Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Snapshot of a Romace ❯ Chapter 1

Title: Snap Shot of a Romance

Author: Grevola

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Gundam Wing. The University and OCs described here are my own fictional creations.

Notes: I wrote and entered this in the Moments of Rapture contest for the fall of 2003. You can find this story, and the other wonderful entries at the Moments of Rapture site. I'm slowly moving stuff over here, so I figured this could be my next victim, err… post. Feedback is, as usual, craved.

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The day was cold and wet. Sidewalks were turned a dark blackish grey from the ever-present moisture. The rain seemed to precipitate directly from the air onto the jackets of the passers-by. People didn't let the rain keep them from getting jobs done, and only a very few bothered to carry umbrellas. The press of students along the streets and sidewalks moved with the same steady, turbulent, flow of the water rushing along the gutters into storm drains.

Most of the people in the area were in their early twenties. They wore all manner of clothing, pulled onto keep them warm and covered against the damp chill. Sweatshirts and running shoes were favorites, although there seemed to be a debate between pants and shorts.

Under other circumstances, the young man might have blended into the crowd with startling ease. Habitually he wore dark colors, tight shirts and leather jackets. He would have moved quickly through the constant gloomy weather, hands in pockets and head bowed but alert. His mismatched gloves, and re-dyed Alliance messenger bag, would have made the long weaving of brown hair seem a natural part of his character. On a clear day his dark sunglasses would have lent him a more mysterious persona, and most would have guessed him to be a student in the art department.

On this particular day he wore a button down oxford and charcoal slacks. He seemed far too comfortable with the tie around his neck, and there was something out of character with him pushing a tarp covered cart. The once-white covering protected the equipment beneath it from the pervasive dampness, across its surface the words 'MOU Media Center' were printed in faded stencil lettering. Underneath the tarp sat a projector and a media station that he had used for his presentation a few minutes previous. Although technology made each part of the media station portable on its own, the university had insisted on installing the items into carts to prevent theft or dropping of the equipment. Duo Maxwell found it strangely amusing that he was forced to wheel around one large, but easily transportable, piece of expensive equipment, rather than individual, lest costly, components.

He maneuvered the cart across the north side of the quad, glancing toward the student union across the grass as he went. He then turned his attention to negotiating the ramp in front of Kiplinger Hall. The stately brick building, with its cement trim, carried the weight of several centuries of academia. One of the oldest buildings on campus, it had been constructed in the late 1800's, and possessed an air of tired acceptance, like a professor near retirement who still held a passion for his subject. Inside the worn doors the building was modernized with cut stone tiles and wooden staircases. The exhaustion of most fossil fuel sources had led to a resurgence in building with more lasting and renewable materials. The simple cement ramp that led to the basement was a testament to the low funding the department had been receiving for the past decade.

The communications media department had been housed in the bowels of the Kiplinger building for as long as anyone could remember; certainly long enough for ruts to form in the cement from all the carts that ran up and down the ramp. Duo navigated the cart off center to avoid the jostling it would receive otherwise. Idly he noted that a new set of grooves were forming and they would need to repave the entire passage soon. The ramp leveled off in a long corridor broken occasionally by cross passages and doors.

The underground part of the university was nearly as large as the entire campus, almost all of the basements being interconnected through a labyrinth of tunnels. There were some students willing to do all sorts of menial work in order to warrant a master key to the tunnels. Any one with a key and a sense of direction could maneuver across campus more quickly and more dryly than any other student. Duo had discovered that a bit of bailing wire would get him through most of the doors without any problems, but he had promised himself that he wouldn't use his thieving skills unless absolutely necessary.

As a war orphan and street child he had learned many skills to help him beg or steal enough food and clothing to survive. Shelter had always been available in damaged and condemned buildings all across his L2 colony. The residents had actually done much to help the children without families get by, but the oppressive Alliance was omnipresent, and resources were scarce.

He had survived several tragedies and hardships on those streets before managing to escape. Some trick of fate landed him in the hands of a conspiracy planning to destroy the Earth. But Duo was befriended by a scientist planning to use the weapons of the organization to destroy those aspects of the Alliance that had been oppressing his colony. By stealing the gundam Deathscythe he had worked toward ending a twenty year old war and freeing his colony from its enforced poverty.

After securing the resulting peace he began and ran a salvage business for a few years. The business did passably but Duo had eventually decided to go ahead and get degrees in engineering and resource management, with a minor in business. He had expected to breeze through most of the classes, thinking he already had a good handle on salvage techniques, but he had quickly found that there were methods he would have never known about otherwise. While still better than even his professors at defining solutions with the bare minimum of equipment available, he was learning how to use more advanced and specialized tools, as well as the politics of business management. As he neared his senior year a few companies had offered him internships to help them with their own waste recycling projects. He had been giving a presentation to one such group of perspective employers as part of his business negotiations class.

He took the second left off the main corridor and then opened the blue-grey door half way down and on the right. There was, as always, a student on duty to check the media carts in and out of the storage room. The bored looking young woman greeted him with the relief of those stuck in lonely and menial jobs.

Smiling, Duo returned the greeting as he removed the tarp. Efficiently the young woman checked over the contents of the cart and signed that it had been returned. Thanking her for her help, Duo watched as she wheeled the cart into the storage room, before wishing her a good day and heading out.

Having retraced his steps from the basement, he glanced out onto the soggy grey afternoon and debated how much he wanted to go out in the wet. The rain had picked up and was beating a steady tattoo on the stone doorstep and the muddy quadrangle. He noticed that the heavier rain had driven most of the denizens of the campus into the buildings, and whatever covered walkways or underground passages they could make use of.

The empty state of the usually bustling square put him in a pensive mood and he began to consider the rain. It was one of the reasons he loved this part of Earth. The rain came in so many varieties and left the plants a lush green, and the sky a clean blue. The air seemed less smoggy, and the temperatures remained pleasantly cool. He had chosen this place for himself to live, and he had moved here on his own. Regardless of whatever surprises and chaos his life might encounter, he had chosen what grounds it would meet him on.

Also the dress and attitude of his fellow students meant that he and his trademark braid blended in and were taken at face value. Few people recognized the young man of average height and lanky build as the scrawny teenager he had been seven years previous. He was eternally grateful that war heroes didn't receive the lasting media attention that politicians and entertainers were subject to. Living in this place he had the anonymity to pursue his own goals and dreams without others dragging up his past to haunt him.

That didn't mean that aspects of his past didn't reflect themselves in his life. He volunteered as a tutor and mentor at an orphanage, trying to help other children find peaceful and productive lives. While he couldn't sympathize with the grief of losing parents directly, he understood loss of family, and the uncertainty of identity that came with never knowing ones parents. His laid back personality also made him more approachable than many of the other volunteers. That his past allowed him to help others gave meaning to what might otherwise have been embittering memories.

He continued his musings as he pushed open the heavy wood door and stepped out into the rain. He made no move to cover himself as the drops soaked into his hair and shirt. He strolled unhurriedly across the lawn as the campus clock tower tolled the hour. A few stragglers rushed from one building to another, already late for their classes. Duo cut across the lawn and made a loop around the right side of the student union, passing it and continuing down the empty street. The constant rain had washed away the acrid smell of wet asphalt, leaving behind a cool fresh sent. He passed the one of the newer chemistry buildings, and the Sphere Unity center, admiring the clean lines of their more modern design. Three long blocks down from the union were the dormitories. He made a left after the first of these and walked into the courtyard of Hendrix Hall.

The bottom floor of his dormitory was set a short flight of treacherous steps below sidewalk level. He entered through a side door rather than the main opening, stepping into a wide hallway running the length of the building. The hall was open on either side with various restaurants and eating places spilling out into it. Here and there were pockets of students chatting and eating, some individuals curled up with snacks studied for exams or did homework. Duo navigated through the sparse groupings of students and arrived at his favorite coffee shop. Deciding to forgo a mug of his usual black roast, he ordered a hot chocolate.

The young man serving him, Brian, was a friend Duo knew from the intramural soccer league he had played in that summer. Brian mentioned that Heero had stopped by for a bagel and a drink a few minutes earlier, "He said that if I saw you I was supposed to tell you that he'd be around the Gen. Rec. room latter."

"Thanks, I'll stop by and see if I run into him," Duo smiled at his friend over his mug and headed toward the stairs.

Heero's arrival two years previous had been an unexpected, but not unwelcome, surprise. At loose ends, and a bit depressed, he had shown up outside Duo's physics class one day and asked if he would mind eating lunch together. Since then their old friendship had resurfaced, stronger and deeper than ever before. Heero had grown tiered of the media attention being Relena Dorlin's bodyguard had attracted, and the stress of working in a near violent capacity. Eventually he had handed his resignation to a very relieved Relena. Deciding to complete his formal education and receive a degree had been easy. Discovering he had both a talent and passion for painting and sculpture had come as a complete surprise to both of them.

Up the next flight of stairs were the service facilities not associated with food for the residents. These included practical things like a laundry and study lounges, a computing center and a small art studio for working on projects. The sleeping quarters for the hall leaders and administrators were also on this floor, as well as the General Recreation Room.

Duo headed down a narrow hallway running along the west side of the building to get to his room. Opening a door midway down the hall he was in his private room. The bed was unmade, and there was a clutter of papers across the desk, but it was an orderly space. Having grown up with little of anything, he had formed a habit of taking care of what he had; the habit had endured and meant that his things seemed nearly new even after several years of use.

He took a moment to examine the room critically as he loosened and removed his tie. His second year in the dormitories he had been elected to what was called the Hall Council. Members were responsible for arranging activities, as well as mediating conflicts and seeing to the safety of the residents. Being a charismatic young man with creative ideas and a genuine love of people had made him an obvious candidate for the post. The council members received certain perks, including single rooms and free food. The situation had been beneficial enough that he hadn't seriously considered living off campus. That was until recently.

Sometime over the past year his relationship with Heero had transitioned from platonic to something different. Duo disliked using words like 'romance' to describe what went on between himself and Heero. They didn't have any of the flowers and sweet nothings that he linked with romance, but neither was their relationship a solely physical thing. They spent time together doing things, or working side by side quietly. They might spend all day discussing current events and the quality of movies or books, and they might spend hours together without speaking a word. They knew each other fairly well, but not to the point where they didn't surprise each other with their comments or reactions.

The physical side of their relationship was something Duo also enjoyed, though it wasn't without its problems. Duo was a tactile person and would put his arm around Heero's shoulders, or touch him to emphasize a point in public, but he wasn't naturally a cuddly person. Heero was still sensitive to what other people saw, some part of him worried that the paparazzi would catch any sign of affection and plaster it across the scandal sheets. When they were alone, he wanted Duo's arms around him more often than not, trying to make up for a childhood of only casual contact. Some part of Duo thought it was strange for a guy to want to be curled up next to anyone for extended periods of time, and this led to the occasional argument. Their bedroom activities ranged from highly energetic and creative, to simply sleeping. Duo liked that, while there was no doubt they were attracted to one another, they didn't feel it was necessary to act on that attraction in order for their relationship to survive.

As time past they spent more and more time in each other's company. It was two days earlier when Heero had entered his apartment to find a dinner in the refrigerator, and Duo working on his homework all over the couch. The scene was nothing new, but perhaps it was that familiarity that had prompted him to ask the question. He had asked Duo to move in with him.

Duo had asked for time to consider the proposal, and his request had been readily granted. While he cared very much for Heero, and could see the logic of moving in together, he wasn't certain he was ready to do that. His dorm room was convenient to all of his classes, and his post as a member of the Hall Council paid for his food. At the same time, he could afford to pay his own meal ticket, as well as half the rent on Heero's apartment.

Practical aspects aside, there were more levels to making that move. He felt that in some ways he would be sacrificing some of the independence he had worked so hard to achieve. All of his life he had lacked control over such things as when and what he would eat, where he would sleep, or what he would learn. Now that he had the power to make decisions for himself, he was reluctant to put himself into a position where he couldn't. At the same time he considered his relationship with Heero to be primarily a partnership; meaning they both shared and compromised as often as they could.

Heero's question, asked with a false casualness, turned over in his mind as he kicked off his shoes, and hung his wet socks over the back of his desk chair to dry. He picked up his mug of coco and glanced around the room again. The term was nearly over, and he would be up for reelection; if he didn't win, he would have to move into a room on one of the upper floors. It really would be a pain to pack everything up.

He made sure he had his key and then turned and left the room. Padding barefoot down the hall he turned toward the Gen. Rec. room. A small circle of girls were playing a card game to one side of the entrance, other groups of students were scattered around the room. The General Recreation room was roughly the size and shape of a basketball court, with a hardwood floor, and large windows overlooking a quadrangle along the far side. The room was suited to a variety of purposes, the necessary balls, hoops, nets or pads were stored in the closets along the east side of the room. At the moment most of the equipment was stored away, a group of young men playing table tennis being the exception.

Duo made his way toward the large bank of windows, noting that there was an empty nook in the far corner. Each windowsill was actually a cushioned bench where the hall residents could study or simply look out on the quadrangle. Duo took a seat, lounging with his back against the wall, and with his long legs sprawled out on the bench. The rain was coming down steadily, and the sun must have been setting behind the cloud cover because the sky was darkening even from when he had wheeled the cart into Kiplinger hall. He gazed out into the wet gloom and smiled over his hot chocolate.

One of the young men watching the ping pong game broke off from the group and made his way across the room. The same height as Duo, but not quite as lanky, his broad shoulders filled out his double layering of t-shirts, while his snug jeans seemed like they might slide from his slim hips with a firm tug. He paused about half way across the room to brush the dark brown hair from his eyes and consider the young man reclining by the window.

Whatever he saw must have been to his satisfaction because he continued to meander toward the young businessman. Duo, for his part, had noticed the approach of the other student, and studied his reflection in the window pane. Heero Yuy wasn't hurrying on his way across the room; he took the time to greet those students he knew and trade a few pleasantries with them. Heero was far more at ease dealing with people than he had been when Duo had met him. He greeted people pleasantly and used his superb memory to find topics of conversation. A development of the last year was the relaxed way he walked. He no longer moved with the clipped, near military, gate he had used up until recently. Duo felt he could take full credit for that, first by pointing the trait out and then by teasing Heero regularly about it.

Heero's appearance had changed over the past year as well. His hair had darkened to be nearly black, while his eyes had remained the same intense blue they had always been. His jaw was stronger, his features more defined. A new hair cut had given him some control over the previously unmanageable locks, though he kept his bangs slightly longer than fashionable. His more relaxed posture also seemed to have changed something about his appearance, where before he was attractive but intimidating he was now handsome, but less forbiddingly off limits.

Duo began turning toward Heero a few minutes later when he crossed the remaining floor space between them. He examined his partner's face, searching for clues to his mood. Duo could never be certain exactly what it was about Heero's facial expressions that let him know how the other man felt; weather it was a tightness around the mouth or a small crease between the eyes, but he knew that his friend was feeling anxious.

He exhaled softly, causing the steam from his cocoa to swirl into the room. Heero paused, a few feet from the bench, and Duo turned his face toward him in a familiar posture. Placing one knee on the bench for balance, Duo's lover leaned over him, cupping the side of his face gently before they kissed. It was a sweet, almost chaste, greeting; it was a reinforcement of the feelings they shared. And it reminded Duo that whatever choice he made, Heero would still be right beside him, loving him patiently.

The End