Disclaimer: The G-boys and Gundam Wing don’t belong to me, duh. I’m sure everyone is already aware, but it has to be said anyway.
Warnings: Yaoi abounds. If you don’t know what it means, go away and read something else.
Pairings: 3x2 main, 1x5, brief mention of 4+OC
Beta provided by TanithNight
TEN YEARS – PART 1
Leaning back on his elbows, Duo stretched his legs out in front of him, tilting his head back to stare at the starry sky. The night was clear, but cool; a slight breeze blowing his bangs from his face. It was the perfect night for socializing with others, or joining any of the multiple parties across the streets of the nearby city, but he felt a need to be alone.
Only days before the war had finally ended. The peace he had fought for almost his entire life had arrived and he had no idea what to do next. He was at a crossroad and didn’t know what direction to take. There were options, of course, and he merely needed to choose one to have a purpose, but he wasn’t certain he really wanted to follow the courses that had been mapped out for him.
There was an open invitation to return to the colonies and work with Hilde in the salvage yard, but it appealed to him as much as Relena’s offer to stay at her family home until he could decide where to go, which was not appealing at all. Even Quatre’s offer of letting him stay at one of the Winner residences left a bitter taste in the back of his throat.
Hearing laughter, he sat up and edged toward the end of the roof he sat on, the best place he had discovered for when he wanted to be alone. Down below, Heero looked baffled as two small dogs ran around his feet, jumping up on his legs and barking. Quatre was sitting on the ground not far away, a dog licking his face, the source of the laughter Duo had heard. The dogs seemed to belong to a young woman Relena was talking to, not even attempting to control the furry beasts.
Even from a distance Duo could see the sudden anguish on Heero’s features as he backed up several steps and understood the source for the agonized expression. Ready to put a stop to the dogs’ actions, Duo sucked in a deep breath to yell, swallowing it when Wufei beat him to it.
“Woman, will you control your dogs? Not everyone likes the things.”
Although Duo couldn’t hear the conversation from his position, he watched as the girl and Relena quickly gathered the dogs and went inside, followed by Quatre. He smiled as Wufei went to Heero’s side and spoke quickly, eventually coaxing a strained smile from the messy-haired teen.
“They could be good together,” a soft voice stated from behind him.
Scooting back from the ledge, Duo glanced over his shoulder at Trowa, sitting on the windowsill he had earlier used to get to the roof. Hiding his irritation at being found, he smiled, “If Heero ever figures out how Wufei feels, you mean.”
“You don’t believe he’s aware of it already?”
“He’s not even sure how he feels about things, man. Heero’s always been so isolated from other people he’s just beginning to learn how to interact with them.”
When Trowa came out onto the roof Duo raised his eyebrows, but said nothing. He didn’t know the tall teen well, but it was obvious Trowa had something to say. “You and Heero get along very well.”
Turning, Duo tried to read Trowa’s expression but found it impossible. Shrugging, he leaned back again, resting his head on his hands behind him. “We get along okay, I guess. What’s your point?”
“I was wondering why you’re up here instead of down there in Wufei’s place. I know you like boys instead of girls.”
“Never bothered to hide that from anybody, not that I remember. Being gay is pretty much standard in this line of work, right? Spend a lot more time with guys than girls,” Duo stated conversationally. “Heero’s not my type.”
Trowa made a sound that could have been amusement, confusion, or surprise. “What is your type?”
Watching a comet streak across the sky Duo idly wondered if it was part of a mobile suit entering the atmosphere. “Somebody that doesn’t pull a gun on me,” he snickered after a moment. Seeing the startled expression on his companion’s face he spoke, “Yes, he’s pulled a gun on me before, more than once, but not because I tried to hump him or anything like that.”
“And you lived through that experience?”
“Yep. We came to an agreement of sorts. While rooming together he wouldn’t try to shoot me and I wouldn’t super-glue his dick to his leg while he was sleeping; worked out pretty well.”
After that Trowa fell silent, but made no move to leave. It didn’t take long for Duo’s eyes to leave the sky so he could look at the other teen, sitting with his arms wrapped around his knees. From his position, Duo could see Trowa’s profile and was amazed at how attractive the other boy was, something he had noticed before.
“Why are you staring at me?” Trowa asked softly, making Duo jump guiltily.
“Just wondering how you get your hair to stay like that.” It hadn’t been what he was thinking, but he had wondered before so it couldn’t count as a lie. There was no way in hell he was going to admit where his mind had actually been going.
Trowa turned a little, green eyes lingering on Duo before he looked up at his own hair. “It just does,” he shrugged as if he had never thought of it before. “How do you always keep your hair so neat?”
“Lots of work; you should see me when I sleep with it down. It’s scarier than Une’s bad side.”
“Is that an invitation?”
Only years of practice kept Duo from showing how shocked he was at the soft question. Taking it as a joke, he laughed, “Like I said, I prefer people that aren’t going to pull a gun on me.” To keep Trowa from saying anything else, he asked quickly, “Is there a reason you came to find me?”
Trowa stared for a long moment, his face unreadable. He finally looked away, giving Duo a chance to catch his breath, which seemed lodged in his throat. “Relena has invited all of us to watch the fireworks from the top of the Peace Tower.”
“It’s not even finished yet,” commented Duo, attempting to get the strange question out of his mind with no success.
“It isn’t completed, but she has gotten permission to host a small celebration there, and has asked if we would all like to accompany her.”
Duo had no desire to watch the New Year’s Eve fireworks with anyone, but found himself asking, “You gonna go?”
When Trowa glanced back a small smile played across his lips, “I’ve never seen fireworks on Earth. They’re supposed to be beautiful.”
“I’ve never seen fireworks anywhere; not in person.” Duo frowned as the words came out of his mouth, realizing he had already made his choice. “Hell, I guess I’ll go and see what all the fuss is about. When are they leaving?”
“An hour or so.”
Already committed to going, Duo figured he could always find a way to get away from everyone. Hiding had always been one of his best skills. “They gonna have food?”
“I believe so.”
“Hopefully it won’t be any of that fancy gourmet shit Relena seems to like so much. Give me a good ol’ burger and fries and I’ll be happy.”
With a soft laugh, Trowa stood and went inside, leaving Duo alone again. For a while he tried to contemplate what he was going to do, eventually giving up after his brain continued to turn to the tall teen that had sought him out and the soft question that had stunned Duo so badly.
It wasn’t as if he had never wondered what it would be like to sleep with Trowa, but it had always been an abstract thought, not a serious one. Now he wasn’t able to get it out of his head, no matter how hard he tried, but even he had some requirements for a partner. The main one being that he had to know the person he was planning to have sex with.
He knew next to nothing about Trowa. That should have been the end of it. Why he couldn’t stop thinking about it he didn’t understand, but he was suddenly bothered that he didn’t know more about the pilot of Heavyarms. Abruptly realizing he was turning the same questions over and over in his mind had him cursing. Sitting up, he looked to the sky again, but found no answers there. Discovering how quiet it was had him cursing again, more fervently this time, as he figured out after Trowa left he had begun to feel lonely.
Resigned to sorting out his future the next day, he went inside and followed the sound of voices to his friends.
Leaning out of the window frame, Duo studied the city around the tower. For almost an hour he had smiled and mingled with the crowd that had joined the ‘small’ party, but had needed a break from talking to people he had never met and most likely would never meet again.
To make matters worse he had felt eyes on him the entire time. Unable to locate the source, he had grown edgier with every passing second; his nerves so bad he had jumped once when Heero began to speak to him suddenly. After reassuring his friend he was fine, and avoiding the angry glare Wufei had been giving him, he had finally escaped, fleeing to the unfinished level below the one where the party goers remained.
Those that didn’t know him well believed he was a social animal, always needing a crowd to feel comfortable. In truth, he was a solitary creature, both out of necessity and circumstance. Long before he had joined the other Gundams he had been on his own, a situation that had changed only a few times in his life and those times had passed quickly. Being with the Sweepers was different in his mind, he had known all of them for a number of years and they were like family. Gatherings like this one, however, made him highly self-conscious and afraid he would do or say something inappropriate.
Feeling eyes on him again he tensed for only an instant, relaxing as he realized he could identify the other person by scent alone, something he had never been able to do with anyone else. He didn’t turn, waiting to see what his uninvited companion would say this time.
“You have a talent for finding strange places to be alone.”
“Alone is the operative word here, Trowa,” he replied, keeping his eyes firmly on the lights of the city that spread out before him.
“You disappeared. I wanted to find out where you had gone.”
“I can only take so much of people like those snobs before I want to shove my fingers into my own eyeballs.”
“You don’t like the wealthy, diplomatic type, I assume. I was curious why you didn’t talk to the man that was flirting with you for so long.”
“What man?”
“Shoulder length blonde hair, blue eyes, white suit, about twenty or so. He seemed disappointed when you walked away.”
Duo finally turned, raising his brows when he saw Trowa was only a few feet away. “How do you know who I talked to and for how long?”
“You know how.”
“You were the one watching me,” he stated, baffled when Trowa nodded his head in confirmation. “Why?”
“Is it so difficult for you to understand why I was watching you?”
Shaking his head, Duo refused to consider the implications. Turning his back on Trowa he stated softly, “You better get back.”
“Come with me. The fireworks will begin soon. You’ll be missed.”
“Nah. Nobody’ll look for me. Quatre is sure to be looking for you by now, though.”
“He worries about me.”
The idea was so ludicrous Duo turned back to face Trowa, laughing. “That ain’t why, man. He wants you bad. You’d be smart to snag something like that. Quatre’s rich and hot; a good combo.”
“So Quatre’s your type?”
Not daring to meet the green eyes he knew were focused on him, Duo let his gaze wander the unfinished space. “Too innocent,” he said shortly in response.
“What about Wufei?”
“Wufei’d be more likely to shove a sword up my ass if I was stupid enough to even try.”
“What about me? I wouldn’t try to shoot you, or hurt you, and I’m not innocent.”
Desire stronger than he had ever experienced grabbed Duo by the throat. “NO.”
“What’s wrong with me?”
The low query forced his eyes to Trowa’s. Swallowing to get past the lump in his throat, he croaked, “Nothing’s wrong with you. I don’t know you.”
“You could.”
“Not that way,” he ground out, frustrated and confused by the sudden, and relentless, attempt to get him into bed. “I don’t know anything about you. I don’t even know why you started this all of a sudden. The very idea of us together makes no sense.”
“Why not?” Trowa’s voice was as calm as Duo’s was bewildered.
“It just doesn’t. Damn, man. I don’t jump into bed with everybody if that’s what you think. I have to actually know them first, and that ain’t likely to happen between us.”
This time it was Trowa that frowned, “We can’t take time to know each other? You’re leaving soon?”
“I don’t know what I’m going to do yet. I’ve been thinking it over but haven’t decided,” he admitted, tilting his head as Trowa’s face cleared. “Do you know what you’re gonna do now that the war’s over?”
“I’ve been asked to travel with the circus for a while. After that I don’t know.”
The swift pain of loss was almost staggering. “When do you leave?”
“I leave the day after tomorrow, if I leave when they do. I could stay for a while longer.”
Understanding what Trowa was suggesting, Duo shook his head slowly, “It’s not enough time.”
“You sound sorry about that.”
Looking away, Duo stuck his hands in his pockets, reassuring himself it was the suit he wore making him uncomfortable and not the idea of Trowa leaving. “I think I might be,” he admitted softly.
“How about a compromise?” Trowa suggested.
Immediately intrigued, Duo eyed the other teen warily, “What kind of compromise?”
Trowa remained silent for a moment, then spoke slowly, “If you still feel the same way in ten years, meet me here.” Duo frowned, prompting further explanation. “If you’re still sorry in ten years; if you regret not taking this opportunity and if you feel you know enough about me, meet me here in ten years, on this level of the tower.”
With a smirk, Duo had to ask, “What if you change your mind by then?”
“I’ve waited this long. I can wait longer.” As Duo frowned, Trowa let out a sigh. “I’ll rephrase. If you decide you want me, and if I still feel the same way, we’ll meet here. Right here, just before midnight on New Year’s Eve.”
It was highly unlikely they would even speak during the next ten years or that either of them would remember this deal for half of that, so Duo felt safe in agreeing. “Sure, why not?”
Trowa held out a hand and he grasped it, intending to seal the deal with a shake. He was startled by the sudden jerk on his hand, the move bringing his body in contact with the other teen’s. Looking up, he questioned, “Why’d you do that?”
“A handshake is a good way to finalize a deal, but it’s almost midnight. This seems more appropriate.” So saying, Trowa lowered his head and fused their lips together.
Duo didn’t even have the will to put up a fight, sliding into the kiss with a need that frightened him. Distantly he could hear the symphony of voices from the upper level counting down the seconds, but didn’t consider breaking the contact. As a chorus of cheers filled the air, he wound his free arm around the lean waist, feeling fingers tangle in his hair as their tongues twined around each other. When they finally separated, Trowa smile at him, somewhat sadly, “That was a good way to start a new year. It’s going to be hard to wait ten more years to feel you against me again.”
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