Heero, eh? And let out of where?
Yama: The one and only. See, Heero is the muse of Kat's Onee-san, and she doesn't let them out much.
Heero: ::nods to Duo:: Yo, Duo. ::turns to Kat:: And yes, she told me to keep an eye on you. If you can force her to finish a fic, then she can make you finish yours too.
Kat: o_0 Kowai yo. ::looks around, frightened, and then starts building a golden pyramid to bury herself in ala Lina from The Slayers::
Jou: ::scoffs:: Coward. She's just your Onee-san. Daijoubu.
Duo: You've not met Lilith, have you?
Jou: ::scratches the back of his head:: Well. no. demo.
Yama: My nii-chan is also one of her muses. How is Takeru-kun holding up, Heero?
Heero: He's fine.
Yama: ::shakes his head:: Well anyway, ff what you say is true about Lilith-san, then we're all doomed. These two couldn't finish a fic if their lives depended on it.
Kat: ::from inside the pyramid:: Onee-sama wa kooooowaiiii desu!!
Duo: ::shakes his head sadly:: Let's just end this travesty ourselves, since she is obviously occupied.
Jou: Hai! Chotto matte minna-san! Chapter II should be out. ::eyes the pyramid:: eventually.
Kat: Welcome to my pathetic attempt at a 1x2 Gundam Wing fanfiction.
Duo: I've been after you for HOW long with this idea?
Kat: ::sweatdrop:: It's been quite a while, hasn't it?
Yama: The only reason *he's* been on you about it is because it involves him.
Duo: Yeah, so? I've been waiting 2 years for this fic. I deserve it!
Yama: So do I, Shinigami no baka! What about that songfic to "The Motivation Proclamation" she owes me?
Duo: You haven't been here as long as me, wait your turn Ishida.
Kat: Speaking of not being here. where's Jou-kun? I'm short a muse here, and I *really* don't want to drag Yohji-kun away from primping. Chaaa. Jou- kun's not playing Duel Monsters again is he?
Yama: Of course he is. That or hunting down some food.
Jou: ::skids around the corner, panting:: Gomen! Got caught up ina duel! What'd I miss?
Yama: ::snorts:: A lot. Your obliviousness amazes me, which is saying something considering my Tai-chan. What you missed was us yelling at her for not finishing any fics.
Jou: I 'eard she does dat a lot.
Duo: ::nods:: Believe me: you've no idea.
Kat: Urusai minna!! You all know quite well that I'm lazy and don't want to write!
Yama: NANI?! How many unfinished fics do you have lying around?! You write all the time, you just don't ever FINISH anything! Even with US yelling at you!
Kat: But writing involves effort. I don't want to DO anything.
Duo: Then why do you do it?
Kat: I dunno.
Jou: Ano. Ain't dis supposed ta be a disclaimer?
Kat: ::clears her throat:: Anyway, yes, this is a FANFICTION. Hence, written by a fan. I do NOT own Gundam Wing. There isn't enough blatant yaoi in it for me to have written it. I'm just borrowing the characters, but I promise I'll return them (though asking to have them returned in 1 piece is pushing it). If you want to sue me, all you'll get is pocket lint and a bottle of black nail polish. Also, I need to inform everyone that although the first 4 pages is my own creation, the "cruse/mission" idea is actually borrowed off of a Weiß Kreuz fic called "Something New" by Deena, who I love and adore and worship. This fic is no longer up on ff.net, but I'm fairly certain it is still in existence. If you find her, BEG her to continue this fic. So, alas, I'm just BORROWING the "cruse/mission" idea, since I needed a (and I quote my insane ramblings) "circumstance with no escape". Everything else about this fic is my own demonic creation.
Duo: Do I have to be such a bastard in this fic?
Kat: Remember Duo-kun, you hate Heero-kun in this fic. That's why you're so mean to him.
Duo: ::grumbles:: Like I could ever hate Heero.
Yama: You've got a history of hate-makeup fics, you sadist.
Kat: URUSAI!! We need to stop talking and get to the fic!!
Jou: ^___^ Enjoy minna-san!
Kat: Now, back to my filthy evil I guess... (A treat to the person who can identify this quote)
NOTES: "____" -speaking
'____' -thinking to oneself
* * * -scene change
(A/N: ) - author's notes
ADDITIONAL AUTHOR NOTES: I am basing the speaking patterns off of the American dub version. Though I own the first quarter of Gundam Wing on bilingual DVD, I am more familiar with the dub, I'm sad to say. So, bear with me in that aspect. Heero may also be OOC, I'm not sure. I'm trying to write him as a person who's been around society for almost 3 years, learning to adapt at acting human. Also, excuse the overabundance of Doc Martens. They're my favorite boots, and I think everyone should wear them! Lastly, I'm a Tshirt and jeans person and have no fashion sense what-so- ever, so making outfits for everyone is really hard; so excuse the unoriginal and repetitive clothing ideas. Alright, now enjoy the fic.
~*~*Am I Lying to Myself*~*~
Heero Yuy stood outside of apartment 24B. He'd been standing there for about 15 minutes, banging on the door, knowing damn well that the occupant was there, he just wasn't awake yet.
It was a chilly Saturday morning, AC 199, and one could see the effect that the 2 and a half-year cease-fire had had on the once stoic ex-Gundam pilot. He still kept his dark brown hair cut short, but his face was a bit softer than it had been. He wore his trademark green tank top tucked into blue jeans, an open white button up shirt, and 10 eye black Doc Martens.
A slight frown tugged on his mouth as he began a fresh assault on the door. He'd stand here until the door opened; just whether it was by him breaking it down or the occupant opening it had yet to be seen.
Finally a muffled "Coming" percolated through the door, and Heero let his hand drop down to his side, clenching it into a fist as he took a step back. He wondered what kind of reception he would receive, and prepared himself for the worst.
The locks on the door were turned, and the door opened.
Only to be slammed right in Heero's face.
Heero allowed himself an exasperated sigh. 'Of course he'd be childish about it,' he thought.
"What the fuck do you want?" the occupant yelled through the door, the tone low and dangerous.
"Quatre sent me," Heero replied evenly. He knew that the door would open now, and he was right. The door slowly swung open.
An enraged Duo Maxwell glared at him from the safety of the door. His long brown braid was sleep mussed, bangs sticking up in odd directions. He was still tanned and muscular; a black rose tattoo standing out on his upper right shoulder, a tattoo of barbed wire circled his upper left bicep, and a silver hoop glittered from his left earlobe. The same black wristwatch circled his left wrist. He wore a pair of baggy blue jeans that had slipped down his hips, showing off black boxer shorts. The ex-Gundam pilot was barefoot, and had a death grip on the door.
"Why did he send you?" Duo growled.
"A mission, Duo," Heero replied.
Duo threw his hands up in the air in exasperation. "Aa! Wakatta ne! A mission, is it Yuy? Lovely! JUST FUCKING DANDY Yuy! Tell Quatre gomennasai, but I."
Heero cut him off. "You have to take this mission Duo. Quatre can't."
"I don't HAVE to do anything, Yuy, not a DAMN thing. Get the hell out of here." Duo was pissed, his eyes holding rage like they normally held laughter.
"Did you not hear me? Quatre is unable to participate in this mission, thus the only available candidates are you and I," Heero said.
"Did you not hear ME? I said I won't do it," and he stepped back to slam the door again.
Heero moved quickly. He thrust his hand forward, stopping the door from closing, and then used his strength to push the door open. It caught the side of Duo's arm as it was shoved open, and Duo let out a hiss and pulled his arm to his chest, stumbling back a few steps from shock. This left the door unguarded, and Heero walked right into the apartment, and shut the door behind him. He leaned his right side against the door and crossed his arms, regarding Duo with a self-satisfied smirk.
"I would have expected more from you Duo. Even you should have been able to anticipate that."
"GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HOUSE! YOU'VE GOT NO FUCKING RIGHT TO BE HERE YOU HEARTLESS BASTARD!" Duo exploded, finally losing it.
He lunged at Heero, fully intending to smash that smirk into the door, but Heero sidestepped him effortlessly, and Duo's fist hit the door with a smack. Not skipping a beat, Heero grabbed Duo's arm and wrenched it behind his back. He shoved Duo against the door, and Duo's left arm came up to catch himself before his face slammed into the door as well. His left arm was quickly caught and tugged behind his back, Heero's weight pinning him fully to the door in a lock.
"Get the fuck off me." Duo's voice was calmer, but he struggled.
"I will 'get the fuck off' when you calm down," Heero said mockingly.
Duo slowly ceased his struggles, sighing as he did so.
"Are you through, Duo?" Heero asked after a bit.
"Hai." The word was clipped. Heero had hurt his pride more than hurt him physically. Despite his earlier jibes, only Heero was able to have gotten the best of him. Had he been a normal civilian, Duo would have punched him into next week.
Heero slowly stood, released Duo's arms, and stepped back a few steps. Duo turned around, rubbing his wrists absently, as he glowered at Heero, who had a few inches over Duo's 5'5", being at least 6 feet tall. (A/N: Not really likely, I know, but whatever. I like a tall Heero.)
'When the hell did he get so tall?' Duo thought angrily. Shaking his head, he narrowed his eyes at Heero, growling "I see you've let yourself in, how about showing yourself out?"
Heero let out a small sigh. He couldn't believe that Duo was still being a bullheaded idiot. "I'm not leaving until you agree to do this mission."
Duo shrugged. "Sou ka. Have it your way." He stepped away from the door, brushing past Heero as he did so. He still moved with the liquid grace that Heero associated with him, his feet making soft padding noises on the tile floor. Duo had more tattoos on his back; the katakana for "Death" poked over his boxers on the right side in thick black strokes, "Pain" mirroring on the left. There was also a black cross on his upper right bicep, which Heero hadn't noticed since it had been behind the door.
The door opened into a large room, which was divided into smaller sections by half walls. The living room was the biggest, and there was a bar with barstools that separated the kitchen from the living room. Duo wove through the living room, which had a black leather couch and recliner, a low coffee table that had quite a few take out soda cups and magazines spread over it and a rather large entertainment center.
Heero followed Duo down a small hallway. There were two doors down this hallway, and Duo entered the one on the left, leaving it open behind him. Heero peeked in, and noted the large stereo system, bed with messy sheets, dresser overflowing with black clothing with more clothing spread over the floor with more magazines, a few books, and music disks. A massive music disk holder took up one wall, and the rest were covered in anime posters and pages torn out of motorcycle magazines. There was a door on the far wall for some reason.
Heero leaned against the door jam and watched as Duo picked a tight black T- shirt off the floor and yanked it over his head roughly. Duo turned around and regarded the boy leaning against his door jam.
"Welcome to my world, Yuy," he intoned darkly.
"You haven't changed. Still leaving everything all over," Heero observed, glancing around with a look of distaste.
"I'm the only one who lives here. It can look however the hell I want it to look. Though if I had known I was going to be having visitors, I would have cleaned up a bit. Oh, chotto matte, scratch that. I wouldn't clean up for you." The remark was bitter, and meant to hurt.
Heero ignored the obvious scathing remark. "When should I brief you on the mission?"
Duo threw his hands up in the air again, and let them fall to his thighs with a slap. "Ninmu, ninmu, ninmu! That's all that's ever been on your mind, isn't it Yuy?" he asked in a singsong voice.
Heero just looked at him.
Duo shrugged. "This must be some mission for *you* to come all the way here. Tell you what, I'll humor you, listen to what Q-man wanted you to say. just not right now. It's way too early to get back to work."
Acknowledging the statement with a nod, Heero spun on the heel of his boot and walked back into the living room area. He felt Duo leave his room, shutting the door behind him. Having snagged a brush, Duo followed, undoing his braid as he walked. Heero sat on one of the barstools and watched as Duo brushed the tangles out of his braid and redid it. Duo then walked into the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of soda out of the fridge, and popped it open with a bottle opener. He leaned back against the countertop, and studied Heero as he took a long chug from the bottle.
Heero just looked at him with a raised brow and Duo stared right back, until it dawned on him. "Do you want one?" he asked finally. Heero nodded once, and Duo fetched him a soda. He purposely neglected to hand Heero the bottle opener, but Heero opened it anyway, and sipped it. He wasn't a fan of carbonated sugar water, but it was liquid and he was thirsty.
Silence.
"What do you do?" Heero asked, spinning his bottle around, not meeting Duo's eyes.
"Betsuni," Duo replied icily, taking an angry gulp from his bottle.
Silence.
"Do you have a job?" Heero tried again after a few moments.
"Iya."
Heero looked up. "How do you afford this place?"
Duo snickered. "Aren't we the budding conversationalist? Relenaoujou-san sure can work miracles, can't she? It almost seems as though you're trying to talk to me."
Heero just grunted.
"Oooh. lost your gift so soon?"
Silence.
"Saaa. It's apparent that I'm no match for your conversation skills, and I've got shit to do. Sit here and talk to the wall, I'm sure it'll be much more interesting than me."
Heero cocked an eyebrow. "Shit to do?"
Duo ticked things off on his fingers, more to himself to make sure he'd remembered them all than for Heero's benefit. "I need to pick up a few parts for the 2 ways Prescott asked me to fiddle with, then I need to return the wires I'd gotten for Irving's portable, kuz they're the wrong size. After that I need to go and pick up Corey's motherboard to add more RAM. plus I'm all out of food so I need to go pick up something edible."
Having said this, he set his half empty bottle on the counter and padded back down the hall, Heero deciding against following him. He knew that he was treading a very thin line by showing up at the braided boy's door; since it was obvious Duo still harbored ill feelings towards him. This was most evident in Duo's calling him "Yuy". He'd always called him "Heero" before. A frown settled on his features as he pondered the situation. He knew the only reason that Duo was even sharing the same oxygen as him was because of Quatre. He had to make the best of the opportunity this mission had presented him with; otherwise he'd never get another chance.
The padding of feet announced Duo's presence. Heero glanced over at him, noting that Duo had washed up, and was holding a pair of socks in one hand and his own pair of 14 eye Docs in the other. Not even acknowledging his guest, Duo shuffled to the couch, and began pulling on his boots. When he was done, he stood and glanced at Heero.
"Have fun talking to the wall," he murmured, before heading out the door.
Heero slowly got to his feet, pushed his barstool in, and left the apartment, making sure to lock the door behind him. He headed out into the parking lot, to see Duo climbing onto a black motorcycle. He walked across the blacktop and hoisted himself onto the bike. Duo took off without waiting for Heero to grab onto something, so he ended up holding onto Duo's shoulders as they roared into the city.
* * *
"I have to WHAT?!" Duo shrieked.
Quatre Winner winced. Even over vid-phone, Duo's voice still carried. The somewhat hazy figure of Duo stared back at him from his couch; mouth open, eyes wide, his right hand disfigured and twitching. Had it been any other situation, Quatre would have snickered, but this wasn't the time to laugh.
A quick glance to the right showed Heero, who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his stomach, looking as stoic as ever. He hadn't even batted an eye when Quatre had briefed him on this mission, which was much better than how Duo was managing.
'If you call freaking out managing' Quatre thought with an internal sigh. Outwardly, he smiled slightly and said, "Gomen Duo-kun. Demo, we've concluded that this would be the best time to engage the target, since he will be relaxed and not expecting."
"A GAY CRUISE?!" Duo wailed, interrupting Quatre. He was off the couch and advancing towards the vid-screen, eye twitching.
Quatre sighed. "As I said before Duo-kun, I am unable to participate in this mission because I would be recognized."
"And Trowa is incapable because?!" Duo demanded.
Quatre coughed softly, a pinkish hue staining his nose. "He has other duties." He quickly continued, "And Wufei is away on a mission himself, therefore you are the only person available."
"I'll just bet that Trowa has other duties. You're just too protective to let him do this one. Well, I'm NOT available for this! There is no way in fucking hell that I will go on a *gay* cruise with Yuy. I don't care if this will destroy the world, or some other kind of disaster, there is no way!"
Quatre wisely ignored the scathing remark about Trowa, mostly because it was the truth. He'd vetoed Trowa's participation in this mission immediately, and he knew that had it been reversed, Trowa would have done the same with him.
Heero's remark of "You're acting childish" to Duo jerked Quatre back to the matter at hand.
Duo turned to Heero, rage flashing in his eyes. "Who gives a damn if I'm acting 'childish'? I have spent enough time in your presence today to last me a lifetime! I prayed that I would never have to look at you ever again, and then you waltz into my house and tell me I have to pretend to be your lover?"
Quatre interrupted before things got ugly and they had a repeat of the last Maxwell/Yuy brawl. "It will only be for a maximum of a week, Duo-kun, and this is a large ship. You don't have to spend all your time with Heero- kun."
"I am NOT doing this Quatre, and that's final," Duo growled, before stalking from the room, slamming his bedroom door shut behind him.
Heero made a move to follow the braided teen, but Quatre's voice stopped him. "Matte yo Heero-kun. He's had a tough day, let him go"
Heero shook his head. "Irrelevant. I don't care if he's just returned from brain surgery; we need him for this mission."
Quatre was slightly taken aback by the slight tinge of humor, wondering if Heero himself had noticed it. He ignored the humor and said "I don't argue with you on that point, but we need to approach this problem from a different angle, since it's obvious that simply asking him isn't working. Even tapping into his sense of righteousness didn't yield results. We need a new plan of action..." he trailed off.
Heero sighed. He needed a way to get Duo onto that ship. He had never turned a mission down, and he was not going to start now just because Duo was in a funk. Besides, he needed this mission's chance.
"I know what you're thinking Heero-kun" Quatre said after a minute, "But you've got to understand. Duo-kun is very stubborn as far as emotions are concerned. It's to be expected that he would act this way."
"This is a mission. Personal feelings do not factor into mission acceptance. You just do them."
Quatre shook his head. "That attitude may work with you Heero-kun, but Duo- kun isn't you. If you'd but remember, that's exactly the same attitude that caused this rift between you in the first place."
Heero scowled. "I am well aware of that."
"Then I'm sure you're aware that Duo-kun's feelings won't change any easier than your feelings about missions will. You two will need to come to some sort of truce, and soon. You only have 2 days, Heero-kun. Ja ne."
Quatre disappeared from the vid-screen, leaving Heero standing in the middle of Duo Maxwell's house, unsure of what to do next.
* * *
Duo had paced back and forth in his room for about 20 minutes, mulling the whole thing over. He knew that he was being childish, but he felt he was well within his limits to act as thus. He'd sworn back then to never give him another chance, and he was going to hang onto his vow. Duo Maxwell never lied, and if he said he was going to damn "Heero Yuy" to hell, then by God he'd do it.
'I just don't understand why Trowa and Q-man can't do this mission. Okay, so Quatre is known by everybody, from the smallest street rat to the richest businessman. That's fine, but nobody knows who Trowa is. Hell, TROWA doesn't know who Trowa is. This is probably just a Quatre plan to get Yuy and myself talking again. Well, nice try Q-man, but I am not cracking. You'll just have to find somebody else to fulfill this mission's requirement of two people. I guess you'll just have to call Wufei back or something.' Duo thought with a small grin of satisfaction at having come to a consensus about this "mission."
So with that, Duo shed his jeans and crawled into bed. He briefly thought about going back out into the living room and demanding that Yuy get his bastard ass out of his house, but decided against it. Even at his most pissed off, he wouldn't be able to MAKE Yuy leave, so that wasn't a good idea. Besides, he'd rather not look at that boy's face ever again; though he would LOVE to see the expression on Wufei's face when this mission was presented to him, if it was a real mission at all. Yuy probably wouldn't waste any more time here anyway, and was probably hauling Wufei back to Preventer's HQ right now.
However, his plan to go to sleep and write the whole thing off didn't work as planned. He kept tossing and turning, since his mind refused to shut off. Normally he could fall asleep anywhere, something that Yuy had been quite fond of pointing out back when they'd still been talking.
"You would sleep through a battle if it wouldn't get you killed," he'd said one time when he'd been in a light mood, which wasn't very often.
Scowling, Duo rolled over again. The war had been over for almost three years. There weren't supposed to BE any more missions. Why was this one so special? He wouldn't get an answer to his question, since he freaked out so early in Quatre's briefing, and asking Quatre details about a mission he refused to participate in was certainly out of the question.
A quick glance to his watch showed it to be 2:32 in the morning.
'Good one, Duo-chan. Stay up all night agonizing about it, why don't you?'
With a groan he sat up and stood, wincing as his muscles cracked. Running a hand through his bangs, he shuffled to the other door in his room and walked out onto the small deck that he'd paid extra to have. Still wearing his T-shirt and boxers, he sighed as he leaned against the railing. Yesterday had been the day from hell, but hopefully this next one would be better.
The opening of the other door to the balcony a few minutes later surprised him so much he jumped. Turning around quickly he saw Heero standing in the doorway, which lead to the other bedroom that was only used by his buddies when they were too drunk to get back home safely. Heero had taken off his over shirt and boots, and had a look on his face that Duo couldn't read.
"You're still here?" Duo demanded.
"I wasn't asked to leave," Heero replied.
"Of course you wouldn't leave without a written order. How about a verbal one? Leave."
"You couldn't sleep?" Heero made it a question.
"Why do you care? Shouldn't you be off dragging Wufei to Preventers or something?"
Heero shook his head. "Wufei is away on Earth. He wouldn't be able to make it back in time to participate in this mission. He wouldn't participate anyway."
"I wonder why." Duo muttered.
"I won't ever see you again."
Duo froze. "Nani?" he asked.
"If you agree to do this mission, when it's over I will never see you again."
This was certainly unexpected. Duo's mouth fell open from shock.
"I don't go back on my word," Heero said stiffly. He didn't really want to have to resort to this action. In all honesty he missed Duo's playful chatter, and the friendship the braided boy had worked so hard to achieve. He'd actually planned to apologize to Duo on this mission, to ask if there was any way to salvage the broken ties that had been the only thing keeping him alive during the war. Hopefully, Duo would forgive him and not make him stick to his word and never see him again.
Duo, however, was quickly weighing this new development in his head. If he could survive a few days with Yuy, (less if they found the target early on and eliminated him) then he would NEVER see him again. Plus he'd be able to go on a cruise, something he'd always wanted to do. This had some merit to it. It was a small sacrifice for a Yuy free life.
"Fine, Yuy. You've got yourself a deal."
Duo: ::outraged:: YOU'RE GOING TO END IT THERE?!
Yama: Slacker.
Kat: Why shouldn't I end it there?
Duo: But there was no action! None at all! I mean, even your hints were hints!
Yama: You expected Heero to rip your cloths off in the first chapter?
Duo: ::mutters:: I was hoping.
Kat: I finally get around to writing this damn fic, and then you bitch at me FOR writing it! Make up your mind.
Jou: It's a *sort* of cliffhanga endin'.
Kat: Exactly. You want people to come back and read your fic.
Duo: Why the hell did you give me so many tattoos? What am I, a damn pincushion?
Kat: can just see you going out randomly and getting them. 'Sides, it's my fic and I can write you however I want to, and I like you with tattoos. They match your character.
Duo: ::rolls his eyes:: You need mental help. So, anyway, when do I stop hating Heero-kun?
Heero: You hate me?
Kat, Duo, Yama & Jou: GAHHHH!
Heero: Nani?
Jou: You'se just scared us, dat's all.
Duo: 0_o H.Heero! Of course I don't hate you! This sadist is just writing a fic where I hate you.
Heero: Hn.
Kat: Why are you here, Heero-kun? Onee-sama let you out?
Jou: Dat's Heero, eh? And let out of where?
Yama: The one and only. See, Heero is the muse of Kat's Onee-san, and she doesn't let them out much.
Heero: ::nods to Duo:: Yo, Duo. ::turns to Kat:: And yes, she told me to keep an eye on you. If you can force her to finish a fic, then she can make you finish yours too.
Kat: o_0 Kowai yo. ::looks around, frightened, and then starts building a golden pyramid to bury herself in ala Lina from The Slayers::
Jou: ::scoffs:: Coward. She's just your Onee-san. Daijoubu.
Duo: You've not met Lilith, have you?
Jou: ::scratches the back of his head:: Well. no. demo.
Yama: My nii-chan is also one of her muses. How is Takeru-kun holding up, Heero?
Heero: He's fine.
Yama: ::shakes his head:: Well anyway, ff what you say is true about Lilith-san, then we're all doomed. These two couldn't finish a fic if their lives depended on it.
Kat: ::from inside the pyramid:: Onee-sama wa kooooowaiiii desu!!
Duo: ::shakes his head sadly:: Let's just end this travesty ourselves, since she is obviously occupied.
Jou: Hai! Chotto matte minna-san! Chapter II should be out. ::eyes the pyramid:: eventually.