Disclaimer: Heero and Duo and the general plot of Gundam Wing do not
belong to me.
Warnings: 1+2, weirdness, clichés
Author's Ramblings: This was inspired partially by Reishin's "How to Write
Good 1x2 Fanfiction". That, combined with all the shower fics I have read
during my time in the Gundam Wing fandom, started this little oddity.
Misinterpretation
By Rapunzel
The shower had stopped.
Heero rolled over in bed, noting the lack of sound from the adjoining bathroom. He had barely stirred when Duo had returned, waking just long enough to ascertain that his partner was back and not obviously harmed. Duo had nodded at him briefly before heading off for the shower, something he nearly always did after a mission, and Heero had gone back to sleep. Now, however, he was wide awake. He knew what the absence of the sound of running water meant. Any moment now...
Sure enough, the bathroom door flew open, and Duo came sauntering out, wearing nothing but a short towel around his waist. Heero rolled over quickly, but it was too late. Why, he wondered, oh why did the towels have to be so short? And why did Duo have to have such nice legs? Oh, Heero knew just how nice they were; that miniscule towel showed him almost as much as if Duo had simply walked into the room wearing nothing. And Heero looked; how could he not? His secret crush on his partner would not let him miss the sight. Every time Duo took a shower, it was always the same. Even now, when he was trying to resist, the urge to roll over and stare openly at Duo was almost overwhelming. Why, oh why did Duo torment him so?
Why _did_ Duo torment him so? Heero had asked himself that question several times during their time working together, moving from boarding school to boarding school in an attempt to stay hidden while completing their missions. Surely, it would have been simple enough for Duo to pick out his clean clothes _before_ he showered and just take them into the bathroom with him. And yet he never did. Sometimes, Heero almost thought that Duo was trying _deliberately_ to get his attention. At first, he had dismissed the idea as wishful thinking on his part, but the more he thought about it, the more sense it made. What other explanation was there?
Finally giving in to temptation, Heero rolled over in time to see Duo leaning over the drawers where his few items of clothing were kept. The towel was small enough that it didn't quite wrap all the way around him, and Heero found himself focusing on the slit it made on one side. He swallowed hard, then a determined gleam came into his eyes.
He'd had enough of watching. It was time he did something.
Throwing back the covers, Heero rose swiftly from his bed and stalked over to where Duo was standing, still surveying the contents of the drawer. With a small growl, Heero grabbed his shoulder and spun Duo around to face him. He barely noticed as Duo's eyes went wide with surprise. Backing the other up against the wall, Heero placed his hands against the wall, one on either side of Duo's head, and stared intently at his partner.
"Ah, Heero?" Duo asked, sounding very confused. "What are you doing?"
"What does it look like I'm doing?" Heero asked.
"Well, it kind of seems like you're trying to pick a fight with me, but I'm not sure why," Duo answered.
"Don't play dumb!" Heero growled, starting to get irritated. Duo wasn't acting quite the way he'd expected him to.
"I'm not!" Duo protested. "Seriously. What'd I do?"
"That towel!" Heero said. He leaned in a little closer. "You're always running around the room half naked. Why?"
Duo blinked at him. "Why not?"
Heero paused. That wasn't the response he had expected. Nor, truth be told, was it the one he wanted.
"I mean, really," Duo went on, "don't you ever do that? I never pictured you as the prudish type. I mean, we're both guys; it's not like it's anything you haven't seen before. I didn't realize it bothered you."
Heero continued to stare at him blankly, so he kept on going. "As for the why part of it, I guess there's a small part of me that likes being able to run around with a minimal amount of clothing on. As long as it's warm, that is. Guess I'm a nudist at heart." He grinned.
Heero took a step back, lowering his arms.
"Listen, if it really bothers you, just say so, and I'll try not to do it again," Duo offered, still smiling.
"You... you weren't trying to get my attention?" Heero asked finally in a hesitant voice.
"Get your attention?" Duo looked confused. "Naw, if I wanted your attention, I would have just grabbed your shoulder and started shaking until you woke up. That'd be faster, wouldn't it? Anyway, why would me wearing a towel get you attention?"
Heero was backing away from him, something akin to horror crossing his face. How had he misjudged the situation so badly?
"Heero? Are you okay, man? You look kind of pale. Heero? Heero? Heero..."
Heero sat up with a jerk. After frantically staring around for a moment, he realized that he was still in bed, still in his and Duo's room at the latest boarding school. A dream then?
"Heero? You awake?"
Turning his head sharply, Heero beheld his partner, who was (thankfully) fully clothed and watching him with a tired look on his face.
"Sorry," Duo said quietly. "I didn't mean to wake you."
Heero watched as Duo set his pack down and moved around the room. "You just got back?"
"Yup. And before you ask, the mission was a success."
Heero nodded absently. So it had been just a dream.
"Well," Duo said, stretching wearily, "I think I'm going to take a shower."
Heero's eyes widened. In near panic, he threw himself out of bed and fled the room.
Duo's brows scrunched together, perplexed by Heero's sudden departure. "Man, what's the matter with him?" he wondered quietly to himself. Then he headed into the bathroom to take his shower.
Owari
AN: There it is, short and pointless. Which is, I suppose, better than long and pointless...
I know, I know, the ending was really pointless. I can just hear M.E. complaining about how it's like the ending of a bad student film. But if it were _really_ like a bad student film, Heero would have woken up, looked in a mirror, and killed himself. (I can say this with relative impunity because I was once, however briefly, a student filmmaker.)
Misinterpretation
By Rapunzel
The shower had stopped.
Heero rolled over in bed, noting the lack of sound from the adjoining bathroom. He had barely stirred when Duo had returned, waking just long enough to ascertain that his partner was back and not obviously harmed. Duo had nodded at him briefly before heading off for the shower, something he nearly always did after a mission, and Heero had gone back to sleep. Now, however, he was wide awake. He knew what the absence of the sound of running water meant. Any moment now...
Sure enough, the bathroom door flew open, and Duo came sauntering out, wearing nothing but a short towel around his waist. Heero rolled over quickly, but it was too late. Why, he wondered, oh why did the towels have to be so short? And why did Duo have to have such nice legs? Oh, Heero knew just how nice they were; that miniscule towel showed him almost as much as if Duo had simply walked into the room wearing nothing. And Heero looked; how could he not? His secret crush on his partner would not let him miss the sight. Every time Duo took a shower, it was always the same. Even now, when he was trying to resist, the urge to roll over and stare openly at Duo was almost overwhelming. Why, oh why did Duo torment him so?
Why _did_ Duo torment him so? Heero had asked himself that question several times during their time working together, moving from boarding school to boarding school in an attempt to stay hidden while completing their missions. Surely, it would have been simple enough for Duo to pick out his clean clothes _before_ he showered and just take them into the bathroom with him. And yet he never did. Sometimes, Heero almost thought that Duo was trying _deliberately_ to get his attention. At first, he had dismissed the idea as wishful thinking on his part, but the more he thought about it, the more sense it made. What other explanation was there?
Finally giving in to temptation, Heero rolled over in time to see Duo leaning over the drawers where his few items of clothing were kept. The towel was small enough that it didn't quite wrap all the way around him, and Heero found himself focusing on the slit it made on one side. He swallowed hard, then a determined gleam came into his eyes.
He'd had enough of watching. It was time he did something.
Throwing back the covers, Heero rose swiftly from his bed and stalked over to where Duo was standing, still surveying the contents of the drawer. With a small growl, Heero grabbed his shoulder and spun Duo around to face him. He barely noticed as Duo's eyes went wide with surprise. Backing the other up against the wall, Heero placed his hands against the wall, one on either side of Duo's head, and stared intently at his partner.
"Ah, Heero?" Duo asked, sounding very confused. "What are you doing?"
"What does it look like I'm doing?" Heero asked.
"Well, it kind of seems like you're trying to pick a fight with me, but I'm not sure why," Duo answered.
"Don't play dumb!" Heero growled, starting to get irritated. Duo wasn't acting quite the way he'd expected him to.
"I'm not!" Duo protested. "Seriously. What'd I do?"
"That towel!" Heero said. He leaned in a little closer. "You're always running around the room half naked. Why?"
Duo blinked at him. "Why not?"
Heero paused. That wasn't the response he had expected. Nor, truth be told, was it the one he wanted.
"I mean, really," Duo went on, "don't you ever do that? I never pictured you as the prudish type. I mean, we're both guys; it's not like it's anything you haven't seen before. I didn't realize it bothered you."
Heero continued to stare at him blankly, so he kept on going. "As for the why part of it, I guess there's a small part of me that likes being able to run around with a minimal amount of clothing on. As long as it's warm, that is. Guess I'm a nudist at heart." He grinned.
Heero took a step back, lowering his arms.
"Listen, if it really bothers you, just say so, and I'll try not to do it again," Duo offered, still smiling.
"You... you weren't trying to get my attention?" Heero asked finally in a hesitant voice.
"Get your attention?" Duo looked confused. "Naw, if I wanted your attention, I would have just grabbed your shoulder and started shaking until you woke up. That'd be faster, wouldn't it? Anyway, why would me wearing a towel get you attention?"
Heero was backing away from him, something akin to horror crossing his face. How had he misjudged the situation so badly?
"Heero? Are you okay, man? You look kind of pale. Heero? Heero? Heero..."
Heero sat up with a jerk. After frantically staring around for a moment, he realized that he was still in bed, still in his and Duo's room at the latest boarding school. A dream then?
"Heero? You awake?"
Turning his head sharply, Heero beheld his partner, who was (thankfully) fully clothed and watching him with a tired look on his face.
"Sorry," Duo said quietly. "I didn't mean to wake you."
Heero watched as Duo set his pack down and moved around the room. "You just got back?"
"Yup. And before you ask, the mission was a success."
Heero nodded absently. So it had been just a dream.
"Well," Duo said, stretching wearily, "I think I'm going to take a shower."
Heero's eyes widened. In near panic, he threw himself out of bed and fled the room.
Duo's brows scrunched together, perplexed by Heero's sudden departure. "Man, what's the matter with him?" he wondered quietly to himself. Then he headed into the bathroom to take his shower.
Owari
AN: There it is, short and pointless. Which is, I suppose, better than long and pointless...
I know, I know, the ending was really pointless. I can just hear M.E. complaining about how it's like the ending of a bad student film. But if it were _really_ like a bad student film, Heero would have woken up, looked in a mirror, and killed himself. (I can say this with relative impunity because I was once, however briefly, a student filmmaker.)