Opposites Attract
My First Gundam Wing Fanfic! This is an answer to the songfic challenge posted by Thordis. I claim temporary (ok, not so temporary) insanity for the results. I never realized how long that song is. Half of one verse is cut, as well as part of the end rap, because I couldn't find a way to make them fit, and I changed a couple pronouns to keep the song from one PoV. Comments are welcome and needed!
Rating: PG-13 (are they allowing cursing in PG?)
Pairings: 1x2, 3x4 hints
Warnings: Songfic, shounen ai, some angst (yes, I got angst with that song!)
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wings. I do not own the song Opposites Attract. People with much more money than I will ever have own both. No money being made, no money to lose, please don't sue.
//blah// = lyrics
//Baby seems we never ever agree
I like the movies
And you like T.V.//
"FUCK OFF HEERO! I DON'T TAKE ORDERS FROM YOU!"
Quatre cringed. Duo's fury was pretty hard to miss, but just as clear to the little empath was Heero's silent rage. If the pattern followed the norm, in a few minutes Duo would come storming through on his way out. Heero would follow a little later, watch TV silently with the rest of them for an hour or so, then disappear into his room for the rest of the night.
Wufei didn't seem to react at all to the shouting, but the blond saw in Trowa's eyes the same worry he felt. But Trowa wouldn't do anything. He'd let the other pilots alone until they straightened their relationship out on their own. Quatre couldn't help wondering, if and when they ever did, how much blood would be shed.
// I take thing serious
And you take 'em light//
In the bedroom, the blue-eyed soldier shrugged. "They're not your orders anyway. They're mine."
"And if you think for a moment I'm letting you take on a mission like this alone, you're crazy!"
Heero watched the violet-eyed boy frantically pace the small room, his face that emotionless mask his lover always hated. "Duo..."
"Don't you DARE give me that shit about the mission!" Duo spun to face the other boy, fury and fear clear in every line of his face. "This isn't a mission! This is a damned suicide!"
"I can handle it."
"WELL I CAN'T!" Something in Heero flinched at the defeat he heard under Duo's anger. He watched, unable to do anything else, as the braided boy flung open the door and stormed out. A few seconds later came the slam of the front door, followed by the screech of tires on the safehouse drive.
//You go to bed early
And I party all night//
Duo pushed the bike to its fastest, heedless of little things like safety and speed laws, ignoring the tears the wind pulled from his eyes. *The wind, right. Keep telling yourself that, Duo.* He ignored the thought too, ignored everything but the machine thrumming between his thighs, adrenaline pumping on high, proving he could feel, proving he was ALIVE...
He had no goal, no purpose, but somehow found himself slowing down, turning the motorcyle to trace faint sounds of music. Warehouse district, he noticed absently, but somewhere nearby a steady, hungry bass beat pulled him into itself. His familiar, manic grin covered his face as he found his destination. Someone'd started a rave in one of the empty buildings, and the party was in full swing. A quick glance at the crowd of cars, and he estimated maybe another hour before the cops showed up. Still, that'd be an hour of fun. He laughed. When the cops showed, he'd have some fun with them too.
//Our friends are sayin'
We ain't gonna last//
Conversation was sporatic in the livingroom, faced with the insurmountable barrier of a silent Heero Yuy. By this time even Wufei was participating in the trading of worried looks. Some sitcom was playing on the television, but none of the boys were following the plot, and each burst of canned laughter was like nails on a blackboard.
"Heero, you can't keep doing this." The moment Quatre spoke, he wished he hadn't, but the silence and tension had been too much for the Arabian. Heero just looked at him, his face still the blank mask it'd been since he joined the trio. Too late to stop, he realized, and forced the rest of the words out. "You and Duo. You can't keep this up. You're tearing each other apart." Silence. "I... I'm sorry, I know it's probably none of my buisness. But your my friends, both of you. I don't want to see you hurt."
More silence, as Heero pinned the smaller pilot with a gaze as cold and empty as a shark's. "You're right, Quatre," he finally spoke. "It's none of your buisness." He stood and walked back to his bedroom, paying no mind to the blond boy's shivering or the glare at his back from half-hidden green eyes.
//Cuz you move slowly
And baby I'm fast
You like it quiet
And I love to shout//
The house was dark by the time Duo came back, both the bike and himself a little worse for wear. With the stealth born of a street rat from L2 and carefully cultivated by Professor G, he put the bike away and got to his room without disturbing a soul.
"Duo."
Almost without disturbing a soul. Supressing a sigh, he turned to grin at Heero as the bedside lamp came on. "Hey, you're up! Shoulda come with me, there was an awesome rave..." The words faded. Alone with his lover, he couldn't maintain the masks he'd so carefully cultivated. This time he let the sigh out, and sat down on the bed.
//But when we get together
It just all works out//
"You're going, aren't you?"
"I have to." There was no trace of regret in Heero's soft reply.
Duo fought back the urge to shout, to shake him, to MAKE him see sense. "And you're going alone."
"It's a solo mission. The situation's too tight for more than one person to make it."
"It's too tight for one person to make it." The words a whisper, the energy that fueled Duo's earlier shouts drained. "God, Heero, if anything happens to you..."
"It won't. I can do this."
//I take--2 steps forward
You take--2 steps back
We come together
Cuz opposites attract//
Strong, lean arms wrapped around the braided boy. Leaning into the hug, Duo let the Japanese pilot's confidence sink into him, become his own. His own arms came around the other boy, and he nuzzled Heero's shoulder. "I believe you."
Heero felt the tension drain out of him. He was no fool, he knew the upcoming mission would be hard. He believed in himself because he had no choise. There was a mission, and he would complete it or die trying.. But Duo's confidence was a gift, one he needed. He wouldn't fail his lover. "Die trying" was not an option anymore.
//And you know--it ain't fiction
Just a natural fact
We come together
Cuz opposites attract//
Soft words, comforting touches. Gradually the contact became more than comfort, the words simply expressive sounds.
//Who'd a thought we could be lovers
You makes the bed
And I steals the covers//
It was still dark when Heero slipped out of the tumbled sheets. Duo murmurred something that sounded vaguely like a protest but didn't wake. By the time Heero was dressed, the American had managed to cocoon himself completely in the blankets. With a soft smile, Heero leaned over the bed, looking for an exposed bit of skin, and finally placed a gentle kiss on Duo's temple. Another sleepy murmur was the only reply, and a small wriggle that burrowed the boy deeper into his nest. Cobalt eyes gleamed with love and amusement, then Heero turned his focus to the mission. By the time he reached the bedroom door, he was the expresionless Perfect Soldier once more.
//You like it neat
And I makes a mess
I take it easy
Baby you get obsessed//
By the time a bleery violet eye peered out of the pile, the sun was shining full force into the room. Duo groaned and tried to hide from the encroaching daylight, then heaved a sigh and gave it up. Kicking and thrashing, he finally managed to untangle himself from the blankets. Somehow that always struck him as a little ironic.. He could get out of handcuffs, ropes, chains, any of that in a matter of minutes, but a random pile of blankets nearly swallowed him whole. Go figure.
Once free, he glanced around the room and sighed. Heero was gone, and it was too easy to imagine the boy'd never been there. Too easy to imagine he might- no. He wouldn't finish that thought. Heero'd be back, that's all there was too it.
The typical morning rituals followed. Shower, dress, braid hair, breakfast. Reassure Quatre that no, he hadn't killed Heero and hidden the body, Heero was gone on a mission. Head for the old factory where the Gundams were hidden, give Deathscythe a once-over, check if he had any missions. It was actually a little disappointing to find nothing waiting for him. Breaks from the action were all well and good, but something to do would keep him from worrying about Heero.
Well, if G wasn't going to be kind enough to give him something, he'd just have to invent it for himself. For a minute he leaned out of Deathscythe's cockpit, eyeing Shenlong speculatively. No, Wufei'd kill him. That manic grin slowly spread over his features. Wufei'd definitely kill him. With a low, sinister laugh, Duo grabbed the dropchord. Wufei would have his head for this...
He froze, instinct identifying the potential threat before he was conciously aware of it. Not daring to move, barely daring to breathe, he listened... no. It couldn't be. He scrambled back into the cockpit, firing up Deathscythe's sensors. The targetting screen lit up with one red blip after another. Leos. The damned factory was surrounded by Leos!
Fingers raced to activate the black Gundam, mind raced to find a way out. Oh, he could get away no problem, but three other suits were silent and still here, and he had no way of contacting the other pilots from here. If he left, the OZ soldiers would find the other suits, and quite likely the other pilots as well. If he stood his ground, the others might hear the fighting and make it to their Gundams before he was overrun. The safehouse was only a mile away. He could hold them long enough for the guys to travel a mile.
Judging by the relatively few Leos close in, Duo guessed they weren't expecting any of the Gundam pilots to be with their suits. Most of the MS troops were in a loose circle a bit further out. Stupid mistake. For most of them, it'd be their last. The manic grin once more in place, Duo moved Deathscythe into position.
The first MS through the huge loading doors never knew what hit him. The second pilot at least saw the green slash of the energyblade coming. "They're active! Gundam's confirmed and act-" His transmission was cut off by the second swing of the scythe, and in the moment before blackness swallowed him, he thought he heard laughter. Shinigami was here, and an abundance of souls were waiting to be reaped.
//Things in common
There just ain't a one
But when we get together
We have nothin' but fun//
The door to the safehouse burst open under Heero's weight. Wufei took one look at the Japanese pilot and started grabbing stuff. "Clear out, now!" he barked, but Quatre and Trowa were already following the young dragon's lead. He paused for a moment, to catch a breath and count heads, then ran for his own room. "Duo!"
"He's not here. What happened?"
"Where is he?" he snapped at the Arabian, ignoring the question.
"I don't know." Quatre never stopped packing his small bag - none of them carried much into the field - but his soft voice was heavy with concern. "He took off this morning after breakfast, didn't say where he was going. How'd they find us?"
'Don't know. Saw the troop movement orders on recon."
Pack slung over his shoulder, Trowa threw in, "I'll haul Duo's Gundam out. He'll catch up later."
"Hn,"
The others took off for the factory, and Heero hauled tail for the warehouse where he'd hastily stashed Wing. The timeline was too damned tight, and he knew it. OZ troops should be in the area already, and he knew there was a chance the Gundams had already been secured.
Then an explosion echoed through the morning air, followed immediately by a second, then a slow series.
A fresh surge of adrenaline carried him the rest of the way, then Wing was airborne. Scanners set towards the factory, he expected to see half of it blown away, along with the Gundams inside. There hadn't been enough time for the others to get to their suits before that first explosion. Instead, a black figure loomed among the Leos, handing out death like Halloween candy to children.
"So that's where you went."
"Hey Heero! Thought you'd be long gone by now."
"Came back. We've been made."
"Gee, ya think?" The scythe sliced a wide arc, followed by a series of explosions as one MS after another had it's power core breached. "The others coming?"
"Hn."
"Hope they stay out from underfoot; I'd hate to step on one of them by mistake."
"Baka." The beam cannon fired once, and two Leo's disappeared in a brilliant flash. "How'd you get to your Gundam in time?"
"Was doing a tune-up when the party started."
Another voice cut into the communication. "Didn't you finish upgrading Deathscythe a couple days ago?."
"Q-man! What can I say, I was bored."
Light flared in the eyes of the other three Gundams as another voice growled, "I swear to you Maxwell, if I find a single speck of pink, so much as a ribbon..."
"Kill him later. Reinforcements coming in," Trowa advised over Wufei's threat.
"Yes! The gang's all here, it's time to PARTY!"
//You take--2 steps forward
I take--2 steps back
We come together
Cuz opposites attract//
Despite Duo's enthusiasm, they all knew they were in a tight situation. Leos closing in, more reinforcements on the way, and a safehouse compromised. This wasn't a mission, with a target and a point of completion. This was a struggle for survival.
But they weren't Gundam pilots for nothing. Each deadly in their own right, together they worked with a skill that was almost art. Quite an accomplishment for five warriors who'd been all but ordered not to work with each other.
"NOW! SCATTER!" Heero's words pierced through the battle haze beginning to entrap the other pilots. Instantly five Gundams took off in five directions. No one risked looking back to see who was followed and who was not. No one mentioned a meeting place. They'd never planned the circumstances that brought them together before, and trusted unconsciously in whatever force did to do it again.
//And you know--it ain't fiction
Just a natural fact
We come together
Cuz opposites attract//
Duo'd lost track of how long he'd been running. For a long time he just stared at Deathscythe's screen, until he suddenly realized he had no clue why he was staring at it. Groaning as every muscle protested, he climbed out of the black Gundam and secured the camoflage net over it. The safehouse was one he'd used before, a bare cabin in the middle of a nameless forest. Trudging up the hill, he wondered if he'd be able to stay awake long enough to eat something. He thought he might have left some canned goods last time. Those would hold him for a while. Did he have a can opener?
His thoughts and his steps stumbled to a halt, taken aback by the scene in front of him. Heavy netting, green and brown and uneven, was carefully draped over a long, unnatural form. His eyes ran over the figure carefully, picking out details, piecing them together as they might look without the cover. Slowly he smiled, then laughed. Energy restored, he trotted the last distance to the cabin and the cobalt-eyed boy inside.
//Baby ain't it somethin'
How we lasted this long
You and me
Provin' everyone wrong//
Within a few weeks they'd contacted the other pilots. By that time Heero'd already tracked the security breach to an OZ slush account tapped once too often. Rather than shut down the link into it, he set up a series of transfer protocols which would make the account look active while shuffling the money from one unused account to another. It'd take the OZ codebusters a month, maybe more, before they were able to track all the convolutions of the electronic trail. In the meantime, he systematically replaced all the current taps with fresh ones and made note to start cycling them more often.
Wing and Sandrock had come out of the whole mess with the least damage. Shenlong was battered but whole, but Heavyarms and Deathscythe had both taken a severe beating. Quatre made arraingements for a transport to meet them, and the black Gundam was quickly under the care of a Maganoc repair crew. When they joined the others at last, Quatre gave them both enthusiastic hugs, while Trowa and Wufei kept to more sedate greetings. The meeting was warm and sincere, but both boys felt the underlying tension in their friends, the constant uncertainty about what went on between the pair, when the next blowup might come.
Knowing their unease and the reasons, having no way to reassure them, Duo caught Heero's eye and grinned.
//Don't think we'll ever
Get our differences patched//
"Dammit Heero, will you think about this for a minute?!"
"We went over this already."
The argument, so calm, so cold, only infuriated Duo further. "That was different!"
"How?"
Arguments flailed through the braided boy's mind, but the truth was that it wasn't different. In the time since the safehouse had been compromised, he'd allowed himself to forget the mission Heero had abandoned to warn the others. Heero hadn't, and they were back at that place Duo hated, caught between the Japanese boy's sense of duty and his own choking fear.
Snarling something about going out, Duo opened the door... and had it immediately slammed shut as another hand rested against it. Still in the same blank, calm tones, Heero told him, "Not this time."
"Get out of my way!"
"Not this time," he repeated, and for once emotion tinged the Perfect Soldier's voice. Anger, hurt, concern... Duo identified them all, reflections of his own confused feelings. Cobalt eyes caught violet, held them, refused to let them look away.
"How many times are we going to do this, Duo? Do you think I don't choke on my heart with some of the mission assignments you get? I don't say anything because I know there's more at stake than us. We have a war to fight, and we're the only able to fight it."
Still leaning against the door, Heero raised his hand to tenderly stroke Duo's cheek. "I love you, Duo Maxwell. But more than that, I trust you. I trust you to do what you need to. I trust you to complete your missions and come back to me. I trust you to not let our relationship become a hinderance to either of us." His hand dropped, and he straightened, releasing the door. "If you can't meet that trust, if you can't trust me the same way, then maybe leaving is the best thing you can do."
Dumbstruck, Duo stared at his lover, one hand still on the doorknob. There was a finalty to Heero's words that stunned him. Surely Heero didn't think he wanted to break up? He never wanted that, it was just the frustration, the anger and anguish that threatened to swallow him whole, that Heero was never willing to answer or even acknowledge.
//Don't really matter
Cuz we're perfectly matched//
Heero's words sank deeper, and Duo realized he'd been doing his own share of ignoring. Heero's trust, his confidence... how often had he knocked those offerings from his lover aside?
His hand slid off the doorknob, took hold of Heero's, fingers twining with the other boy's. He stepped forward, leaning his forehead against Heero's, that and the grasped hands the only contact between them. The words slipped from him, barely a whisper. "I just get so scared sometimes."
"I know." Heero's words just as soft, just as full.
A moment more, and Duo released Heero's hand to embrace him lightly. He shivered slightly when Heero's arms wrapped around him, pulling him gently closer, tenderly stroking along his back. Closing his eyes, Duo swallowed down all the emotions threatening to choke off his breath.
"I'm not going anywhere."
//Nothing in common but this trust
I'm like a minus, he's like a plus
One going up, one coming down
But we seem to land on common ground
When things go wrong we make corrections
To keep things moving in the right direction
Try to fight it but I'm telling you Jack
It's useless, Opposites Attract//
GW Fanfiction