Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Blood Bonds ❯ Homeless ( Chapter 2 )

Blood Bonds

By Tygerlilee

Chapter Two

Homeless

*Disclaimer: I don't own anything…yadda, yadda, yadda

He turned over with a soft groan when his alarm sounded, slicing through his much-needed sleep. He hadn't gotten home from work until midnight and he had had to stay up till two in the morning to finish an essay and calculus homework.

He rolled out of bed, stripped, and climbed into the shower, letting the cold water cascade over his drowsy eyes and body.

He grabbed a towel from the floor to dry himself off, ignoring the chill-it didn't bother him.

At the sink, he brushed his teeth and shaved. His wet bangs clung to his face. As he parted them to see, he caught a glimpse of his face in the mirror. His dark eyes were indifferent and calm, his face relaxed and unstressed. Sleep, homework, food...those things were minor compared to what he used to have to worry about.

Yet, this strange adolescent was happy. Happy to be alive, happy to eat, happy to work, happy to go to school, and, most of all, happy to make his own decisions. Many teenagers yearned for excitement and an adventure of some sort, but he was happy to be average. However, he hid it well behind a mask of indifference and serenity.

He quickly dressed, grabbed his backpack, and set off for school. The morning air was cool and crisp, light dewdrops kissing his neck. He greeted the building by stopping at his locker to deposit several books, then made his way to the cafeteria. Luckily, he qualified for free breakfast and lunch-he could hardly afford his run-down apartment and various other needs. He usually skipped dinner, once in a while he splurged and bought something to eat for dinner, but that wasn't often so he always ate a generous helping at school.

His stomach grumbled as his nose caught sent of the sausage biscuits in the making.

"Hay man! Was work that bad yesterday? You look awful," an overly cheerful voice greeted him.

"I'm fine-just a little sleep-deprived," he told the black, greasy-headed boy behind him.

"Well, I don't know 'bout you, but I'm ready for some chow. They threw all the left-overs away at work before I could stop them, so no dinner for poor little Donny!" The boy grinned as if it were the most wonderful thing in the world to go without food. Strangely, it was an understanding between the boys that food was relatively unimportant, and sometimes, one went without them. One could live without food for a short time, and there were much more crucial things in life to worry about. Having two meals instead of three a day was no matter.

Donny grinned widely, his dimpled cheeks misleading anyone observing him. He was not only a war orphan, but a war veteran-just like his silent, stoic companion. That was what created their similar attitudes on life. Many teenagers now had them, having fought in the Eve Wars.

That was also why Donny never questioned his companion's silence-he was a veteran, and you didn't ask about that. Who knew what horrors he had seen, or even committed. Donny didn't ask, and he didn't want to know.

The shy girl in a yellow shirt smiled shyly at him again as he and Donny sat down at a half-filled table. He nodded to her.

"Whoa, Heero!! She's kinda cute," Donny grinned idiotically.

Heero grunted as he started into his breakfast, surprised as usual by his own hunger.

Fifteen minutes later, the bell rung for class. Heero and Donny separated to there respective classes.

His mind was wondering again. The clock was going slow on purpose just to spite him and he doodled on his paper absently as the gray-old man dwralled on and on about some stupid formula that Heero already knew.

That was the problem, his classes were all so dang boring and the teachers were just as bad. Not only were the buildings falling apart, but so were the people. The teachers in this school were a prime example. They all obviously hated their jobs and the subject that they taught. Heero tried to force himself to stay awake, but between his lack of sleep and half-full stomach, his head finally fell helplessly to his desk.

His mind was swirling into the blissful darkness of sleep, falling into the dreamless abyss of exhaustion.

He awoke with a start when the bell punctured his peace.

The day dragged on and on, and Heero continued to struggle to stay conscious. He needed rest, and he needed it terribly.

When the last bell of the day sounded, Heero dragged himself home in a daze, forcing one foot in front of the other. He was so tired. He was weak. He needed more food, but he couldn't, just like so many others on this run-down orphaned colony. But he was still free to choose, free to live-and he was happy.

It took him much longer than usual to get home-his home, the one that he paid for himself. As he approached the door, a man in a blue-gray suit stopped him.

"Hold on young man. Where are you going?" he asked.

Heero looked at him without really seeing. He wanted his couch. "Home," was his lazy reply.

The man looked at him suspiciously. Heero was sure that the man was going to ask him what he had been smoking, but he didn't.

"You can go in, but pack your bags. This building is condemned," he said instead.

Heero snapped out of it suddenly. "What?" he asked.

"The building, it's condemned. You know what that means? It's no longer considered livable and we're closing it down," he explained calmly.

"What else is new? Every other building around here is just as bad. Why this one? Where are all the inhabitants supposed to go?" Heero asked, truly concerned, not only for himself, but also for the others who lived there.

"Why don't you move back in with your family kid. There are so many kids living around here, why don't they all go back home?" the man asked, his voice was taking on a condescending air.

"Because I have no family, and they have no families," Heero was getting annoyed at the man's ignorance. "Where are we supposed to go?" Heero asked again, and then he sprinted up the stairs to his apartment to pack his very few belongings.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~

An hour later Heero was knocking on Donny's door, hoping that he hadn't left for work yet.

The door to the dingy apartment swung opened. "Heero, what's..." his voice trailed off and his smiled faded as he viewed Heero's stuffed duffel bag and backpack. He looked up at Heero questioningly.

"They condemned my apartment. Can I stay with you until I find a new place?" Heero asked. Heero hated to ask for anything or to depend on anyone. He wanted to rely only on himself, but in some situations, he had to swallow his pride and plead.

"Yah, sure! Comm'on in," Donny's face was in a slight daze, trying to register what was going on. He needed sleep too.

"Thanks," Heero said.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~

A/N I swear that this story has more of a plot, just give it a little time, please!! Also, a warning you ahead of time...this is going to be a long story. I'm not sure how long yet, but it will not be my usual five-or less chapter thing. My max thus far has been six chapters, and this one will be MUCH longer and MUCH more involved. Please REVIEW!!!!!! Tygerlilee =^.^=