Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ War Story ❯ Chapter 5
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Vinyl-Koneko 
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama / Angst / Adventure / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 06.28.2003 | Updated On: 07.10.2003 | Pages: 2 | Words: 1.7K | Visits: 425 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama / Angst / Adventure / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 06.28.2003 | Updated On: 07.10.2003 | Pages: 2 | Words: 1.7K | Visits: 425 | Status: Completed
+ Title: War Story - Part 5
+ Author: Vinyl Koneko (Emily), roguegirl@att.net
+ Rating: R
+ Couplings: 1xR, 1x2, 3x4
+ Warnings: AU, WWII era, minor het, yaoi, historical fiction, drama, no Wufei
+ Archive: Want it? Take it. Just give me credit, please.
+ Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing. If I did, well, let's just say the 1xR and 2xH fans wouldn't be so happy...
+ Comments: // Written //, *emphasis*, 'thought', [ flashback ]. Heero POV. This story was written solely for the 1x2 AU Novella 25,000 Word Fic Challenge. Inspiration hit watching PBS on a lonely Saturday night and wouldn't let me rest until it was done. ^_^
+ Summary: The year is 1942. Heero Yuy, a pilot for the United States Air Force, gets send to command a squadron in London. There he meets a literature student by the name of Duo Maxwell, and he learns sometimes it takes another person to figure out everything about yourself.
*~**~*
The London Library was a stately structure, three stories high and just a century old. As expected, it smelled like old books and wooden furniture, which was actually a little comforting to Heero because it reminded him of the library he was a member of back in Chicago.
[ "Heero!" Relena appeared from around a shelf, wearing a dress he hadn't seen before with her hair and makeup done. "Are you going to sit here and study all night or are you going to take me dancing?"
Heero bit back a comment. He never took her dancing; it was more like she dragged him, and he was often abandoned at the milk bar for an old friend or a male partner that actually didn't mind to dance.
"Not tonight, Lena. I have an exam tomorrow. We can go some other night."
She pouted, sniffing slightly, turning her eyes away and batting her lashes rapidly. This always happened. Relena would guilt him into taking her, even if he had prior engagements. It worked that evening, as well, and Heero had slept passed his exam period, lowering his grade enough that the full scholarship he had been offered for college the following year was revoked. ]
He found the newspaper section without any difficulty, grabbing copies from the past week of The Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, and The Boston Globe. He had a lot of time to kill, and a lot of news to go through. The silence was relaxing and blissful. Heero hadn't had the time to sit down and be to himself for over a year. The only other sound was the turning of pages and the stamp of the librarian marking a book with its due date.
Heero heard soft steps behind him and thought nothing of it until a voice began to address him. "Are you hoarding today's issue of the Globe?" The major stiffened slightly in response. That voice - it was the American boy that ran into him just the other day. He lowered the paper from in front of his face to get a good look at his companion, and could tell instantly that the other recognized him, as well. "Hey, shit, small world, isn't it?"
"Yes it is," Heero responded, trying not to sound as irritated as he felt. He had just gotten the captivating young man off his mind only to run into him again. "It's near the bottom if you want to take it."
"Thanks." Heero tried his best to ignore the long rope of hair swinging from side to side over the boy's shoulder as he dug through the pile. When he found his quarry, the boy pointed to a neighboring chair. "Is this seat taken?" Heero shook his head, and in response, the boy plopped himself right into it. "Well, it is now." He sat up suddenly, extending his hand. "My name's Duo Maxwell."
Heero looked at the hand contemplatively for a minute before deciding it wouldn't kill him to be a little friendly. "Heero Yuy. Why are you here?"
Duo blinked, looking a little confused. "I wanted to read the paper."
"I meant here in London. It's not the ideal place to be with the bombing raids and the Nazi threat not too far away."
The longhaired boy opened the paper, briefing over the headlines on the front page. "I could ask the same thing about you. Let's just say I didn't pick the best semester to spend studying abroad. What's your excuse?"
Heero had an impulse to lie, to say that he was on vacation and got stuck in the middle of everything, but something told him Duo would be able to tell. Or maybe it had to do with the fact that he was always told he was a lousy liar. "I'm a major in the United States Air Force sent to London from Africa to lead the defensive squadron in protecting Great Britain from the bombing raids."
"Wow, an Air Force major, huh? You can't be that much older than me. What are you, twenty-four?"
"Twenty-five."
Duo grinned. "Close enough." He sat back in what seemed to be silent awe for a moment. "You must be pretty damn good to have gotten that high up."
"I do what I need to," Heero replied, trying not to think of the kill numbers he had to rack up to get where he was. "Why didn't you get drafted?"
"Oldest and only son." He shrugged. "My parents would throw a fit if they found out I signed up. I don't think they've figured out that I've grown up yet." Duo put down the newspaper, and Heero realized that the other American expected to get more conversation done than reading. "So what did you do before joining the Air Force?"
Heero shifted uncomfortably. Neither his parents nor Relena approved of his chosen profession, but why should he care what Duo thought? "I write books."
Duo leaned forward in his chair, even more interested. "Really? Anything I might have read?"
The major chuckled lightly, shaking his head. "I haven't completed anything yet. All my stories reach a certain point and then my interest just dies." His mouth became a firm line. "My wife thinks it's a silly hobby and that I'm wasting my time."
Heero noticed a flicker of some unidentifiable emotion cross Duo's features and vanish just as quickly. "Oh," he recovered, licking his lips. "That's not very…supportive of her. I'm a journalism major and the only reason I can support myself out here is that the British papers are paying me good money for editorials from an American's perspective."
"That explains all the questions," Heero noted with a humored expression.
"Yeah," Duo grinned in response, "I guess it does." They sat in companionable silence, and Heero was surprised to realize that he didn't actually mind Duo's company and actually wanted to learn more about the young man.
"So you're how old? Twenty-one?"
"Twenty-three," Duo responded, winking playfully. "It looks like I'm better at the age-guessing game than you are, Heero."
"The people I've been around are forced to grow up real fast. Not to be offensive, but your innocence makes you seem younger."
Duo laughed suddenly. "I'm sorry," he said. "It's just that no one's ever described me as innocent before. Hell spawn, yes. Innocent, definitely not."
Heero's gaze narrowed. "Why were you called Hell spawn?"
This time Duo was the one shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "Yeah, um, well…you see, I have…preferences that the majority of the world tends to look down upon."
"What kind of preferences?"
"The kind where I'd rather be with a man than a woman." Duo looked terribly disconcerted after explaining that fact of his life to Heero. The other man wasn't helping much, either, with his complete lack of response. "Now you hate me and think I'm disgusting like the rest of the world, right?"
Heero recovered, shaking his head. "No, that's not it. It's just that I've never really known any homosexuals before and all of a sudden I find myself meeting three in two days."
"Your friends from last night?"
He nodded.
"You grew up in Small-town, USA, didn't you?"
Heero smirked. "No, even worse, a suburb."
Duo laughed again, and Heero couldn't help but feel glad. He didn't want Duo to feel threatened by him because he was different. He knew what being hated by was like. His Japanese heritage didn't help much, especially during this war.
"I think I'd like to meet your friends from the other night. I don't really have anyone to talk to over here, and I've been missing the human contact."
"I think they'd like to meet you, too," Heero responded honestly. Quite the group the four of them would make - himself being the only one attached to a woman. Duo, Quatre, and Trowa seemed normal like everyone else. Why did people have to hate each other because of their differences? "If you drop by the base tomorrow around noon the four of us could grab lunch…if you wanted to."
Duo smiled coquettishly. "Major Yuy, are you asking me out on a date?"
Heero held up his left hand. "I'm married, remember?"
Duo pouted. "Can't blame a guy for trying. All right. Tomorrow at noon it is. I found this place down the street from here that makes a mean cheeseburger, just like back in the States. Does that sound good?"
The pilot nodded mutely, mentally trying to decipher this sudden feeling within him. Why did he feel almost excited when Duo responded to his reminder? It was a sudden rush of adrenaline, just like when he was in the middle of a dogfight. These feelings confused him. Maybe it had to do with what Duo said. It had been a while since Heero talked to anyone back home. Maybe they all just needed a friend.
Wasn't this the exact situation he was trying to tell Zechs and Quatre that his pilots should try their best to avoid? If he and Duo became friends, and then Heero was killed in battle, that would just be one more person he was hurting.
Heero looked over at Duo as the young man skimmed through the pages in The Boston Globe. He didn't want to hurt Duo. He didn't want him to experience first-hand the ugliness of war. Maybe if it wasn't Relena's love he was fighting for, it could be Duo's innocence.
Maybe.
*~**~*
End Part 5
+ Author: Vinyl Koneko (Emily), roguegirl@att.net
+ Rating: R
+ Couplings: 1xR, 1x2, 3x4
+ Warnings: AU, WWII era, minor het, yaoi, historical fiction, drama, no Wufei
+ Archive: Want it? Take it. Just give me credit, please.
+ Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing. If I did, well, let's just say the 1xR and 2xH fans wouldn't be so happy...
+ Comments: // Written //, *emphasis*, 'thought', [ flashback ]. Heero POV. This story was written solely for the 1x2 AU Novella 25,000 Word Fic Challenge. Inspiration hit watching PBS on a lonely Saturday night and wouldn't let me rest until it was done. ^_^
+ Summary: The year is 1942. Heero Yuy, a pilot for the United States Air Force, gets send to command a squadron in London. There he meets a literature student by the name of Duo Maxwell, and he learns sometimes it takes another person to figure out everything about yourself.
*~**~*
The London Library was a stately structure, three stories high and just a century old. As expected, it smelled like old books and wooden furniture, which was actually a little comforting to Heero because it reminded him of the library he was a member of back in Chicago.
[ "Heero!" Relena appeared from around a shelf, wearing a dress he hadn't seen before with her hair and makeup done. "Are you going to sit here and study all night or are you going to take me dancing?"
Heero bit back a comment. He never took her dancing; it was more like she dragged him, and he was often abandoned at the milk bar for an old friend or a male partner that actually didn't mind to dance.
"Not tonight, Lena. I have an exam tomorrow. We can go some other night."
She pouted, sniffing slightly, turning her eyes away and batting her lashes rapidly. This always happened. Relena would guilt him into taking her, even if he had prior engagements. It worked that evening, as well, and Heero had slept passed his exam period, lowering his grade enough that the full scholarship he had been offered for college the following year was revoked. ]
He found the newspaper section without any difficulty, grabbing copies from the past week of The Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, and The Boston Globe. He had a lot of time to kill, and a lot of news to go through. The silence was relaxing and blissful. Heero hadn't had the time to sit down and be to himself for over a year. The only other sound was the turning of pages and the stamp of the librarian marking a book with its due date.
Heero heard soft steps behind him and thought nothing of it until a voice began to address him. "Are you hoarding today's issue of the Globe?" The major stiffened slightly in response. That voice - it was the American boy that ran into him just the other day. He lowered the paper from in front of his face to get a good look at his companion, and could tell instantly that the other recognized him, as well. "Hey, shit, small world, isn't it?"
"Yes it is," Heero responded, trying not to sound as irritated as he felt. He had just gotten the captivating young man off his mind only to run into him again. "It's near the bottom if you want to take it."
"Thanks." Heero tried his best to ignore the long rope of hair swinging from side to side over the boy's shoulder as he dug through the pile. When he found his quarry, the boy pointed to a neighboring chair. "Is this seat taken?" Heero shook his head, and in response, the boy plopped himself right into it. "Well, it is now." He sat up suddenly, extending his hand. "My name's Duo Maxwell."
Heero looked at the hand contemplatively for a minute before deciding it wouldn't kill him to be a little friendly. "Heero Yuy. Why are you here?"
Duo blinked, looking a little confused. "I wanted to read the paper."
"I meant here in London. It's not the ideal place to be with the bombing raids and the Nazi threat not too far away."
The longhaired boy opened the paper, briefing over the headlines on the front page. "I could ask the same thing about you. Let's just say I didn't pick the best semester to spend studying abroad. What's your excuse?"
Heero had an impulse to lie, to say that he was on vacation and got stuck in the middle of everything, but something told him Duo would be able to tell. Or maybe it had to do with the fact that he was always told he was a lousy liar. "I'm a major in the United States Air Force sent to London from Africa to lead the defensive squadron in protecting Great Britain from the bombing raids."
"Wow, an Air Force major, huh? You can't be that much older than me. What are you, twenty-four?"
"Twenty-five."
Duo grinned. "Close enough." He sat back in what seemed to be silent awe for a moment. "You must be pretty damn good to have gotten that high up."
"I do what I need to," Heero replied, trying not to think of the kill numbers he had to rack up to get where he was. "Why didn't you get drafted?"
"Oldest and only son." He shrugged. "My parents would throw a fit if they found out I signed up. I don't think they've figured out that I've grown up yet." Duo put down the newspaper, and Heero realized that the other American expected to get more conversation done than reading. "So what did you do before joining the Air Force?"
Heero shifted uncomfortably. Neither his parents nor Relena approved of his chosen profession, but why should he care what Duo thought? "I write books."
Duo leaned forward in his chair, even more interested. "Really? Anything I might have read?"
The major chuckled lightly, shaking his head. "I haven't completed anything yet. All my stories reach a certain point and then my interest just dies." His mouth became a firm line. "My wife thinks it's a silly hobby and that I'm wasting my time."
Heero noticed a flicker of some unidentifiable emotion cross Duo's features and vanish just as quickly. "Oh," he recovered, licking his lips. "That's not very…supportive of her. I'm a journalism major and the only reason I can support myself out here is that the British papers are paying me good money for editorials from an American's perspective."
"That explains all the questions," Heero noted with a humored expression.
"Yeah," Duo grinned in response, "I guess it does." They sat in companionable silence, and Heero was surprised to realize that he didn't actually mind Duo's company and actually wanted to learn more about the young man.
"So you're how old? Twenty-one?"
"Twenty-three," Duo responded, winking playfully. "It looks like I'm better at the age-guessing game than you are, Heero."
"The people I've been around are forced to grow up real fast. Not to be offensive, but your innocence makes you seem younger."
Duo laughed suddenly. "I'm sorry," he said. "It's just that no one's ever described me as innocent before. Hell spawn, yes. Innocent, definitely not."
Heero's gaze narrowed. "Why were you called Hell spawn?"
This time Duo was the one shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "Yeah, um, well…you see, I have…preferences that the majority of the world tends to look down upon."
"What kind of preferences?"
"The kind where I'd rather be with a man than a woman." Duo looked terribly disconcerted after explaining that fact of his life to Heero. The other man wasn't helping much, either, with his complete lack of response. "Now you hate me and think I'm disgusting like the rest of the world, right?"
Heero recovered, shaking his head. "No, that's not it. It's just that I've never really known any homosexuals before and all of a sudden I find myself meeting three in two days."
"Your friends from last night?"
He nodded.
"You grew up in Small-town, USA, didn't you?"
Heero smirked. "No, even worse, a suburb."
Duo laughed again, and Heero couldn't help but feel glad. He didn't want Duo to feel threatened by him because he was different. He knew what being hated by was like. His Japanese heritage didn't help much, especially during this war.
"I think I'd like to meet your friends from the other night. I don't really have anyone to talk to over here, and I've been missing the human contact."
"I think they'd like to meet you, too," Heero responded honestly. Quite the group the four of them would make - himself being the only one attached to a woman. Duo, Quatre, and Trowa seemed normal like everyone else. Why did people have to hate each other because of their differences? "If you drop by the base tomorrow around noon the four of us could grab lunch…if you wanted to."
Duo smiled coquettishly. "Major Yuy, are you asking me out on a date?"
Heero held up his left hand. "I'm married, remember?"
Duo pouted. "Can't blame a guy for trying. All right. Tomorrow at noon it is. I found this place down the street from here that makes a mean cheeseburger, just like back in the States. Does that sound good?"
The pilot nodded mutely, mentally trying to decipher this sudden feeling within him. Why did he feel almost excited when Duo responded to his reminder? It was a sudden rush of adrenaline, just like when he was in the middle of a dogfight. These feelings confused him. Maybe it had to do with what Duo said. It had been a while since Heero talked to anyone back home. Maybe they all just needed a friend.
Wasn't this the exact situation he was trying to tell Zechs and Quatre that his pilots should try their best to avoid? If he and Duo became friends, and then Heero was killed in battle, that would just be one more person he was hurting.
Heero looked over at Duo as the young man skimmed through the pages in The Boston Globe. He didn't want to hurt Duo. He didn't want him to experience first-hand the ugliness of war. Maybe if it wasn't Relena's love he was fighting for, it could be Duo's innocence.
Maybe.
*~**~*
End Part 5