Title: To thine own self be true.
Author: Dubird
Pairings: None
Rating: Right now, G, but that will probally change with future chapters.
Standard Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing. This is just one of the many fan spawned writings of another crazy person. I also go to college and have lots of loans to pay off, so if you're looking for money, you've come to the wrong place! Oh, and 'Hamlet' was written by Shakespeare. That's where the title is from.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author's Note: Yes, the title is from 'Hamlet'. There's a reason. And before you read further, this is not a pairing fic! I simply wanted Duo to have some good conversations with one of the pilots he probally connected to the least. This is a bit of a character study, so bear with me please!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When Wufei woke up the next morning, it took him a moment to register where he was. He had spent the evening writing up a report on what happened, then turned in early, rather tired from the stress of the day. He had slept better than he usually did in unfamiliar surroundings, so it took him a moment to realize what was different. He pulled himself out of bed, completely amazed that he was in full gravity. He knew Duo had intended to fix the gravity last night, but he had only expect the normal half-g that was standard on space vehicles.
He quickly got dressed and headed down the corridor to Duo's quarters. He stopped outside the door, hearing a very faint thumping sound. He frowned in confusion as he laid his hand on the wall plate. The door opened, and he was greeted with rather loud rock music. It took a moment for him to understand some of the lyrics being whispered into the microphone. 'I'm not afraid of tomorrow, I only scared of myself, feels like my insides are on fire and I'm looking through the eyes of someone else...' He wondered briefly if there was any significance to the lyrics, or if the other pilot simply liked the music.
He crossed the threshold, expecting a rather cluttered room. "Maxwell?" He raised his voice above the music, looking around the room. The small sleeping space was packed with various odds and ends, thought it was surprisingly organized. Everything was stored neatly away in clear cabinets, except for a small stack of books and notebooks on the corner of the desk. Various posters covered the walls, most of them old and faded relics of times and movies past. A glint of silver under the desk light caught his eye, and he moved closer to the desk. The little silver cross Duo always wore dangled from the light switch, and underneath it on the desk was an old and tattered Bible that looked as if it had survived several wars.
The other pilot came out of the bathroom then in dark jeans and white shirt, tying off the end of his braid. "Oh! Morning, 'Fei!" he said, thumbing down the music. "Sorry, didn't realize it was so loud. I'm not used to having other people on board." He shrugged into a black flannel shirt and sat on the edge of the bed to put on his boots. "And sorry 'bout the mess," he commented nervously, noting Wufei's interest in the room. "Was going through some stuff last night and haven't gotten around to putting it back up." He nodded at the stack of books on the desk and Wufei picked up the top one. His eyes widened in surprise as he read the title. "Hamlet?" he asked, setting the book back down on the desk.
"Yeah, I picked it up at a market a few months ago. I'd read it before, but that's a rare edition, so I just had to get it. Got it for a good bargain, too. I don't think the guy knew what he had." Duo grinned at him as they left his quarters. "You seem a bit surprised."
"I'll admit I never saw you as a Shakespeare reader."
"I dunno," he shrugged. "I've read several of his plays. He's very poetic, even if you are sometimes left wondering what he's saying. 'Taming of the Shrew' cracked me up, but 'Hamlet' is probally my favorite play."
"Oh?" Wufei glanced at him as they detoured into the galley to satisfy the other pilot's never-ending hunger. Duo seemed a bit pre-occupied as he rummaged through the MREs.
"Well, it is the first one I read. And besides, it's a really interesting character study." He pulled out two granola bars, tossing one to Wufei. "I mean, here's a guy who's uncle killed his dad and married his mom, which itself is probably enough to make anyone goofy. But in his scheme to force his uncle to confess to the murder, he ends up accidentally killing the father of the girl he loves, driving her nuts, and eventually she ends commiting sucicide. His uncle also wants to kill him, and I'm not sure his mother would be to upset if he dies, considering the fuss he's causing. In the end, he's left with nothing but his revenge, which kinda backfires because he dies too." Duo tossed his empty granola wrapper in the trash and hitched himself up on the counter. "I really feel sorry for Horatio, though. Not only does he have to watch all this happening to his best friend, who while playing the part of someone mad with grief has really started to go nuts, he also watches him die. And he wants to die too, but Hamlet wouldn't let him. He basically told him to stay alive and keep his story alive, which means he has to relive the worst memories of his life over and over again, all for love of his friend." He paused and cocked his head to the side with a grin at Wufei's look of surprise. "You're just surprised I know how to read, ain't ya?"
Wufei shook his head with chagrin. "No, it's not that. I'd just simply never thought of the story in that light before. When I read it, I didn't get very much out of it."
"Well, you probably had tutors and teachers telling you what they thought all of it meant, right?" Wufei nodded. "That's probably why," Duo continued. "While I admit it would've been nice to have someone help me through it the first time simply because the language is so confusing, having to figure it out myself meant I could form an unbiased opinion. There's times I wish I could've just gone to a normal school, but I think on the whole, I've learned a lot more on my own, mostly because I can learn what I want or what I need, instead of a lot of things I don't care about." He shrugged and hopped down from the counter. "Hang on, I just thought of something I forgot. Be right back!" He ambled out the door, whistling aimlessly.
Wufei watched him go while he started readjusting his thinking. He had a feeling he had seriously misjudged the other pilot, a rather uncomfortable thought. Duo's cheerful talk had always seemed somewhat random, a way to fill empty spots in a conversation. After spending some time with him, he had simply thought of the American as a cheerful, somewhat surface person. True, the other pilot could be serious if the situations demanded it, but he had believed it was simply a response to a situation rather than an integral part of Duo's personality. Now, with a few insightful comments, Duo had neatly fractured Wufei's conception of him, with even knowing or trying.
He looked up from his thoughts as Duo came back in, carrying a book. "Here, thought you might like to take a second look," he commented as he carefully handed Wufei his copy of 'Hamlet'. "This time, forget what anyone's told you, including me. You might actually like it." Wufei raised an eyebrow at that and got a wide grin in return. "Anyhoo, I go some work to do on the computer, so if ya need me, I'll be in the con room." He waved as he sauntered out, the light catching on the silver cross around his neck; the same cross that had been hanging on the desk lamp.
Wufei opened the well worn volume after a moment and started reading. He had to admit, he had nothing better to do, and he was curious just what else he might have missed in the story.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author: Dubird
Pairings: None
Rating: Right now, G, but that will probally change with future chapters.
Standard Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing. This is just one of the many fan spawned writings of another crazy person. I also go to college and have lots of loans to pay off, so if you're looking for money, you've come to the wrong place! Oh, and 'Hamlet' was written by Shakespeare. That's where the title is from.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author's Note: Yes, the title is from 'Hamlet'. There's a reason. And before you read further, this is not a pairing fic! I simply wanted Duo to have some good conversations with one of the pilots he probally connected to the least. This is a bit of a character study, so bear with me please!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When Wufei woke up the next morning, it took him a moment to register where he was. He had spent the evening writing up a report on what happened, then turned in early, rather tired from the stress of the day. He had slept better than he usually did in unfamiliar surroundings, so it took him a moment to realize what was different. He pulled himself out of bed, completely amazed that he was in full gravity. He knew Duo had intended to fix the gravity last night, but he had only expect the normal half-g that was standard on space vehicles.
He quickly got dressed and headed down the corridor to Duo's quarters. He stopped outside the door, hearing a very faint thumping sound. He frowned in confusion as he laid his hand on the wall plate. The door opened, and he was greeted with rather loud rock music. It took a moment for him to understand some of the lyrics being whispered into the microphone. 'I'm not afraid of tomorrow, I only scared of myself, feels like my insides are on fire and I'm looking through the eyes of someone else...' He wondered briefly if there was any significance to the lyrics, or if the other pilot simply liked the music.
He crossed the threshold, expecting a rather cluttered room. "Maxwell?" He raised his voice above the music, looking around the room. The small sleeping space was packed with various odds and ends, thought it was surprisingly organized. Everything was stored neatly away in clear cabinets, except for a small stack of books and notebooks on the corner of the desk. Various posters covered the walls, most of them old and faded relics of times and movies past. A glint of silver under the desk light caught his eye, and he moved closer to the desk. The little silver cross Duo always wore dangled from the light switch, and underneath it on the desk was an old and tattered Bible that looked as if it had survived several wars.
The other pilot came out of the bathroom then in dark jeans and white shirt, tying off the end of his braid. "Oh! Morning, 'Fei!" he said, thumbing down the music. "Sorry, didn't realize it was so loud. I'm not used to having other people on board." He shrugged into a black flannel shirt and sat on the edge of the bed to put on his boots. "And sorry 'bout the mess," he commented nervously, noting Wufei's interest in the room. "Was going through some stuff last night and haven't gotten around to putting it back up." He nodded at the stack of books on the desk and Wufei picked up the top one. His eyes widened in surprise as he read the title. "Hamlet?" he asked, setting the book back down on the desk.
"Yeah, I picked it up at a market a few months ago. I'd read it before, but that's a rare edition, so I just had to get it. Got it for a good bargain, too. I don't think the guy knew what he had." Duo grinned at him as they left his quarters. "You seem a bit surprised."
"I'll admit I never saw you as a Shakespeare reader."
"I dunno," he shrugged. "I've read several of his plays. He's very poetic, even if you are sometimes left wondering what he's saying. 'Taming of the Shrew' cracked me up, but 'Hamlet' is probally my favorite play."
"Oh?" Wufei glanced at him as they detoured into the galley to satisfy the other pilot's never-ending hunger. Duo seemed a bit pre-occupied as he rummaged through the MREs.
"Well, it is the first one I read. And besides, it's a really interesting character study." He pulled out two granola bars, tossing one to Wufei. "I mean, here's a guy who's uncle killed his dad and married his mom, which itself is probably enough to make anyone goofy. But in his scheme to force his uncle to confess to the murder, he ends up accidentally killing the father of the girl he loves, driving her nuts, and eventually she ends commiting sucicide. His uncle also wants to kill him, and I'm not sure his mother would be to upset if he dies, considering the fuss he's causing. In the end, he's left with nothing but his revenge, which kinda backfires because he dies too." Duo tossed his empty granola wrapper in the trash and hitched himself up on the counter. "I really feel sorry for Horatio, though. Not only does he have to watch all this happening to his best friend, who while playing the part of someone mad with grief has really started to go nuts, he also watches him die. And he wants to die too, but Hamlet wouldn't let him. He basically told him to stay alive and keep his story alive, which means he has to relive the worst memories of his life over and over again, all for love of his friend." He paused and cocked his head to the side with a grin at Wufei's look of surprise. "You're just surprised I know how to read, ain't ya?"
Wufei shook his head with chagrin. "No, it's not that. I'd just simply never thought of the story in that light before. When I read it, I didn't get very much out of it."
"Well, you probably had tutors and teachers telling you what they thought all of it meant, right?" Wufei nodded. "That's probably why," Duo continued. "While I admit it would've been nice to have someone help me through it the first time simply because the language is so confusing, having to figure it out myself meant I could form an unbiased opinion. There's times I wish I could've just gone to a normal school, but I think on the whole, I've learned a lot more on my own, mostly because I can learn what I want or what I need, instead of a lot of things I don't care about." He shrugged and hopped down from the counter. "Hang on, I just thought of something I forgot. Be right back!" He ambled out the door, whistling aimlessly.
Wufei watched him go while he started readjusting his thinking. He had a feeling he had seriously misjudged the other pilot, a rather uncomfortable thought. Duo's cheerful talk had always seemed somewhat random, a way to fill empty spots in a conversation. After spending some time with him, he had simply thought of the American as a cheerful, somewhat surface person. True, the other pilot could be serious if the situations demanded it, but he had believed it was simply a response to a situation rather than an integral part of Duo's personality. Now, with a few insightful comments, Duo had neatly fractured Wufei's conception of him, with even knowing or trying.
He looked up from his thoughts as Duo came back in, carrying a book. "Here, thought you might like to take a second look," he commented as he carefully handed Wufei his copy of 'Hamlet'. "This time, forget what anyone's told you, including me. You might actually like it." Wufei raised an eyebrow at that and got a wide grin in return. "Anyhoo, I go some work to do on the computer, so if ya need me, I'll be in the con room." He waved as he sauntered out, the light catching on the silver cross around his neck; the same cross that had been hanging on the desk lamp.
Wufei opened the well worn volume after a moment and started reading. He had to admit, he had nothing better to do, and he was curious just what else he might have missed in the story.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
