Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ United Hearts ❯ Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own the G boys. They belong to their respective copyright companies. I do however own Shane, Paul, Colin, Mickey, Benny, Toby and any other unfamiliar characters. I also own the plot if you can call it that.

Pairings: 1x2x1, 3x4x3, 5+S

Rating: NC 17

Warnings: Angst, Yaoi, Shonen-ai, violence, language, references to rape, sap, blood, Death (not one of the boys), Lemon/Lime, medical stuff, and any other weird thing that comes out of my head.... be afraid...

Notes: This is the sequel to "Lost Souls." While it is not necessary to read "Lost Souls" first I do recommend it otherwise some of the occurrences may not make sense. The references to medical procedures, medical reports, autopsies etc. are entirely based on my own pathetic knowledge of such and so I apologise in advance for any incorrectness contained there in. :)

" United Hearts "

Aug. 2002 ShenLong

Chapter 1

Shane unlocked the door and walked inside the quiet house. Turning he shut the door and secured it before placing his keys on the little key holder. Hoisting his bag over his shoulder he walked down the short hallway to the kitchen and deposited the bag on a chair. Rummaging through the 'fridge he withdrew the items to make a sandwich along with a can of soda.

A couple of minutes later with three doorstop sandwiches that would have made Duo proud he sank into a chair and pulled his bag towards him. A glance at the clock told him he had an hour before his 'foster' parents would be home from work. Enough to make a start on the mountains of homework he seemed to be getting lately.

Grumbling to no one but himself he dragged out the necessary pens and paper before settling down to work on his latest assignment. For a while only the ticking of the clock and the occasional grunt permeated the air as he flipped through books and made his notes.

Stretching to ease the kinks in his shoulders and arms Shane was surprised to notice how much time had passed. He listened carefully as the sound of a car reached his ears. The engine slowed and then hummed before going silent. A smile graced Shane's face as he heard the all too familiar voices float through the air as the doors to the vehicle slammed shut.

"Next time I drive."

"Over my dead body!"

"Keep driving the way you are and that's exactly what will happen baka!"

"Nothing wrong with my driving Heero."

"Duo, if a car was meant to drive on two wheels why the hell did they give it four?!"

"Aww you're just jealous of my driving skills Heero."

"Hn"

The bantering was brought to a halt as a key scraped in the lock.

"Hey Shane.... You home?" Duo's voice came floating down the hallway.

"In the kitchen." Shane looked up as his 'foster' parents forms darkened the doorway.

"How was school?" asked Heero as he made his way to the sink to fill the kettle.

"Not as interesting as the kind of day you two seem to have had." he grinned. "Duo driving ya mad again?"

"Hn. You could say that."

"Now that's no way to talk about your chauffeur." said Duo trying to look hurt as he removed his jacket.

"It helps if you keep both hands on the wheel Duo."

Shane cocked his head as the words continued to flow back and forth.

"But I need to change the gears ya know."

"Hn."

"Not my fault if I grabbed your lever and not the car's."

"Duo!" Heero whirled around his face scarlet.

Shane burst into laughter.

"What?" the American held his hands up in mock defense. "I didn't hear any complaints when I started mhmph"

Duo's words were silenced as Heero slapped his hand over that mouth. "That's enough information for now I think. Shane is trying to do his homework and he doesn't need you corrupting him."

Duo gave Shane a wink as he pulled Heero's hand away from his mouth. "Yer always spoilin my fun." he laughed and then reached for his lover to envelope him in a hug.

Disentangling himself from Duo, Heero placed the kettle on to boil and glanced over Shane's shoulder at the books spread out before him. "Another assignment?"

"Yeah. This ones on the origins of the colonies." he sighed.

"Good luck." said Duo as he clapped his hand to Shane's shoulder.

"Thanks." replied Shane. "I was kinda hopin you guys might help me out a bit with it."

"Sure... no problem." said Duo as he sat in the chair opposite the dark haired teen. "Heero here is a whiz when it comes to findin information." he smirked.

The kettle boiled and Heero busied himself making them both a coffee. Setting a mug down in front of Duo he reached for Shane's assignment paper and studied it carefully.

"Reckon ya can help me Heero?"

"Hai. After dinner we will look around on the computer, I know a few sites that might have the information you need."

"Thanks man." said Shane. "I guess I'll go get showered then." and Shane dumped all his books back into his bag before heading to his room.

Duo reached for the biscuit barrel and helped himself to a handful. Deep in thought he munched away, unaware that Heero was watching him.

"You will ruin your appetite." said Heero.

"Not a chance." grinned Duo.

"Hai I forgot, you're the walking vacuum."

Duo nearly choked. "I'm not so sure I like yer sense of humor here Heero." he smiled.

Reaching across the table Heero stole a kiss. "As long as you continue to appreciate other parts of me. I guess I can live with that." he whispered and then left the kitchen.

Duo moaned to himself as he watched his boyfriends ass sashay out of the kitchen. "One day Heero.... one day... " he muttered and followed his love.

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

A pair of small eyes opened wide in fear as the dark form approached. He struggled vainly but the restraints did their job well. No sound managed to permeate the gag as the mask was placed over his face. He tried to hold his breath but to no avail, his bodies natural override kicked in and forced his sternum to rise and draw in a breath. He closed his eyes as the mixture made its way down his trachea, through the bronchial tubes and into the lungs where the blood stream exchanged the gases and took the mix to be distributed to his many tissues and organs.

A tear slid from his eye as the mask was removed. A hand patted his shoulder. He stared at the face hidden in the shadows but to no avail. All he could see was the flash of a cold gray eye as he felt the bile rise in his throat.

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

True to his word Heero sat with Shane after dinner and the pair of them cruised the net looking for sites that contained the information Shane required on the history of the colonies.

Duo dried his hands on the tea towel and put away the last of the dishes. Making sure the kitchen was neat and tidy he took out three mugs and placed some milk in a saucepan to boil. As the white liquid began to bubble he poured it into the three mugs and stirred. Hot chocolate was one thing he loved and had missed. Hilde hadn't cared for it, complaining that it would make her fat so she never bought it.

Hilde.... Duo's mind wandered back to the girl and found there was no longer a twist of pain when he recalled her face. He had made his peace with her and while he had forgiven her and thus forgiven himself he still could not forget.

He reached into the cupboard and pulled out the small box, flipping the lid he extracted several small round white pillows and dropped two into each mug. Hot chocolate just wasn't hot chocolate if you didn't have marshmallows in it. He popped another into his mouth before replacing the box. Rinsing the saucepan through he placed it to drain and picked up the three mugs.

He paused in the doorway to the lounge room and watched silently for a moment. Heero and Shane were bent over the computer keyboard. Heero's fingers were busily tapping away as Shane scanned the screen. Something about the sight warmed him.

Feeling his Koi's presence Heero looked up from his task and raised an eyebrow.

Duo made his way into the room and set two of the mugs down on the desk. "Thought you might appreciate a bit of a break." he said as he smiled at the pair.

"Thanks Duo, you're a mind reader." said Shane as he picked up his mug.

"Hn" agreed Heero in his usual manner.

"Find the stuff ya looking for?"

"Hai."

"Heero knows all the right places to look." added Shane. "I should ave enough stuff here to do up a pretty good assignment."

"That's my Heero." grinned Duo as he ruffled the Japanese man's hair.

Shane stretched, "Well I think I'll take this lot to my room an do some more fore turnin in."

"Okay. Don't stay up too late with it."

"I wont."

Shane picked up the various papers scattered around and with mug in hand he disappeared into his room.

Heero powered down the p.c. to stand by mode and snaking an arm around Duo's waist he pulled his lover to his lap.

Duo set his mug down alongside Heero's and placing his arms around Heero's neck, snuggled into his embrace. Strong arms pulled him close and he felt the steady beat of Heero's heart as it reverberated in Heero's chest. Feeling warm safe and loved Duo reached up and planted a kiss against that soft neck. "Love you."

"Hn, Aishiteru Duo."

"Heero?"

"Hai?"

"Wanna watch some TV with me." he teased.

"Hn. Baka."

With a cheeky grin Duo pulled away and dropped himself on the couch. Flipping on the remote he surfed through the channels until he found an old movie. Heero picked up their mugs and sat himself down next to the braided man, handing one to Duo he put his arm back around his Koi and pulled him close again.

Duo rested his head against Heero's shoulder as they watched the movie together.

Shane sat at his desk with the various notes in front of him and began to tame them into sentences and paragraphs for his assignment. Running a hand through his shoulder length brown hair he mused to himself that regardless of how hard schoolwork could be he was happy. He had a home and people that loved and cared for him, a far cry from what had been his childhood. He shuddered as some of the memories came back and quickly forced them away. Draining his mug he continued to write.

Snuggled safely in each others arms Heero was running his hand up and down Duo's back, delighting in the small shivers he was creating. Duo's hand wasn't idle either, he was busy stroking Heero's thigh.

The movie came to an end as Shane stuck his head around the door jamb, "Night guys." he called softly to the pair that were entwined on the couch.

Leaving Heero's lips for a moment Duo responded, "Night Shane."

"Hn, sleep well."

Shane smiled to himself as he made his way back to his room and crawled into his bed. He was so happy that his 'parents' were obviously besotted with each other and the fact that he had helped in a small way to bring them together made it all that little bit more perfect.

"I think we should retire too Heero." clouded violet eyes stared deep into passion filled cobalt.

"Hn." and Heero picked Duo up in his arms and proceeded to carry him to their bedroom. He paused at the door for Duo to flip off the light switch. Neither man noticed the small flashing green light on the p.c. indicating a message had been received.

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

The vehicle pulled to a stop. A door slammed shut and a dark clad figure moved to the boot. Unlocking it the arms reached inside and extracted a small bundle. Slamming the boot shut the figure moved off the side of the road and down the small secluded alley way. Deeming the distance to be far enough away he dropped the bundle amongst the trash cans. Dusting off the gloved hands the figure moved silently back to the car, got inside and drove back the way it had come.

No one witnessed the act except for a few rats that had scurried away at the first sound of a presence. Silence descended again and wary yellow eyes peeked out from the cracks in the surrounding brickwork. Whiskers twitching cautiously one by one they scurried out from their hiding places and began to sniff at the addition to their territory. Curiosity was soon overcome and as the large brown male began to gnaw hungrily at a finger so the rest of the pack soon followed suit.

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

Wufei finished his morning exercises and headed for the shower. The smell of bacon wafted through to tease his nostrils as he turned the faucet on to shave. Finishing the task he patted his face with his aftershave flinching slightly at the sting and went through to the bedroom to change for work.

Entering the kitchen he found Paul already sitting at the table tucking into an obscenely large plate of bacon, eggs and toast. Unable to help a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth he sat opposite his adopted son. Sally placed a plate in front of him and then sat down with her own.

"I ad an e mail from an old mate last night." said Paul around a mouthful of egg.

"It's not polite to talk with your mouth full." Wufei growled.

"Sorry."

"Make sure you remember in future." said Wufei in a slightly softer tone.

"Who was it?" Sally asked as she buttered her toast.

Paul made sure to swallow before speaking this time. "Jus a guy I knew back on L2."

"Did he have anything interesting to say?" Sally continued.

"Nah, not a lot. Jus gave me the low down on what's happening up there."

"I presume then that everything is still the same." said Wufei noting that Paul kept his eyes down.

"Yer could say that."

Sensing there was more to it than Paul was letting on Wufei decided to dig a little. "So what did he have to say? Obviously he said something for you to bring the matter to our attention."

Sally gave Wufei a look that clearly said tread carefully. Wufei nodded, he knew what he was doing. Paul was like him in so many ways and bringing up the topic of contact with a friend meant that Paul had something deeper to tell them but wouldn't unless asked to.

"He mentioned my father."

The sentence was spoken with no emotion, just a flat cold tone. Wufei felt a ripple of apprehension run up his spine.

Sally leaned forward and placed her hand on Paul's. "What about your father?"

Paul stared out the window as he gathered his thoughts before speaking softly. "He's gone."

Wufei stared at the teen and noted the paleness of the knuckles as the boy fought to keep his emotion in check.

"They found im on the floor.... bad drugs or somethin like that."

Sally caressed Paul's arm. "I'm sorry Paul."

Paul turned and stared at the two, blue eyes glittered. Clenching his fists so his nails dug into his palms and drew blood he hissed out "I'm not! That bastard deserved to die!" with that he rose suddenly and scraping the chair back ran from the room.

Sally looked at Wufei in mild shock.

"I will talk to him." said Wufei and he left the kitchen to follow his wayward charge.

Wufei knocked on the closed door before opening it. Paul lay sprawled on his bed. Sitting next to the raven haired teen Wufei thought before speaking.

"I understand Paul." he said simply.

Paul raised his head and stared deep into Wufei's eyes, "Then tell me something Wufei." he ground out between clenched teeth. "That prick deserved to die for what he did ta me, for the life he forced me inta. I hated im, hated im with a vengeance. I always knew somethin like this would appen to im." Paul's eyes began to mist over and he felt Wufei pull him into a hug. "I hated im so much..." the sobs broke forth. "So why does it urt then?" Paul broke down and sobbed his heart out onto Wufei's shoulder.

Wufei held him and gently rocked him until the sobbing began to slow. "Paul... he was still your father, regardless of what he did to you he gave you life and that's why it hurts so much."

Pulling back slightly Paul huffed out between sniffles, "But I hate him Wufei, I wished so many times for im to jus die an leave me the hell alone. An now its append....."

"You have every right to be angry Paul. No father that is worth anything would put their child through what you went through. It's okay to feel angry. You're angry at the person he became, your hate is directed at the drugs that took your father from you and replaced him with the monster you remember, but your grief is for the father you lost a long time ago."

Somehow Wufei's words made sense to Paul and he began to understand why he felt so sad at the loss of the one being he despised more than anything. He rubbed his eyes with his fists. "Thank you Wufei."

"I suggest you wash your face then come back and finish your breakfast."

"Okay"

Wufei returned to the kitchen to find Sally cleaning up. She turned to him as he came in. "Is he all right?"

"He will be fine. He just needs a little time to come to terms with his emotions."

"Do you think he will want to attend the funeral?"

"No!"

Wufei and Sally both jumped at the word so filled with anger and turned to see Paul standing in the doorway.

"No." he said a little quieter. "He has already bin scheduled to be cremated tomorrow. I... I don't wanta go"

"Okay. Do you still want to go to school today? You can have the day at home if you wish." said Sally.

Paul sat wearily back at the table. "Thanks but I'd rather go."

"Right. We will be leaving in ten minutes so if you want a lift I suggest you get moving and get your stuff together." and Wufei turned to fetch his jacket.

They dropped Paul at the large iron gates that guarded the entrance to the Romafeller High School and continued to the Preventer headquarters. Once inside the building Wufei headed to his office and switched on his computer terminal. He needed to do a little research into Paul's fathers demise and ensuing funeral.

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

Heero saw the flashing of the green light on the terminal as he entered the lounge the next morning. He opened up the program to read the message. Seeing it was addressed to Shane he called the teen. "Shane..... You have e mail."

"Coming Heero."

Heero went through to the kitchen where Duo placed a cup of coffee into his hand. "Hn Thanks."

"Welcome." and Duo stole a good morning kiss. Rummaging around in the cupboard he set the box of 'Cheerio's' on the table along with bowls, sugar and milk. Sitting across from Heero he reached for the box and filled his bowl. Adding milk and sugar to the mix he dug in with his spoon.

Heero watched in amusement from behind the newspaper.

Duo looked up into love filled blue. "What?"

"You have some milk on your chin." and Heero reached forward. "Here let me clean it off." and Heero proceeded to flick his tongue over Duo's chin. Not content to stay there he began to move his tongue along Duo's jaw and up to his ear lobe.

Duo moaned softly, spoon poised forgotten in mid air as milk dripped off it and back into the bowl. "God Heero..."

"Geeze you two, get a room will ya." chuckled Shane as he sat down and helped himself to cereal.

"Awww I thought ya wanted to learn the facts of life Shane." quipped Duo.

"Duo.... I already ad that lesson... several times." Shane dead panned.

Heero couldn't help but laugh.

"Yeah well..." muttered Duo.

Shane smirked, he savored the victory. He didn't manage to catch Duo very often and so when he did it was to be relished.

"Who was the e mail from?" Heero questioned as he poured milk over his own breakfast.

"My mate Andy."

"Hn"

"Wasn't he the blonde haired kid who used to hang with us sometimes?" asked Duo as he scraped his bowl clean.

"Yeah. He said a couple of the guys ave left the gang he's wiv. Dunno where they went, jus upped an gone." Shane said in-between mouthfuls.

"Strange. Oh well maybe they found somewhere better ta hang out." said Duo as he stood and carried his bowl to the sink. Washing it clean he pondered the thought. Street rats usually stayed together. Very rarely did they split from the group and never without telling the others where they were going.

"Maybe they got picked up by the authorities." suggested Heero.

"Could ave." said Shane as he dumped his bowl in the sink for Duo to wash. "I gotta split. See ya tonight." and Shane grabbed his lunch from the 'fridge, stuffed it in his bag and was gone.

Heero stared at Duo's back. His lover seemed lost in his thoughts. He walked over and wrapped his arms around Duo's waist, burying his face into Duo's neck he nipped lightly at the soft skin. "What's up?"

Duo melted back into the embrace. "I dunno Heero. It just seems strange that a couple of the guys would split without sayin anythin."

"Well don't worry too much over it." Heero began to kiss Duo's neck.

Feeling those soft lips teasing against his skin Duo sighed and tilted his head to allow Heero better access. "You're probably right Heero... they just got picked up by the authorities." He still couldn't help the small niggling feeling of unease. He pushed it to the rear of his mind though as Heero turned him around and proceeded to ravish his mouth.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~