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"Lasting Impressions"Written By: Dragonmistress_7 Disclaimer: I don't own the Gundam Wing Boys.
Lasting Impressions Chapter 7
It was less than fifteen minutes later that Heero stood
with a shuttle mechanic, one by turns surprised they'd made it that
far and This, too, Heero accepted with quiet grace. At least, he did after the woman made it clear to him that he would or she'd make sure he got lost in the shuffle. Climbing back onto the shuttle in ill temper, Heero decided that any man who would date a woman was crazy. The others all seemed indifferent to the time the repairs
would take, except for Duo, who was alight with curiosity about human
"Is there a good hotel nearby?" was all Quatre had to say. "No need for one. I had something else in mind," Heero replied. The others exchanged glances, then went to get a few things to take for their stay on Earth. Despite everyone's questions, Heero was nearly silent as he drove a borrowed jeep down a road that nobody else seemed to be traveling. Despite being the one asking the most questions, Duo was the only one not getting on his nerves. The others asked where they were going, while Duo pointed to a tree and said, "What is that?" He left it to Hilde to answer Duo's questions and concentrated on the road. It had changed since he's been down it last. Where once there had been only fields, buildings loomed and pedestrian walks passed overhead. Had it really been that long? Or where things just changing that fast? Two years, it had been. A lot could happen in two years. After a few minutes, the buildings and sidewalks gave way to the countryside Heero remembered. The road became a bit rougher. Then, through the trees, he saw a very familiar landmark. "That building," he said suddenly, pointing,
"or one very much like it, has been standing on that spot for
the past five thousand "Who will greet us?" Trowa asked, cautiously, as though he feared treading into something too personal. "My grandfather, assuming Taro doesn't beat him to the door," Heero said, the tiniest hint of amusement on his face as he said the name. "Who is Taro?" Duo asked. "The son my mother wanted so desperately. She died giving birth to him. His name was her idea. She made my stepfather promise, even though he didn't want to." Hilde's face held sympathy, though the three men looked lost. "Taro, if I'm not mistaken, means `firstborn'," she explained softly. Duo was horrified. There was no such thing as disownment among the Nachi, as far as he knew, anyway. The very concept of someone not wanting the son they had raised from infancy seemed so…cold. Judging from Heero and Hilde, he doubted that was a common human characteristic. Well, less Heero than Hilde, but Duo had come to understand that the stiff act was Heero's defense mechanism. For all of his story, Heero didn't appear to have an enmity against the child, who was indeed the first one to greet them. As they came up the drive, a boy who looked to be perhaps six, with the same blue eyes and lean frame as Heero, launched himself out the front door and down the stairs. The boy didn't even wait for them to get out of the vehicle, but opened Heero's door and threw himself at his big brother, talking at about a mile a minute. Heero bore Taro's exuberance with almost surprising patience as he tried to get out of the car. That achieved, he shifted Taro to his back and carried him that way to the house. If the child even noticed that Heero hardly said a word and only smiled at him once, he also understood that his older brother was just that way. At the door, a small man with gray hair and a quiet dignity was waiting to greet them. He welcomed them as warmly as his grandson, if not as familiarly. Even Quatre, who was still on his guard from his recent trauma, had an immediate liking and respect for the old man. He seemed terribly wise and calm, and when he looked at Hilde, she felt a sudden urge to check for smudges on her face and make sure her fingernails were clean. For all his kindly manner, this man had discipline. "This is a pleasant surprise, my grandson. I thought
you said you were going to be in the middle of a delivery on your
brother's "I am. Meet Duo, the delivery. This job was too important not to take, but circumstances put us on Earth until the end of the week, so I could hardly stay away," Heero explained. He did not mention the threats and bribe attempts he had heaped upon the mechanic. No need to give his family the wrong idea. "I will be here for your birthday tomorrow, Taro," he added over his shoulder. The boy shouted in happiness, and jumped down, saying that he had to go tell his father. Heero watched him go with a smile that never reached his eyes. "How is he?" he asked, as soon as the boy was out of earshot. "In some ways, the same as he always was. He laughs and plays as though he doesn't realize anything is wrong, but he is just trying not to worry us. He tires more easily than before, and the coughs are getting worse." Heero nodded, as though he'd expected no different. "I'm coming home for a while after this run, Grandfather. I'll be able to afford better care for him. I don't know if it will make any difference, but it can't hurt to try. In any case, I want to spend more time with him, before he becomes too sick to enjoy it." "I am glad to hear it, and he will be, as well. He loves you more than his father and me together." As if to prove his grandfather's words, Taro came racing back through the house and leapt back at Heero. "You have to stay in your old room, next to mine," he announced. "I think I can do that, but what are you going
to do with all of them?" Heero stabbed his finger in the direction
of Duo and the "Is he your boyfriend?" Taro asked in a loud whisper, pointing to Duo. Heero met his young gaze levelly and shook his head. "He's my friend." "Then he can have the room on the other side of
yours," the boy said decisively. "The lady can stay at the
other end of the hall. Heero was impressed. If his grandfather had been assigning rooms, he couldn't have done better. Duo was next to Heero, for security reasons, Hilde in a room appropriate for her, and Quatre and Trowa were together, though there were still rooms to spare. "You are a kind and gracious host." Taro giggled, pleased. "I'll help unload and show everybody to their rooms, okay?" "And in return, I'll help with your evening chores," Heero agreed. Nothing could have made the boy happier. Bemused, the others followed the child up the stairs. Heero sat down on the floor and rested his elbows on his knees. His face fell into his hands, and he sighed deeply, shakily. He was home. The brother that mattered more than anything was happy. He couldn't wait to leave. Hilde sat on the floor, half-listening to the conversation
going on around her. Quatre was discussing interplanetary politics
with Heero's grandfather, while Duo listened to a story that Odin,
Taro's father, was telling. Heero sat a little away from the group,
reading quietly to his brother. Hilde smiled a little, but it faded
when she noticed how pale the boy was, and that he was shaking, Though she had complained to Heero about not knowing anything about Quatre and Trowa, it had occured to her that afternoon, when he'd been talking about his brother, that she really didn't really know much about Heero, either. Funny, how it didn't seem important. Nobody's past seemed important, anymore. A few days among these four men, and it was as though she knew everything about them that mattered. And yet, logically, she doubted that. She had no idea if they had families, homes, jobs. Who was this mysterious bride that Duo had obviously never met? Why did Trowa hide his face? What happened that made Quatre so protective of him? Heero probably didn't know how odd it was, but hers was a social occupation. She was more aware of the habits and customs of non-humans. And though she didn't know a lot about Ryunans, she did know that while they would kill or die happily for their mates, they generally did not hover, at least, not usually to that degree for someone like Trowa, stronger than a human and more than able to take care of himself. Hilde put aside her misgivings. There were secrets among these new friends, and she could accept that. She supposed she could try to disect the situation, but she was accustomed to being around strangers, and these people were already more than that. Giving one last shove at the instinct that told her
all of this would come back to bite her in the ass, Hilde rose and
went to get No questions. That was the rule, and if she wanted it
to apply to her, she had to let it apply to them. Besides, she knew
that Duo
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