"Light on the Stage"

Written By: Impish

Rating: R

Pairings: 1x2x1

Category: AU, Drama/Romance (but not in a "hearts and flowers" way)

Warnings: AU, some angst, things teenagers do that they're not supposed to (smoking and drinking), general reckless behavior. Rodeo jargon.

Summary: Two messed up kids in a small country town are drawn to each other, and together, form a brand of music from the old.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or the songs used to inspire this piece. I will give a shout out to any inspirations found within.

Archives: http://www.gundam-wing-diaries.150m.com/gw/Impish/gwImpish.htm
http://www.freewebs.com/soft-sugar/impishinklingsfiction.htm Anyone else, all you have to do is ask.

Notes: No animals were harmed in the making of this chapter.

"Light on the Stage"

CHAPTER 4: Eight Seconds


"Heero, wake up." Duo said, softly. Somewhere outside, a bird could be heard twittering over the ever-present sound of summer insects.

Heero's eyes opened, slowly. Duo's face was inches from his, and he could see every shade of every color in his eyes, every tiny freckle on the bridge of his nose, the firm curve of his lips…

Heero sat up in bed so abruptly that Duo was forced to leap back to avoid collusion.

"Whoa, man, I didn't mean to scare you." Duo told him. "Come on and get dressed, you lay-abed."

Heero ran a hand through his hair, still muddled from sleep, and looked at his alarm clock. He had slept in; it was a little before ten.

Throwing the covers back roughly, he stood, mumbling something he hoped sounded vaguely friendly, and made his way to the bathroom, peeling off the shirt he'd slept in as he went. Usually all it took for him to wake up was getting out of bed, and by the time he had shut the door behind him, he was wide awake. He decided on a quick shower, knowing Duo wouldn't mind waiting a few minutes. When he reemerged in a towel, Duo was laying back on his bed, which he was surprised to find the other boy had made up for him, perusing through an issue of Rolling Stone. The shirt Heero had tossed on the floor had disappeared.

"Where are we going that you're so excited to get to?" Heero asked, and started pulling out clothes.

"There's a rodeo in the Stockyards today." Duo told him, and Heero noticed just then that, in addition to his usual worn cowboy boots, Duo had on a cowboy hat and a pair of Levi's that were a bit tighter than the fit he normally wore. The hat looked like it had taken a fall or two, Heero thought. It was a dusty white that had clearly spent some time in the dirt, even though it looked to have been carefully brushed off since. A dark woven leather cord was tied around it, and Heero liked the simplicity of the look. He'd seen too many cowboy hats with strange, brightly colored tassels and prints, and Duo's looked like one that might have actually gotten some honest use.

"I know a couple people who'll be in it… Apparently, they forgot to call and tell me they were coming into town, and only remembered this morning before the fuckin' crack of dawn." Duo said, and despite the words, his tone held no trace of irritation at having been awakened so early. "It's not one of the big ones or anything, but it should be cool."

"I like small rodeos." Heero said, rummaging through his closet and sliding out one of his western plaid shirts. "They aren't as flashy, and you can usually get a lot closer to the action."

Duo hummed in agreement while Heero shrugged into the shirt, and for a second, Heero could have sworn he saw Duo's eyes flicker up from the magazine to his chest.

"I figured we could stop for some food on the way and just hang out in the Stockyards tonight. But if you still want to go to Sweetstone, we can do that, too." Duo murmured.

Heero jerked his head noncommittally. "Doesn't matter to me. If we're gonna be in the Stockyards anyway, we might as well hang around… and your friends'll probably want to go out after the rodeo. Who's playing at Billy Bob's?"

"The Kruger Boys, I think. Not a huge name or anything, but I've heard 'em play before and they're pretty good." Duo answered as Heero jerked a pair of Wranglers on over his boxers.

Heero nodded, slipping on his belt and shoving his wallet in his back pocket. He hadn't heard of the Kruger Boys, but if Duo said they were good, they would be.

"Your car or mine?" he asked.



They ended up taking Duo's car, stopping briefly on the way to get some fast food. The parking lot they chose was nearly empty, since it was over near Billy Bob's, and most of those involved in the rodeo were parked closer to the arena.

The sky was clear and open and the air seemed lighter than usual, as though it refused to carry the heavy summer heat. A fresh breeze tugged at their clothes as they walked, neither speaking, both just listening to the faraway sounds of the rodeo; of horses, cattle, and the crowd.

The rodeo wasn't actually that small a set-up; it just wasn't as big as the ones that took place in the stadium or seen on TV. The arena was larger than Heero had been expecting, since he had been thinking it was going to be one of the small local or junior leagues. It was outside and down the way from the huge indoor arena where the bigger events were held, and there were a few sets of bleachers along one side, already filled with people. Some of them were family and friends of those competing, although Heero was sure there were a good number of local spectators mixed in. Easiest to make out, though, were the tourists, in clothes just too nice to be anything else, and the competitors themselves. A few of them sat with the other people on the bleachers, but the guys, and the few girls, with numbers pinned to the back of their shirts were mostly leaning on the corral or perched up above the chutes on either end, ready to watch the next round.

"I reckon we missed the steer wrestling and the bareback riding. Looks like they're in the middle of the team roping." Duo observed when they came short of the bucking chutes. "My friends are probably around with the horses. Wanna sneak back and have a look?"

Heero gave him an assenting smile, and they walked behind the arena to where the trailers were all parked to the side. Some had horses tied to them, but there were a lot of riders standing around talking to each other, either mounted on or standing next to their horses, the bull and bronc riders looking rough and elite where they were gathered along the chutes. Making sure to stay out of kicking range, Duo and Heero wove their way in between animals and vehicles, until Duo spotted a willowy girl with lively auburn curls pulling a heavily tooled bridle down out of the small tack room in the front of her trailer.

"Cathy!" he called with a wave, skidding to a stop and switching directions to jog up to her.

The redhead whipped around with a light smile on her pretty face. Hanging the bridle on her shoulder, she hurried to meet Duo halfway with a hug.

"Oh, it's so good to see you, Duo! This was such a last minute thing… I'm sorry to have called you so early this morning." she greeted. Her voice was earthy and sweet, as it seemed was her disposition. She wore her bright turquoise pearl-snap shirt with the flare of a seasoned rodeo cowgirl, and on her belt was a large, silver buckle that proclaimed her a champion barrel racer.

"No worries." Duo said, grinning. "Catherine, this is Heero Yuy. Heero can sing, and sing well… which he did not tell me. Heero, Catherine, better known 'round the rodeo folks as Cathy Bloom. I have absolutely nothing bad to say about her, except not to get within throwing range when she's holding anything sharp. Her brother, Trowa, should be lurking around here somewhere."

"Very nice to meet you, Heero." Catherine said, shaking his hand heartily. "I'm glad you both could make it. Trowa went off to god knows where. He should be getting back soon."

"So why the last minute detour anyway? I thought ya'll were headed up to New Mexico."

"Well, we were down in San Antonio last month and a fellow who watched me go was interested in buying Patterfoot for his daughter. 'Course there's no way in hell I could ever part with Patterfoot, but I told the guy I had a couple others I'd be willing to sell. So he and his girl are coming in from Dallas to see how well Vixen here goes." She fondly patted a light chestnut mare tied closest to the tack room, who was trying to see if her lead rope would stretch far enough for her to reach the carrots inside. "Vixen's got a good number of wins under her belt, and she's at a clever age. I think I'm going to be able to get at least fifteen grand if they decide they want her. We're staying overnight so the girl can try her out for herself tomorrow."

Duo whistled. "Trowa said ya'll were doing well training horses up. I guess the proof's in the pudding."

Catherine smiled brightly. "Yeah, well, it's a great way to make some money… at least in barrel racing. On the rodeo circuit, you tend to scrape up just enough money in one show to make it to the next one, so it's a relief to get some extra income. I think making horses is what both Trowa and I prefer anyhow."

"You said Trowa was thinkin' of giving up calf roping… what's he want to do, train horses full time?" Duo asked.

Catherine laughed. "No. Well, he wants to keep training horses, but what he's thinking of doing is becoming a rodeo—"

"If you say clown, I will hurt you." an easy voice said from behind Catherine, and tall boy emerged from the other side of the truck.

He looked like one of those taciturn cowboys that, when they weren't tucked away on a ranch somewhere working twice as hard as everyone else, were seen at bars, shooting back slow-burning whiskey without a word to anyone. He had the same willowy, tall frame that Catherine did, but his triangular upper body was noticeably muscular and tough— obviously a product of his trade. His hair was slightly browner than his sister's, sweeping mysteriously over one side of his face, and his eyes were a vivid, forest-dark green that assessed and judged everything around him with an eerie deliberation.

"Duo." He said, the greeting sounding curiously friendly considering its brevity and the flat tone in which it was delivered.

"Hey, Trowa." Duo said with a crooked smile, "This is Heero. Heero, this is Cathy's brother Trowa, who is… shockingly enough… not a clown."

Trowa fixed his gaze on Heero and nodded shortly. Heero nodded back with the unnerving feeling that Trowa's heavy stare looked straight past the physical and weighed the soul.

"So, what is it you're gonna do, then?" Duo asked Trowa.

"Bullfighting."

Duo laughed. "Typical… well, good luck finding life insurance."

"Trowa figures he can compete for a year or two on the bullfighting circuit and then get a permanent job at one arena." Catherine explained wryly.

"That's not Blackjack you're riding today… is it?" Duo asked, gesturing to the glossy black gelding on the other side of Vixen. Unlike the chestnut, who was still trying to get at the carrots, the dark horse looked quite bored, and was resting with his head low and a hind leg cocked; only swishing his tail at the occasional fly.

Trowa nodded.

"Wasn't he the one that threw you into the cactus?" Duo said. "And kept breaking the fence lines so you had to go round up horses at two in the morning? And kicked Josie in the face—?"

"You can't even tell her nose was broken anymore." Catherine said optimistically.

"—And scraped you off on a tree and left you out on the range in the middle of a thunderstorm? And lays down whenever you try to cinch him up? And—"

"I told him he had to settle down or he wouldn't be allowed to rodeo." Trowa said.

"And that worked?"

Trowa shrugged. "'Course."

"So he won't try to eat me if I offer to help saddle 'em up?" Duo said.

"No." Trowa said with a trace of a smile.

"You don't have to help, Duo." Catherine said. "You boys should go enjoy the show. We need some folks out there to cheer for me when I win and laugh loudly when Trowa bites it."

"In that highly unlikely situation, I'm sure I will laugh. All right then," Duo chuckled, "See ya'll out there. Good luck."

He and Heero went back to the stands, where most of the spectators were clapping wildly for a good run a pair of team ropers had just made. They found seats just in time to watch the last steer dart out of the chute, the ropers dashing in behind him. The rider in front was quick to rope the steer's head, but the one behind only caught one back leg with his lasso, which meant a five second penalty.

"Shoot!" Duo said, "That would have been a great run."

"Sucks," Heero agreed. He had been to plenty of rodeos over the years, but like almost everything else, he was quickly finding it a great deal more fun with Duo.

"What's your favorite event?" Duo asked, looking at Heero sideways from under the brim of his hat.

"Tell me yours first." Heero said.

Duo grinned as though he'd been expecting the request. "I know most people say the bull riding," he said, "But I like the events you have to have a really good horse for. Calf-roping especially. I give Trowa a rough time, but he makes some of the best cowponies you've ever seen. You'll see when he goes… his horses are always incredible. Not that the bull riding's not cool to watch or anything."

"It's hard to get more exciting than watching a guy wrestle around with a two thousand pound animal that has pointy horns." Heero agreed.

"Too true. C'mon now, what's yours?" Duo nudged Heero's knee with his.

"I like the events that grew out of real ranch chores," Heero finally answered him, "But my favorite's watching the bronc riders— especially saddle bronc. Watching those boys go… it's like it's the closest you can get to seeing the way they broke horses in the Old West."

"Wild, isn't it?" Duo said longingly. "Just a little bit of history like that…" So close you could almost touch it.

"Yeah." Heero said, eyes riveted to the bucking chute, where the first saddle bronc was getting ready to go. He could see the cowboy settling himself down on his ride and tying himself in, then giving the gate handlers his okay.

The gate opened with a loud clang, and the horse broke out roaring, spinning and bucking with a ferocious look in his eye. Twisting and swerving with the bronco and swinging his legs in the required motion that mimicked spurring, the cowboy rode out the eight seconds it took to make it through his round, one arm held out high throughout. The buzzer went off as the crowd cheered, and the pick-up rider swooped to the cowboy's side in an instant, helping him safely to the ground.

"He'll get a good score for that one." Duo remarked. The succession of broncos after the first was a mix of those that could ride out the eight seconds and those that received no score. Close to the end came a horse the announcer was rather excited about, stating that although "Wiley" was small, he had yet to be ridden long enough to receive a score.

The scruffy chestnut shot out, bucking hard like he was trying to break in half, his white legs flying in every direction. The cowboy stuck with him at first, loosing his hat on the second buck when the bronco twisted in mid air. He came down hard and fast and started spinning, and then ducked out in the other direction with another almighty leap, loosing his rider well shy of the eight second mark.

Even when his bucking strap was removed, the little horse, looking rather pleased with himself, continued to cavort around the arena, making a game of avoiding the cowboys trying to catch him so the arena would be clear for the next rider to go. The audience laughed at every dodge and narrow escape, which only seemed to encourage the tiny bronco further.

Finally, he was cornered by what seemed to be every free hand at the rodeo, and he was led, strutting, out of the arena with a proud flick of his tail and enthusiastic applause. Heero watched him go with a small smile. Wiley reminded him of Duo, somehow. Wild, reckless, clever, and totally untamable. He hoped no one ever broke that horse.

Trowa was set to go towards the end of the calf-ropers. As he got ready to go, Heero could see the black horse, Blackjack, was now fully alert and looking eagerly to the arena.

"Just watch this," Duo said, smirking, "He's so fucking smooth."

Trowa's calf was released and he sprung out after it faster than greased lightning, a smaller rope held between his teeth. Blackjack flattened out gamely, chasing after the calf with frightening speed. Trowa's lasso arced around his head and whistled through the air, firmly roping its mark without wasting a second. Instantly, Blackjack came to a sitting stop and Trowa jumped off, effortlessly flipping the calf on its side. He whipped out the smaller rope and bound three legs securely as Blackjack backed up, keeping the rope taut while his partner worked. Trowa threw up his hands, and time was stopped.

Heero couldn't help but be impressed with the quiet efficiency Trowa had shown. If his calf stayed tied, and Heero had no doubt that it would, Trowa would walk away the easy winner.

Trowa remounted and walked forward a few paces to put slack in his rope. He waited six seconds, but the calf could not struggle free. The crowd was applauding loudly, and Duo let out a wild whistle, grinning broadly.

"Why the hell would he want to quit?" Heero asked. "He could compete in Cheyenne and Houston, make it to the National Finals if he goes like that all the time."

"That's just it," Duo told him. "He does go like that every time. He's done Cheyenne, done Houston; he won the National Finals last year."

"He's the World Champion?" Heero said, not having paid attention to the announcer when he'd introduced Trowa.

"Sure. He's done everything. He's bored with it." Duo said. "Trowa might not look like it, but he's a thrill seeker. Like you said; it's hard to get more exciting than a guy wrestling around with a two thousand pound animal that has pointy horns."

Heero just shook his head and looked back to the arena, where the barrels were being set up in a triangular pattern for the next event. The cowgirls had to race around them in a cloverleaf pattern, getting in as close as they could without knocking any over. The first girl to go had a fast run, but got in too close and knocked her third barrel down; a five second penalty was added to her time. The second had a clean round, and then Catherine was up third.

Flying into the first barrel at a dead run, Vixen responded to the pressure of reins on her neck and the shift in balance of Catherine's body by shutting down and wheeling around the barrel as close as she could get without touching it. She sprung out again, her powerful hindquarters bulging and propelling her forward as she ripped around the second and third barrels with the slightest cues from Cathy, sprinting back out of the arena with a blistering time of thirteen point four seconds.

"Nice one, Cathy," Duo applauded. "Now they're done, they'll be caring for the horses, and probably talking to the guy they're hoping to sell to. When they're finished, they'll come and find us."

They watched the rest of the barrel racers, none of which could best Cathy's time, and then went to the food stand to get burgers and fries before the bull riders went. There were some spectacular rides and some equally spectacular falls, and by the time it was over, the sun was low in the sky.

"Hey, that's Trowa waving at us over there." Duo said, pointing.

"We've got the horses put away for the night," Trowa told them when they went over, "The girl lookin' at Vixen invited us out, if ya'll wanna come with us."

"Sure. Where were ya'll thinking of going?"

"Billy Bob's." Trowa replied.

"Yeah, the Kruger Boys are playing tonight." Duo said, "We're parked over there, can we hitch a ride?"

Trowa nodded, "Cathy's going to get changed and then ride over with the girl."

Trowa drove them over to the huge building in the bed of his truck. Billy Bob's Texas was advertised as "the World's Largest Honky-tonk," and for good reason. There was live music there all the time, several dance floors and bars, rooms full of pool tables, and even a small bull-riding arena, though no live bull-riding would take place tonight. Music was playing and the place was starting to fill with people from the rodeo, and it would get a lot more crowded when the band started.

"Fancy a game of pool before the girls get here?" Duo asked after they'd each gotten a beer from the bar.

Trowa nodded, half a smirk on his lips, and they procured an empty table and some cues. Heero watched Trowa and Duo play, sipping his beer from the side. When they started, he remembered Duo's story from the first night they'd met, about how he and his friends made money playing pool. Heero didn't consider himself a bad pool player. In fact, he usually did pretty well at the bars, never playing for money, though sometimes for rounds of drinks. But he could certainly see how Duo made money.

He and Trowa played in another league outside of the normal barroom game of pool. They were smooth, they didn't miss. Every ball set up the next one, and they didn't ever falter, sinking shot after shot, despite the witty taunts and crude distractions they used on each other. Duo drew Heero into the fray, using him to bounce jokes off of, and when Catherine found them, they were all three laughing hysterically, even Trowa, who by this point couldn't stand up straight enough to take his next shot.

"Duo Maxwell, what have you done to my brother?" Cathy demanded.

"Just explaining the finer points of conversing with mole rats." Duo said, and the laughter renewed.

"…Okay then. Anyway, I'd like you to meet Relena Darlain." Catherine said, introducing the shorter girl Heero just noticed standing beside her. "Relena, you know my brother, and this is Duo Maxwell and his friend Heero Yuy."

"Nice to meet you." Relena said with a friendly smile.

She was a good-looking girl of about their age. She wasn't as heavily tanned as most of the girls where they were from and it was hard to tell if her hair was light brown or dark blonde. There was an unmistakable Dallas Society quality about her, and he was willing to bet she would call her father "Daddy" for the rest of her life. Heero expected she was the sort of girl he was supposed to like. He took a swig of beer and leaned back against the pool table, looking over at Duo.

"Come on, the band's starting," Cathy said, looking at the dance floor, where couples were starting to gather, "So are you boys gonna ask us to dance or what?"

Trowa just snorted and went to the bar for another beer. Duo shook his head.

"Wait 'till they get warmed up some, Cathy. I promise you a dance later on, though."

"All right," Cathy smiled, "I'll be at the bar. Relena, would you like anything?"

"I'll come with you." Relena said, looking over her shoulder back at them as she went.

Duo bent back over the pool table and shot the remaining balls into pockets. Heero turned to watch him, sipping at his beer without hurry.

"You wanna play?" Duo asked.

Heero shook his head, turning back around where he could watch the band. "You'd cream me. It wouldn't be worth the quarters."

Duo smirked and came to stand shoulder to shoulder with him, leaning back against the table as well. "So, Relena seems to like you a lot." Duo observed. "Did you notice her at the rodeo?"

Heero shook his head. Duo chuckled. "Well, she was sitting over some from us. She kept looking over at you. Did you see how happy she was when Cathy introduced us?"

Heero shrugged. "I don't think she's the kind of girl I want."

"Oh?" Duo said. "What do you want?"

Trowa was on his way back with his fresh beer, so Heero shrugged again. "I'll let you know later."

Duo looked at him curiously, but said nothing. Trowa returned, informing them that the girls went down to get a table by the dance floor. They went down to sit with them, just listening to the music and talking. Relena seemed like a clever girl, certainly well-educated, and a lot more brash and impulsive than her father probably gave her credit for. They sat out a few songs before Duo made good on his promise and took Catherine to dance. Relena glanced hopefully at the other two boys. Since Trowa seemed as willing a dance partner as a paraplegic tree stump, she turned to Heero.

"Heero, would you like to dance?"

Heero took a moment to wonder if "hell no" was too rude a response. Trowa raised an eyebrow at him, and Heero rolled his eyes.

"Sure." He said flatly and got up.

Relena smiled gratefully at him as they went to the dance floor. They made pleasant, though mostly one-sided, conversation for a couple of dances, thankfully leaving when a slower number began to play, and went back to the table where Duo and Cathy had already returned. The girls both got back up, most likely on one of those unifying trips to the bathroom girls always seemed to have to take together.

The three boys sat and watched the performance in silence. Heero liked this about Duo; that he could fill the silence so well when he wanted, but that he also knew there were certain moments that just didn't need words getting in the way.

The blue lights that floated over the dance floor stole the purple from Duo's eyes, shading them a deeper, glowing blue. There was such a spark in his them, such a *wanting* when he looked at the stage.

Duo turned and looked at Heero, his expression unchanging. He gave Heero a small smile, and Heero found his thoughts crumbling away into nothing coherent.

The girls returned again, and Duo and Heero took turns dancing with Cathy and Relena until they decided to call it a night. They closed out their tabs and were standing outside the building making plans to meet up the next day, when Trowa hailed Heero from the side.

"Got a light?" Trowa asked him, offering a cigarette in return.

Heero took the cigarette as he fished his lighter out of his pocket, handing it over to Trowa so he could light his first.

"Did you enjoy the calf-roping?" Trowa asked around his cigarette and a hazy cloud of smoke.

Heero nodded, taking a drag and putting his lighter away.

"Good," Trowa said. "I know you and Duo are big boys and can take care of yourselves…"

Heero looked at him guardedly.

"… But hurt him in any way, and you're the calf. Got it?"

Heero blinked. "Understood."

Trowa stared at him appraisingly. "…See you tomorrow."

And with that, he walked back towards his sister, passing Duo, who was jogging back the other way towards Heero. Duo called a last farewell behind him and slung an arm over Heero's shoulder.

"That was fun." Duo said, grinning.

"Yeah," Heero agreed absently.

Duo plucked Heero's cigarette from his hand and took a pull. They had reached where the El Camino was parked, and Duo started fishing in his pockets for his keys. Heero stood next to him, watching him pull them out.

Suddenly, Heero reached out and pulled Duo's far shoulder around, nudging Duo's hip with his so the other boy was facing him, pressed back against the car door with a very surprised look on his face.

"What are you doing?" Duo asked.

"Answering your question." Heero told him, "You have eight seconds to tell me to stop."

"Eight…" he leaned in, his nose grazing Duo's as he tilted his head. "Seven…"

"Six…" Duo's eyelashes fluttered against his skin, and his lips whispered against Duo's, "Five…"

"Four…" They were chest to chest, the buttons of Duo's shirt pressing into his muscles. "Three…"

"Two…" Duo's breath hitched, and on 'one,' Heero caught Duo's warm lips with his, and the rest came as naturally as everything did when he was with Duo.

His lips parted and he pressed deeper. Duo moaned into his mouth, and Heero drove his tongue into Duo's. They kissed fiercely, for how long, Heero couldn't know, and he drew back again, looking intently into Duo's eyes.

Duo gave him a dazed smile. "I think I like your answer."


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Additional Notes:
Bullfighters (no capes or tights involved), formerly known as rodeo clowns, are the guys who make sure a bull rider gets to safety after his ride, or help him out if he gets hung up. Obviously, it's a very dangerous job, but a very necessary one. They generally work in teams of three, two bullfighters and one barrel man, who as the name suggests, gets in the barrels. The barrel man is the only one who wears make-up or dresses like a clown. He also entertains the crowd.

Nod to the inspiring songs:
"Texas in 1880" by Radney Foster and Pat Green
"Let the Ponies Run" by Jerry Jeff Walker

Chapter 5

Back to Impish's Fics

Back to GW Authors Index.