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"Persistence"Written By: Honor Disclaimers: I own Gundam Wing, a dragon (which
resides in my back yard) and possess the ability to fly at will. Pairings: 3x4 Spoilers: For episodes 3-10 Warnings: Romance, heavy lime, angst, sappy moments,
language, violence. I start out very much following the series, but
it doesn’t last long and will slide into a TWT. Some OOC (I gave
Trowa an actual personality, based on my interpretation of his character
in the series. It conflicts with the fanon view, which is why I’m
putting up the warning.) Rating: R Archived: Gundam Wing Diaries Betas: Velvet and Caitilin /thought/ *emphasized* <<vid or comm>>
"Persistence " Chapter 7 Life would be much easier if I had the source code. Under normal circumstances (normal, of course, being that Quatre was well instead of lying in bed complaining about boredom) Trowa might have enjoyed Duo’s company to a degree. The teenager did know when to shut up, and he could be quite useful once he was on task. It was when he wasn’t distracted by something that Trowa found himself at a loss. He’d taken to hiding in the study next to his and Quatre’s bedroom, but alas that didn’t always work. “Hey Tro!” Point in case. And why did he give everyone nicknames, anyway? Duo popped into view a second later, grinning. “No more mud! Deathscythe is finally clean. Man, those Maguanac guys are really helpful not to mention funny as hell. I can see why Q-bean likes ‘em. Let’s watch a movie or something.” That was another thing. Duo could cram three different subjects into a minute. Trowa found it similar to multi-tasking in Heavyarms, trying to keep track of several different things at once. He was fairly certain that someone who wasn’t a Gundam pilot would have a hard time keeping track of Duo. “I want to stay near Quatre.” As soon as that left his mouth, he knew it was the wrong thing to say. Duo slowly grinned. “Ahhh. By the by—” Trowa mentally groaned. Here it comes… “—when *are* you going to confess about you two, hmmm?” Four days. During the entire four days that they had cleaned up their Gundams, Duo had subtly (and not so subtly) been probing about his relationship with Quatre. He hadn’t answered. Part of it was because it wasn’t Duo’s business, but the other part was he couldn’t give a simple answer. “When hell freezes over.” “You know, I *can* arrange that. I am the God of Death, after all.” Duo wagged his eyebrows mischievously. When he didn’t get a response, he switched tactics. “Seriously, Tro, am I reading too much into this? Cause if I am, just say so and I’ll stop teasing.” The only thing that made Duo bearable was his sensitivity to people. He could tease people into murder, but he did know when there was a line and when not to cross it. Trowa looked away from him. “I…we’re partners.” Duo looked at him thoughtfully. With a casualness that Trowa didn’t quite buy he sauntered all the way into the room and sat on the desk next to Trowa. “You know, you really resemble Heero. He’s been a soldier ever since he can remember…doesn’t know much else. I had the hardest time convincing him I was an ally, and an even harder time convincing him that I was a friend.” Trowa nearly did a double take. He could have been describing him and Quatre. Duo was not oblivious to Trowa’s sharp interest. “Even now he doesn’t think of me as a ‘friend’. It’s too alien of a concept to him. He finally settled on the word partner. That was something that he could relate to, because he had one once.” Duo’s eyes locked onto his, serious and penetrating. “Quatre doesn’t strike me as the type to know what a ‘partner’ is. What he wants more than anything is a friend.” Trowa’s mouth twitched. /So, Duo, you are more tha just a jokester. Good./ “I’m his partner. But I’m also his friend.” Duo grinned at him, eyes sparkling. “I’m glad you can say that. Anyone that can’t be Quatre’s friend is in some serious need of therapy.” Trowa had seen these two talk for hours, keeping a respectable distance so Duo wouldn’t catch Quatre’s cold. He knew that Quatre already thought of Duo as his friend. Apparently that went both ways. Trowa was pleased by the development. ~Hey now, you’re a rock star, get your game on, go baby!~ Trowa jumped slightly. What the hell? Duo pulled out his pocket communicator and flipped it open. “02.” That was Duo’s ring tone for his communicator?! <<02, this is 01.>> “Hey, speak of the devil! Heero! How you doin’ you spandexed stud muffin?” <<Baka. Where are you?>> Duo winked at Trowa. “Awww, Heero. Have you missed me?” <<*You* are a day late.>> “I am not! I was supposed to meet you tomorrow.” <<Tomorrow is the 16th.>> Duo frowned slightly, pulling up a mental calendar. “…today’s the fifteenth?” <<…>> “Eheheh. Oops.” The most sheepish smile crept over Duo’s face. “I’m sorry. Deathscythe got stuck in a mudslide and I’ve been focused getting mud out of all the joints. I must have lost a day.” <<Mudslide?>> Trowa arched an eyebrow. Was there a hint of concern in that one-worded question? “Yeah, don’t hide in caves. Caves are a no-no. But, I got rescued by pilot 03 so it might be a good thing. You know, the guy in the red Gundam that I was so pissed at. He brought me back here. We’re at a safehouse of 04’s. You need to come join the party, man.” <<I don’t ‘party’.>> “Neither does Tro, so you’ll fit right in. Come on ‘Ro, *puhleasee*?” There was a sigh on the other end. “You need to meet them anyway. Q wants us to join forces. He says it’s more effective that way.” <<…point made. Give me coordinates.>> “I knew you’d come!” Duo did an aborted happy dance on the desk as he rattled off the address. “Oh and don’t worry about Wing, man. The hangar they have here is awesome.” <<Hn. Ja.>> “Later, my man!” Trowa could only hope that Heero was sane and above all *quiet*. He couldn’t handle three hyper people. + Heero Yuy was not quite what Trowa was expecting. He *might* have been 5’1, dark tousled brown hair and penetrating blue eyes. Judging from the way he moved, this was not a person that Trowa wanted to meet in a dark alley. He came in at ten that night, looking a little tired and yet strangely content to meet up with his partner again, despite the welcoming tackle hug. “Duo.” “Hey, ‘Ro. This is Trowa Barton, pilot 03.” Trowa nodded politely. “He’s also quiet, most of the time,” Duo volunteered cheerfully. “So, normally I’d let you meet Q too, but he’s sick at the moment and probably sleeping. I’ll introduce you two tomorrow. You hungry?” Heero shook his head slightly. “Just tired.” “That’s okay, we have a *lot* of bedrooms to choose from. Just follow me.” Trowa stopped him with an upraised hand. “A moment, Duo.” If Heero really were like him, then he needed a bit more on information. “There are forty armed men here called the Maguanacs. They are Quatre’s personal guard, and compromise the main security of this place. You can rest easy. If you need anything, press the intercom beside the door and someone will answer.” “And he does mean that literally,” Duo added. “We cool, Tro?” Trowa waved him up the stairs. “Go ahead.” He watched them go up and observed them together. Duo was talking, Heero listening attentively but rarely offering anything in return. It was remarkably similar to how he and Quatre interacted, to a degree. Interesting. He dismissed it as something to think about later and went upstairs to his own room. Quatre was asleep in the bed, so he took extra care to be quiet as he prepared for bed. He slipped in carefully to avoid jostling his bedmate. Quatre shifted when he had settled, burrowing in next to him. He was used to the maneuver by now. Quatre was only warm if it were a hundred and ten outside. Trowa was used to being used as a personal heater. “Is Heero here?” Okay, so apparently Quatre hadn’t been asleep. “Yes.” “What’s he like?” “Quiet.” Quatre poked him in the ribs. With a sigh, Trowa elaborated. “About your height, at least part Japanese but with blue eyes and wild brown hair. Not a person I’d like to meet as an enemy.” “Oh.” Trowa rubbed a hand over his back. “Go to sleep. You can meet him tomorrow.” “Mmmkay.” + Breakfast the next morning didn’t have the chance to become awkward. Quatre was well enough by this point to venture out of his room without infecting anyone else. Trowa kept a sharp eye on him as they went downstairs, but didn’t say a word against the change of scenery. Duo was already up when they came down (an unusual event because Duo was definitely NOT a morning person) as was Heero. They looked up as Quatre walked in. “Q-man!” Duo bounded out of his chair to carefully tackle/hug the other pilot. “You look better. How do you feel?” “Better,” Quatre agreed with a grin. “Not quite ready to save the world, but getting there. You must be Heero.” Heero nodded, a cordial enough acknowledgement. “Welcome. I hope you got enough rest last night.” Quatre’s eyes twinkled as they flicked to Duo. “I know he can talk your ear off.” Something that could have been a smirk passed over the brunette’s face. “I know how to shut him up. Duo looked indignant, and secretly delighted to see the beginnings of a rapport. Trowa decided to join in a little. “Really? Perhaps you’d be willing to share that secret with the rest of us.” Duo glared at Heero. “One word from you, and I’ll tell them your weak spot too.” Heero glared back. “Hn.” Quatre blinked. “Trowa, you aren’t by any chance missing a cousin somewhere, are you?” Duo started snickering. “They really do act alike, don’t they?” “Have you two looked at each other recently?” Trowa inquired dryly. Quatre grin twisted as he processed this. “You know, you do have a point. Anyway, let’s eat.” They piled their plates up with bacon and omelets and fresh biscuits. When Quatre was reasonably full, he felt that it would be alright to ask a few questions. “Do either of you know the other pilot, Chang Wufei?” Duo and Heero exchanged glances. “Kinda,” Duo answered. He took a sip of orange juice before continuing. “He contacted us about a week ago and told us who he was, as well as giving us a boatload of information.” “Very accurate information,” Heero added quietly. “Yeah. And of course, we met him at New Edwards. You want to pull him in with us?” Quatre nodded firmly. “I think he’s proven to us that he is very good at intel and a very capable pilot. Our chances of winning this war fighting separately are abysmally low…but together, I think we can do it. But we need him too and I’m not quite sure on how to bring him in with us.” “Tro, you actually talked to the guy that night he stayed with you. What do you think?” Trowa’s brows needled a bit as he thought. “He said that he would be willing to help us, if we ever ask for it but that he has his own agenda. If we start choosing missions that require his expertise, then we might get him in the habit of working with us.” Quatre blinked. “How elegantly simple. You saw him fight—what’s he good at?” “Everything, practically. He’s good at fighting, can do infiltration; the only drawback I saw is that he has no patience for going through security perimeters. He tends to charge and deal with it than wait and find a way around it.” They exchanged glances. “I think he can partner
with us on just about every mission then. Hm.” Quatre sat back
in his chair, eyes on the ceiling. “Heero…Duo alluded to
me that you might not decide to join up with us. But you’ve offered
no objections so far. Heero met his eyes calmly, face revealing nothing. “You’re right. I am not…entirely accustomed to working with other people, but I have analyzed the situation and realized that one soldier cannot bring down OZ. A unit, however, striking effectively can.” Duo was staring at him with wide eyes. “Dude…you just used more than ten words to explain something.” He started sniffling and knuckling an imaginary tear from his eye. “My little Hee-chan is all grown up! I’m so proud.” Heero threw a piece of toast at him. Duo ducked and grinned. “Ahem. If we can stay on topic…” Quatre bit his lip to keep from smiling. These two were great friends. It felt very nice to be around people like this. “I’m glad you feel that way, Heero. It’s why I wanted all of us to work together. Now, who wants to pull Wufei in first?” Heero shook his head slightly. “Duo and I are going on a mission in two days to a nearby boarding school. It only requires two people.” “Then it will have to be us,” Trowa surmised. “Good luck,” Duo told them sympathetically. “Wuffers can be a complete hard ass.” + They went separate ways after breakfast. Quatre and Duo disappeared for showers. Heero went back to his room and Trowa to the study, intent on checking his messages. From the hallway, Trowa could hear the bathroom door opening. “WAAAAA! I feel good, do da do da do da do…I knew that I would, now. I feeeeeel good. I knew that I would, ah! So good, so good that’s how I feel!” Trowa blinked. That sounded like Duo. Getting up from his chair, he went to Heero’s bedroom door and leaned in. “You have to put up with that every morning?” Heero just sighed. “You have my sincere condolences.” + There was a drawback to having Duo in the safehouse and Quatre mostly over his cold. Both of them were born pranksters, and didn’t know the word ‘mercy’. For some time, the Maguanacs were raided upon and ambushed, which Trowa found rather amusing. He’d even helped a time or two. But, well, there were other people in the house, right? Right at that moment, Trowa knew that Duo and Heero were preparing for their next mission. They were due to leave the next morning, which was a relief in a way. Maybe without Duo’s evil influence, Quatre would go back to being Quatre. Trowa made sure the study door was locked, as well as the door connecting the study and the bedroom before curling up on the chaise for a quick siesta. He’d been woken up early that morning by Abdul’s outraged bellow (Trowa had only caught flashes of tie dyed hair as he ran past, chasing two Gundam pilots in high pursuit) and he was tired from the accumulated stress of cleaning out Heavyarms, tending Quatre, and dealing with Duo. He wanted a nap. + The study door carefully opened on noiseless hinges. Two pairs of feet eased inside so that the sleeping figure wouldn’t stir. Trowa was curled up, one hand tucked under his head and the other laying palm up next to him on the chaise. Tiny drops of super-super glue were placed just on the tips of each finger. Fly paper was added (with the sticky surface pointing up, naturally) to the glue and stuck within five seconds. Step One: Accomplished. A three foot pole was extended, a little dangling feather attached to the end. While one person with braided hair brought the pole into position, another with blond hair was readying a digital camera for the best angle. The pole swung until it was right over Trowa’s nose. Then it lowered slightly, drawing the feather across it ever so lightly. On par with normal human reactions, Trowa raised his free hand to swipe at whatever it was that had tickled his nose. *shhttp* *click* Trowa’s eyes sprang open, but they didn’t see anything—well, there was something slightly yellow in front of his eyes. Flypaper, by the looks of it. He jerked it away, but that didn’t quite work right. His hair was still attached, as well as certain parts of his nose and forehead. “You two are DEAD!” Nothing but sparkling laughter (and the sounds of a camera going off) answered him. Trowa sat up quickly, using his other hand to rip off the paper. “Shit! Run for it, Q!” Bodies slammed out of the room, Trowa right behind them, still fighting with the damn flypaper. What had they used? Normal flypaper wasn’t this adhesive, normally! They ran down the hallway, the staircase, and into the downstairs study. Quatre managed to slam it shut behind him and lock it just as Trowa hit it at full force. “Safe!” Heero had been sitting in that room most of the day, double checking to make sure that all of his mission intel was correct. It probably was, considering that it had been sent to him by Wufei, but it was just in his nature to double check. Besides, he had known that Duo would Do Something and didn’t want any part of it. “Give me that camera!” Trowa snarled on the other side. “Uh…will you let us off Scott free?” Quatre grinned hopefully. “NO.” “Then no way!” There was the sound of rapid footsteps, quickly fading away. Duo looked at the door in confusion. “What is he doing?” “I don’t know. There isn’t any other…” Quatre’s eyes flew wide. “Uh-oh. There’s a side door from the library! That door doesn’t lock!” Duo spun about to look at the door Quatre was pointing at. “It’s sliding, too. We can’t block it. Oh hell. Run!” Duo quickly passed the camera to Heero for safe keeping as he went for the window, Quatre right behind him. “Geronimo!!!!” Trowa burst through seconds later. “Where are they?” “Window,” Heero responded calmly. Only someone who knew him well would recognize the silent laughter in his eyes. “But I have the camera.” Trowa stopped halfway to the window. “…will you give it to me?” Heero elaborately took in the remnants of flypaper stuck to Trowa’s face, hands, and hair. “Are you interested in a partner for revenge?” Trowa paused. “I thought you didn’t like practical jokes.” “Not when they’re played on me, no.” Heero handed the camera over to him. “Hn. Accepted. I think we should do it later.” “When they’re not expecting it,” Heero agreed with a wolfish smile. + “…” “…” Heero sighed. “What did you expect?” “For you to at least try to hide the camera!” Duo snapped back. “Hn.” Quatre pouted slightly. “Darnit, I wanted a picture of that.” “You have a picture of it,” Heero refuted calmly. “I downloaded the pictures off the camera before I handed it to him.” Duo tackled him, bouncing around happily. “I knew I liked you for a reason!” Heero rolled his eyes. “Baka.” + Pilots 01 and 02 were gone perhaps an hour when Trowa’s communicator beeped. It was a simple text message informing him that a mission had come in. He frowned slightly at it. Quatre should be well enough by this point…hn. He booted up the laptop and checked his mail. The mission was very straightforward and simple. It was a simple go In, Boom, Out. Between the two of them, it should be easy enough. Flipping open his communicator he called Quatre, who was currently in the hangar. <<04.>> “We have a mission.”
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