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"Lasting Impressions"Written By: Dragonmistress_7 Disclaimer: I don't own the Gundam Wing Boys.
Lasting Impressions
Lasting Impression 15 "Trowa?" "Yes, Duo?" They sat side by side on an uncomfortable bench in a tiny room with concrete walls and a thick metal door. "You don't have to answer, of course, but it occurs to me to ask why we're being imprisoned." "We aren't. We're being detained." "Oh…how do you know the difference?" "There are laws against imprisoning people who haven't done anything wrong. We haven't, so we're being detained." "My mistake. Why are we being detained then?" Instead of answering, Trowa turned to look at him. "You're Nachi, right?" "Since we've already disconnected all the microphones, we'll say `sure' for the purposes of our conversation. " Trowa nodded to himself. "You said the one thing that could melt Quatre's anger once he suspected as much. He hates slavery above all else." The door opened, and an official walked in. "We may not have anything on you yet, Trowa, but your friend here presented false documents. We can arrest him now." "Check again," Duo advised. "Those papers are government issued. By universal law, a planetary VIP may use fake credentials for the purpose of securing his or her own safety as he or she deems necessary," he recited. "Then who are you?" the Ansirian demanded. "I'm not required to tell you that. Keep looking. I think you'll know when you find me." The official left in a huff. Trowa looked puzzled and vaguely impressed at the same time. "Who the hell are you?" "I'll tell if you will," Duo replied gamely. "No offense, but you go first. You're the reason we're being `detained' after all." Before Trowa could reply, the door swung open again. Duo made an odd face and moved his hand so that one fingertip touched Trowa's wrist as a very self-important Ansirian walked in. He smiled as though only just noticing them. "Ah, Ambassador, it is you. I was surprised to hear that you had returned. What, I wondered, could you be doing here? Visiting family? Catching up with friends? Causing trouble?" Trowa's face twisted in thinly-veiled disgust. "I lost that title long ago as you well know, Ambassador. My only family is on Ryuna and my friends were on the shuttle that brought me here. When I get home, I'll cause you all manner of trouble from there just to show you that I didn't have to come here to do it." The Ambassador caught Trowa by the chin. "You're hiding your face with your hair. Such a shame. It was once considered the finest face on Ansirii. That's how you got my job, right?" He looked at Duo, seeming to sense his confusion. "On Ansirii, we prize beauty very highly. You may have noted what a fair race we are. These markings on our faces are more than just decoration. They tell the story of our genetics. The more colorful and intricate the patterns, the wiser, stronger and healthier we are. As you can see, Trowa here hit the jackpot. On the merit of his beauty, he rose to power quickly. However, an unfortunate accident marred his face." "By `unfortunate accident' he means that he hired a goon to try to gouge my eyes out," Trowa muttered. The Ambassador pretended not to hear but his grip on Trowa's chin tightened painfully. "His resignation was called for immediately. He chose not to comply." He looked down coldly, as though examining an interesting bug. "After that, you just disappeared. What happened to you, dear boy?" "You don't remember? You had me kidnapped and sold to a traveling circus that wasn't especially picky about where they got their performers." "So you say, but I haven't seen the proof," the Ansirian smiled. "If I had proof, you wouldn't see anything but the inside of a room very much like this one for a long time." "Have you seen his scar?" the Ambassador asked Duo suddenly. "I somewhat doubt it. Tell me, what do you think?" He yanked Trowa's head forward and pulled his bangs back, revealing a wide but well-healed scar that interrupted the delicate pattern on his skin from eyebrow to hairline. Duo blinked. "That's it? That's what was supposed to get him kicked out of office? The way you talked, I was expecting something grotesque. I think it gives him character. I'd say he's still better-looking than you." Outraged beyond words, the Ambassador released Trowa and strode from the room, slamming the door behind him. For a long moment, there was silence. Then, quietly, "Thank you. You didn't have to go that far just to piss him off." Duo just looked at him. "I don't lie." Trowa's brow furrowed, but he said nothing in response. He didn't know what to say. Duo had been staring at the floor, but his head came up as he remembered something. "That's why Quatre got upset when you were juggling. It reminded him of when you were with the circus," Duo realized. Trowa nodded. "I'll never forget the day we met. It was a command performance. . There must have been a hundred people there. I didn't see him during my act. I tried not to look at the crowds." He closed his eyes to remember. "He didn't even wait for the end of the show. He found the nearest employee and said that he wanted to meet me right away." Trowa laughed a little. "Quatre has a way of getting what he wants. They hosed me down, warned me not to speak unless spoken to, and shoved me into a room with him. I didn't know what was going on. I wondered if I was supposed to be the private entertainment too." Trowa put his head back against the wall, well lost in his memory now. "He didn't know what to do either. Ryunans seem to know their mates on sight, so it's usually pretty easy for them. I couldn't see what he saw. I just knew that he kept staring at me with the nicest eyes I'd ever seen. We had the most awkward conversation ever held, which ended when he broke down and asked me what he had to say or do to get me to stay with him forever. The look on his face was… I can't explain it, but from that moment, I wanted to. I've never changed my mind, either." He wanted to say that he fell in love with Quatre at that moment but that wasn't something he could just say, even three years later. It had been a long, long time before he had told Quatre that he loved him. In fact, it had taken an attack on their ship that had left everyone but the two of them dead to shake the words from him. Quatre had just smiled and said, "I know." Quatre always knew. Trowa opened his eyes to see Duo staring at him, looking pale. "I'm sorry, Trowa, but can you pull it in a little? I hate to ask, really I do, but when you're thinking about Quatre like that, about how you love him, it makes things difficult for me." "I'm sorry. Are you okay?" He reached out only to have Duo spring away. "No, no, no. No touching. Oh, shit. Shit, shit, shit. This is not the time to be sick," Duo moaned, clutching his stomach and sinking to the floor. "Actually, maybe it is. I can throw up all over that guy's shoes if he comes back. Neh, Trowa, see if you can get him in here." For a moment, Trowa frowned. Then realization dawned. He stood and began beating on the door. "Hey! My friend is sick in here!" After a minute, the door opened and an armed guard came in. "What's the problem?" "It's this guy. He just collapsed all of a sudden." "Hey, kid, what's wrong with you?" the guard asked, kneeling beside Duo. Unable to lie, Duo replied, "Impression sickness." "Impression sickness? What the hell is that? How do you treat it?" "You don't," Duo groaned. "I just wait for it to pass." "Then why did you call me in here?" the guard demanded, seconds before slumping over under the pressure of Trowa's blow. Duo grabbed his weapon and keys and climbed to his feet slowly. "Because we need your keys to escape." ~ * ~ |
