Title: Influence

Author: Karina

Rating: PG

Pairing: Duo + Milliardo

Notes: Challenge 190. Baby Series 4 #28. Takes place a few minutes following Books and Hot Chocolate.

Spoilers: None

Warnings: Extended Length

Many thanks to ShenLong Deb for her work betaing this set of fics.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or the Characters from the series but the baby is mine.

Title: Influence

"Who would you say had the biggest influence on your life, Duo?"

Glancing up from watching the mixture of milk, dark chocolate and a cinnamon stick heating on the cook top, Duo absently flipped his braid back behind his shoulder and pursed his lips.

"Who had the biggest influence on me? Damn, Zechs, that's a hard one to answer. I don't know that I can answer it fairly. I'm a street rat by birth, just about everyone and everything influenced me. Solo taught me how to survive on the streets and how not to lose myself; my pride in myself. Sister Helen and Father Maxwell taught me how to be civilised; they educated me in the basics. Taught me to have pride in my appearance... Showed me what caring, what selfless love could be. They loved their kids. I was a dirty, matted haired urchin with the foulest mouth you would ever find on the streets."

He glanced into the milk pan and swirled the contents gently, blue eyes dark with thought, suggesting violet but not quite shifting to it.

"There were a few Sweepers on the ship I stowed away on who took an interest in me... At least they never tossed me out the airlock and they gave me work to do to pay my passage... I stayed with them for a while until... Well, until I was drafted into the war effort. HE was a hard task master, but he was... Well, he wasn't as bad as the bastard who worked with Heero. In a way I miss the old buzzard. But you taught me not to look on the surface levels, to look deeper and know no matter how deep you looked there was always something deeper. I could never pin you down, what you were likely to do next. And there's Chang. Fei fascinated me since I spent time with him in the brig on the moon. I thought we were dead for sure, but things worked out. Quatre was an eye opening experience, let me tell you. I spent some alone time with him in the middle of the desert, in some village the Maguanacs had a base near. He was treated like a Prince by everyone and I was treated better than I had been by anyone. Quatre and I get on okay."

The King sat forward in his seat, his chin resting on the heel of his hand, his elbow resting on the table to support his head. His eyes never left Duo and he took pleasure in watching the play of shifting emotion cross the face of the younger man.

"Howard came as a real surprise. He was... unlike...any of the Sweepers I'd met before and there were some eccentric characters there, believe me. The man's a genius and I learned a lot from him. Heero of course, he was so... Well, he was about the polar opposite to me, I guess. I'd never met anyone quite like him and even though the prick did some things that should have had me hating his guts, we've somehow managed to get on reasonably well. Hell, he even scavenged Scythe for parts. Still haven't forgiven him for that."

"Could you pin one of them down as having had the greatest influence on you?"

The spoon stirred gently through the chocolate milk before fishing out the cinnamon stick and taking the pan off the heat. He added a dash of chilli, flexing his wrist, swirling the pan to mix it through.

"Well, maybe... I don't really know. Maybe Fei? He's so different. The whole culture thing. He's the original angry young man, with interest, but he has this whole Zen thing going at the same time. For a long time I wanted to learn how to meditate and wished I could do the kata's he does."

"You are his student, yes? This position as Chang of Chang will not change that, will it?"

"Nah, not really. We'll still work together and take time out somewhere along the line for instruction. It won't be easy, of course, but we will manage."

"I am sure you will."

"It's not just Fei though. When Stephen was born I didn't understand what his fascination with the baby was, but I think I do now. It's you."

"Me? I'm hardly that interesting."

"No, you are. I said before I couldn't understand what made you tick. I never could figure out what you would do next. You and Khushrenada. You seemed to be in each other's hip pockets, and then you gave the appearance of being enemies and then it looked like you tried to kill each other. But I learned you were lovers and you were working hand in hand with each other. Nothing was as it seemed. Then you were different after the war. Still unpredictable as all hell, I might add, but different."

"I don't see that I am so fascinating."

The grin was wide and cheeky as he poured the hot chocolate through a fine grade sieve and into a mug, carrying it to the table and passing it to the blonde, settling back into his chair.

"There's a reason every security service in the ESUN wants to know how many times a day you scratch your ass. You are unpredictable. You are King of a country that, whilst small, is at the forefront of politics. I can't see that changing just because Relena is no longer Vice Foreign Minister. You are capable of doing anything that is required in pursuit of a goal you take to heart, and that is something that influences the people around you. Love you or hate you, Zechs, you are not someone it is safe to ignore."

End

Karina Robertson 2012