Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Settling Down ❯ Settling Down ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: None of this is even slightly mine

Contrary to popular belief, Heero Yuy was a rather compassionate young man. Just because he had been known to promise death to the occasional teenaged girl, didn't mean that he was heartless. So, once the war was over, Heero told himself that it was perfectly reasonable to become preoccupied with the welfare of his fellow pilots – or fellow pilot, as it were. It wasn't like he was obsessed or anything. Right?

After the Mariemeia Rebellion, all of the other pilots had settled down, more or less, with the exception of 02. Heero discretely observed 02 as he went from working at the scrap yard with Hilde, to doing computer programming, and then moved on to running cargo from colony to colony. Duo just never seemed to find a place that he could fit in. If questioned about his mobile lifesyle, Duo would just smile and say that he just hadn't found the right place yet.

After more than a year of watching Duo, Heero decided that he had had enough. 02 obviously needed help, and since no one else seemed able to do it, Heero was going to have to do it himself. Heero had found a new mission.

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Tap, tap, tap.

Duo Maxwell was roused from a very inspiring dream involving the ocean, assorted tropical fruits, and an anonymous cabana boy, one who did not in any way resemble a certain gundam pilot. Really.

Tap, tap, tap.

Who the hell would be knocking on his door at this hour? No one he knew was even aware that he was back on earth, yet. He had decided to give himself a few days to get his bearings before sending out the memo.

*Maybe if I wait, they'll just go away.*

For a minute, it seemed as though his clever plan had succeeded as the tapping stopped, until the person started pounding on the door instead. He was still on the verge of just pulling a pillow over his head until he because aware of the storm raging outside his window.

*Maybe it's someone who needs help?*

With a sigh, Duo flung his covers across the room and stomped to the front door, clad only in a pair of oversized sweatpants that were clinging to his hips for dear life. *No one who comes calling at this hour has any right to complain about anything I might choose to wear.*

He pulled the door open to discover...a rather saturated and grumpy 01? "Heero? What in the name of Kami-sama are you doing here?"

Duo rushed off to get a towel for Heero without waiting for a response. When he came back, he repeated the question and was understandably confused when the only response he got was a curt "Here." Followed by a wet kitten to the face.

"Ummm... thanks."

"You're welcome."

Using the towel he had originally gotten for Heero, Duo dried off the soggy little kitten. "So... not that I'm complaining, 'Ro, but what brings you to my door at 3 in the morning during a severe thunderstorm while bearing kittens? I mean, I didn't even know that anyone knew I was here."

"You needed a kitten. This one is black. You will get along well." Replied 01 succinctly.

"Riiight. Well, thank you for the thought, but I wouldn't know what to do with a kitten. I've never taken care on an animal before." Duo struggled to understand what was going on, but was constantly distracted by the way the taciturn pilot's tank-top was plastered to his chest.

"I bought you a book, it will help." Heero produced a book from what seemed to be thin air.

"Ah, thank you again. Here let me get another towel, you must be freezing."

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*So far, so good. The target hasn't rejected the kitten yet, this is a good sign. My mission will succeed.*

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Duo came back with more towels and struggled not to offer Heero his assistance in drying off. Instead, he sat down on the couch and focused on the kitten, who was purring up a storm now that he was warm and dry.

"Well, I guess the book will help me out with what I need to know to keep this little guy happy, but I'm not really the kind of person who can have a pet. I move around a lot, you know."

"You wouldn't move around so much if you had a job you liked, right?" Heero asked as he stripped off his soaked shirt and proceeded to towel himself off.

"Probably not, but I've had tons of jobs and none of them feel quite right to me for some reason. It's hard being younger than all of your co-workers, but having more experience than all of them combined. It tends to leave a person feeling left out." Duo kept his eyes firmly on the kitten so he could continue following the conversation. Did Heero even realized how hot he was? Probably not.

"Come work for the Preventers, then. Most of the people there have had similar experiences as us and will be more accepting of your expertise." Heero draped his towel around his neck and sat down on the couch beside Duo.

"W-well, I had thought of that b-but, I ah, really wanted to get a bit of a vacation away from fighting and pointless violence. I mean, I'm still young right? I should see what else life has to offer while I can still enjoy it, don't you th-think?" Was it is imagination, or was Heero slowly scooting closer across the couch?

"You would get that vacation if you were my partner. I had no desire to fight any more after the war was done either, so I told Une that I would help her out only under my own conditions. After observing the entire operation, I noticed their sad lack of computer security – something that led me to create the system that the Preventers use now. I was able to manage it on my own for a while, but now that the Preventers have grown, I need a capable partner that I can trust to help me maintain the system. I see no reason why you and I shouldn't work together. Unless... you find me unsatisfactory as a partner." Duo probably missed the sneaky gleam in Heero's eye due to the fact that he was currently in shock. Heero didn't make it a habit to say that many words in a day, let alone all at once. Was the world coming to an end?

"Of course I'd want you as a partner, 'Ro!" Duo hastily assured him. "Why not? I might as well give it a try, after all, I've already done everything else." The kitten meowed his approval.

"I guess it's a good thing I didn't sign a lease for this apartment, but then again, I wasn't planning on staying here for long in the first place. I won't be able to keep a kitten if I move into the Preventer's barracks, though. Sorry buddy." Duo gave the tiny little furr-ball an apologetic scratch behind the ears and looked truly sad that he couldn't keep him.

"Actually the barracks are full right now, so you can't stay there. " Heero interjected. "Also, the price for living off-base is really steep right now, you probably wouldn't be able to afford it."

"Okaaay... then why did you ask me to be your partner if you already knew all of this?" Duo furrowed his brow as he tried to connect the dots that Heero kept throwing out. *It would be a lot easier to concentrate if Heero didn't keep brushing my hand with his fingers while petting the kitty.*

"Well, I own a few houses that I bought with money that I hacked away from Oz, you can live in one of those. Here, I have a picture of one that I thought would suit you." Heero brandished a picture of an enormous two-story house with a beautiful garden in the front. "If you want it, it's yours, you've more than earned it in my opinion. Think of it as a present from Oz."

Duo's head was spinning. Was he really awake? The Heero he knew didn't usually go to such lengths for anyone, unless it was for a larger reason. "I don't know Heero, this is all really great and everything, but that house is way too big for just me... and a kitty. Why would you do something like this, anyway?" Enormous purple eyes peered at the Japanese pilot in obvious confusion.

"First of all," Heero moved even closer to the smaller, braided boy and captured his gaze with his own penetrating stare. "It wouldn't be just you and the kitty. I was hoping you would let me live there with you – you never know when you might need help raising a cat, especially since you've never had one before."

"R-right." Duo licked his lips nervously. Heero was almost in his lap. Yep, he had to be dreaming, but since this was much better than the one about the cabana boy and some fruit, Duo decided to let the dream play out.

"And second," Heero moved to trap Duo against the couch, causing the kitten to send up a protesting meow as he struggled not to get smushed. "I'm doing this because I love you, baka. I kept waiting for you to settle down and find yourself after the war, but you didn't and I got tired of waiting. It's too late now, Duo, I'm not waiting any longer, I've come to take you home with me." He bent down and pressed his lips to Duo's forehead. "That is if you'll have me?" For the first time, the braided boy saw a trace of anxiety in the other boy's eyes.

"Of course I want you, you idiot! Who wouldn't? I left because I didn't want to get in between you and Relena."

"Ugh, Relena? She's like my sister! That's just sick, man. You're the only one I want, the only one I'll ever want. No one else even comes close to you." Heero moved in and crushed Duo's lips against his own in a possessive manner that made the braided boy's toes get all wiggly.

"So that's a yes then? You'll give life with me and Mr. Kitty-pants a chance?" Heero asked hopefully.

"Yes, I believe I can find enough room in my life for the both you and... wait, Mr. Kitty-pants? That's what you named him?"

Heero blushed violently and nodded. "Is it a bad name? I though it fit him."

In the face of such utter cuteness, Duo didn't have the heart to say otherwise. "It's a great name, very manly." Duo proclaimed and proceeded to kiss Heero within an inch of his life.

~Owari

Erm, this was my first attempt at fluff, so be gentle?