by Nix Winter
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing, not even in Christmas week
Warnings: Mpreg… it's 1x2x1, not that we're getting any lemony anything just yet
Chapter Three
L2 didn't look like the L2 that Heero had seen last. Last time he'd been here, it had reminded him of Lord of the Flies, a book he'd read once where some stranded children had tried to make government for themselves. It had turned lethal and L2 hadn't been all that far from that. The equipment had been in dangerous states of disrepair. The people had been suspicious and hostile. Heero had not believed that Duo could make any kind of difference in that.
Leaving the shuttle port with his computer and gear in a black pack back on his back, he marveled at the clean air. The sky projections had been fixed too and the sky as blue with simulated clouds but done so well that Heero could believe it was the same sky that had been over the beach, the one that he and Duo had gone to in the American south one fine Friday in June, before Duo had gone back to L2.
Reasonably clean and decently repaired cars zipped by on the road and Heero hailed a taxi. After giving the location of the hotel that Trowa had said Duo was staying at, with security watching him, the taxi took him to a down town area of beautiful glass skinned buildings and neat landscaping. It was as if L2 were a different colony. Heero paid in earth standard, which was also something he couldn't have done the last time he was here and moved towards the Excalibur Hotel.
How Duo had made such changes in two years amazed Heero. He could hardly believe it. It wasn't like Duo Maxwell had any degrees in civil engineering. The man was a good preventer and a good mechanic, but all the changes he said he wanted to see looked like they'd come about. Law, safety, encouragement, that was what he thought L2 had needed. Heero had been much more inclined to think containment centers and relocation.
At the reception desk, he pulled out his ID, listing him as an Earth resident, a commander in Preventers, and licensed to drive most vehicles from shuttles to commercial fright movers. "I'm here to see Duo Maxwell. The room was retained by Trowa Barton."
"Yes, sir," the clerk said, "We have been expecting you. Cap.. I mean, Mr. Maxwell is not quite himself today, so we're very happy to see you."
"What do you mean," Heero asked. The information he'd gotten from Trowa had been sketchy and inconclusive. All he knew for certain as that Duo had been injured, mostly likely by his partner and that Duo had been incoherent in the video footage.
"We've been keeping him safe," the clerk said, in a hushed tone, "And getting him anything he wanted. We didn't even put it on Mr. Barton's tab. "This hotel is employee owned and we wouldn't have got the building loan from the Bank of Earthsphere if Duo Maxwell hadn't spoken for us. He found the money to pay to get the air filters working again. I hope you'll take good care of him for us. Merry Christmas, Mr. Yuy."
Heero nodded without saying anything, taking the key and his ID back. Duo should not ever be this vulnerable. The elevator ride up was fidgety, and Heero was half tempted to run up the stairs instead, as that would, at least, burn off some of his energy. Trowa had had his 'I'm going to kill someone' voice going on, but Heero didn't want to let his emotions get out of control yet.
Duo was a strange creature. In one moment he was the most deadly combatant, lethal accuracy and no remorse. In the next he was a teenager complaining that he couldn't have the latest video game or music device. He'd wanted to help people and yet he'd been afraid of being helped. Heero didn't fully understand him. While he knew that Duo Maxwell's biological age was that of a full grown adult, there were times when he wasn't sure the man's mental age was.
Studying about mental health had really lead him no closer to answers. The trauma in Duo's early life had affected him and Heero didn't know how not to cause him any further harm. So he'd hesitated. There had been that one kiss and Heero had hidden it away, wanting to kiss back, waiting for the right time, but as he walked down the hall way towards Duo's room, he had to admit, he'd been afraid too.
It wasn't like this was the time for thinking about having a relationship with his friend or drunken kisses. He was there to help him, there to take revenge on those who hurt him.
Heero knocked then passed the key over the pad and the door opened for him. It had been a short hall. He'd barely even gotten to the Christmas part.
There was his Duo, on his knees, braid swaying with him, a controller of some kind in his hands and explosions. Heero stood there silent as shock. Duo's face was flushed, his tongue pressing through the hole of a missing tooth. The look of wonder on his face captivated Heero as violet eyes tracked the movements of enemy ships in some game.
A fine shadow of brown darkened Duo's cheek, from having not thought to shave, no doubt. In the year since Heero had seen him, he'd filled out a bit, just like L2. His arms were lean and powerful, just like the rest of him and Heero's thoughts dropped back to romance, even though he told himself that Duo was more vulnerable now than he'd ever been. There was just something undedfended about him.
When the larger explosion came, flashing red and bright over him, there was nothing at all of the Shinigami that Heero had known. It almost made want to turn and run back out into the hall, but this strange creature that was possibly Duo Maxwell turned and pinioned him to the door with an intense and innocent look. "Heero!"
The controller dropped and Duo was moving like some dark swan, grace and power, beauty and totally alien thought process. He had his arms around Heero before the other could respond. "My friend said you'd come! You are Heero, right? I think you're Heero!"
Panic. Again, like Heero had never known, as he got his arms around Duo, holding him gently, subtly searching him for wounds or damage. "I'm Heero. You don't remember?"
There was a slight protrusion to Duo's side, but no fever, no smell of blood, just clean shampoo and the scent of Duo that Heero would never forget.
"I don't. I'm sorry. My friend said you're going to take me to visit another friend of ours and he has doctors waiting for us. Not like I need more than one. I'm not even sick. I just don't remember. Do you want to play with me? I've got food too. We don't have to go right away, right?"
Heero ran a hand through his hair as Duo pulled back. "We should go. Quatre will be waiting for us and we need the doctors to look you over. The memory loss might be a symptom of deeper damage."
"But it's Christmas even," Duo said, surging forward, a hand on the door on either side of Heero's head. Violet eyes ransacked Heero's soul, and while Heero was lost in the intensity of those eyes, Duo leaned closer and kissed him, just lips to lips, softly. "I think I've wanted to do that for a while. There's going to be fireworks. Don't you want to watch them with me?"
"Yes," Heero breathed, so tempted to take Duo, this very adult and determined Duo into his arms and kiss him for all he was worth. "I'll watch the fireworks with you. How can you want to kiss me though, when you can't even remember me?"
Duo shrugged, his hand cupping Heero's face, "I remember emotionally, just not details. There's nothing wrong with my brain, Heero, not now. Maybe there was something wrong before because we're not lovers. Why aren't we lovers, Heero?"
"I," Heero started, finding hard to think with this Duo touching his face. This was the Duo who could remake a colony, impose law and bring L2 back from the gutter. "I don't know. I guess I was afraid I'd do something wrong or that I wouldn't know how to do being in a relationship right."
"Damn, that's no reason at all," Duo said, grinning, as he pulled back a little and took Heero's hand. "I don't know much of anything now, so even if I was an ace boyfriend before, now, I don't know anything. So let's know nothing together, uh?"
"Okay," Heero agreed, letting himself be lead towards the balcony. This was not what he'd expected. He didn't know what he'd really expected. A more fragile and wounded Duo maybe? "Merry Christmas, Duo."
"Do you know what that holiday is about?" Duo asked, opening the door just as a brilliant green and red fire work displayed across the digital sky.
"No, I'm afraid I don't," Heero admitted, watching Duo watch the fireworks. "But it seems to be a cheerful holiday. Even the reception clerk wished me a 'merry christmas'. "
"What do you remember about me," Duo asked, fire works reflecting in his eyes as he watched Heero intently. "Am I a good person?"
"You are the best person," Heero swore, "You are smart and kind, determined and generous. I have loved you for a long time."
"Good," Duo said, turning back to the fireworks. "Let's live together from now on. What do you do for a living?"
"I stop criminals. Just like you."
"I wonder if that's how I lost my memory. If I fucked something up."
"Let's not worry about it right now," Heero said, holding Duo's hand with both of his. "Let's just figure out what Christmas is. Tomorrow we'll go see the doctors and make sure you're okay. Then we'll worry about catching criminals."
"Okay," Duo said, smiling brightly, innocence and trust. "I think I like catching criminals though."
ooc: Merry Christmas! ☺