"Rip Current"

Written By: yaruna

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing isn't mine! I'm not pretending they are, I simply love messing around with the lovable characters. Any similarity to existing works is purely coincidental.

Rating: R

Genre: Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Romance…? Alternate Universe

Warning:Probably some OOCness. Kind of bastard Heero in the first chapters. Some swearing. Won't pass the Bechdel test. Somewhat cliché, I think. Hmmz… what more… oh yeah, I'm a bit of a sadist, people will get hurt… sorry about that

Summary: Feelings are running high on the shorelines. Duo has arrived on the shores of Sanc Island and is making new friends, and enemies, among the locals as they surf their way towards the big competition. AU

A/N:I live for feedback

Sit back, and let the waves take you for a ride.

"Rip Current"

Chapter 28: Cranking

 

It was dark when I woke up. I had expected to feel my hair in tangles under me, but instead, it was all wrapped up in a silky braid. A new dressing had been applied to my arm. Usually, it wouldn't be possible to do all that without me waking up. It was another testament to how not fine I had been.

Heero was lying beside me, with his hand wrapped tightly around my braid and he held it close to his chest. He looked... vulnerable, in lack of a better word. Like he was holding on to a lifeline. As though he expected me to disappear.

I rolled over to my side and lifted my hand to gently brush it over Heero's cheek. He's beautiful, and he loves me. It's hard to believe, with all the curve balls I've thrown him, but somehow he sticks by me. I hoped he'd continue sticking by me, even after I told him I had to go back to the pro tour the next season. I'm not sure what I was going to do if he didn't. I couldn't imagine life without Heero anymore. At the same time, I had an obligation to myself, and to the boys and girls that put their faith in me, to head back to the tour, at least one more time.

'Duo?' Heero asked in a sleepy voice, and I leaned in to kiss his forehead.

'Sleep, 'Ro. It's just 3 a.m.'

He moved his hand, still with my braid in it, to lie around my waist, and cuddled in closer. He threw a leg over my hip, and curled it behind me, making me completely enveloped, before he fell back to sleep.

I'd missed this, this feeling of security, of love. At the hospital, the longest I'd slept at a time was when Heero had been there, but never more than an hour. Now, I had suddenly managed to sleep almost twelve hours without interruptions. I vaguely wondered if Heero had sat with me the entire time.

Having slept twelve hours, however, ensured that I wasn't tired anymore, and I spent hours watching Heero as he slept. He tensed up on occasion, and the grip on my braid became stronger. A soft reassurance that I was there was all he needed to calm down, and it broke my heart. He'd been struggling so much during these days, and I hadn't seen it.

I must have fallen asleep again, for when I blinked my eyes open, the light from the dawn shone in through the window, and Heero was rubbing small circles with his hand on my arm.

'Morning,' I mumbled, almost more tired then than I had been when I woke up in the middle of the night.

'Morning,' Heero said, and I tilted my head so I could land a morning kiss on his lips. 'How do you feel?'

'Tired,' I said, putting my head back down, onto Heero's chest this time.

He put the back of his hand on my forehead and I chuckled.

'Because I've slept too much, 'Ro. I'm fine.'

'Okay,' he said, and started to play with some hair that had fallen loose from the braid.

'You going back to work today?' I asked after a while, and his hand paused before picking up again.

'I would, but if the surf is like last evening, I expect Rift Wars to be on today.'

I'd forgotten all about Rift Wars, or I'd avoided thinking about it. I brought my hand up to the necklace that in my head was now called Solo's Tear. It pained me; I wouldn't be out there, surfing the competition. I wouldn't fulfill Solo's last dream, and it felt like a failure. There was nothing I could do about it. Going out there when I felt the way I did would be nothing short of attempted suicide. Maybe I'd get another chance next year.

Heero sat up, bringing me along with him, and held me tightly against his chest. He didn't say anything, which I was just as glad for.

'You'll be on the jet ski?' I asked.

He hesitated. 'I'm signed up for it, yes.'

'You should,' I said, realizing that I was the main reason for his hesitation. 'Wufei will need someone out there to cheer him on, after all.'

Heero chuckled softly.

'What will you be doing?'

'I'll take a chair and sit down on the beach,' I said, placing a quick kiss on his nose. He frowned and opened his mouth slightly.

'You shouldn't be in the sun too much.' It was his way of telling me he didn't think I should go at all.

I grinned. 'Thank you, mom. I'll find an umbrella.'

'You better,' Heero said, gracefully surrendering, when a knock sounded on the door. They were starting to learn what a bad idea it was to barge in.

'Breakfast,' Trowa said, and the sound of his feet against the wooden floor travelled towards the kitchen.

We were soon dressed and all of us convened at the table on the deck, with the radio on to check if there was any news regarding the contest. All they said was that it looked promising, which was really about all you'd get at the Rift, so we headed out. We grabbed the car. Wufei said it was because he didn't want to carry his boards all the way, but the Rift was closer than Choker, and we'd walked there. It didn't take a genius to understand that they did it for me, but I wouldn't complain. I couldn't. There was no way I was fine enough to walk for any length in the sand. And entire day at the beach wasn't likely to make me feel any better.

Heero shouldn't have worried about me being in the sun. Quatre was every bit the mother hen that Heero couldn't be when out on the jet ski. Quatre had given me a chair inside of the Winner tent and had placed a glass and container of icy water next to me before he went to the front where they were displaying their merchandise.

It wasn't a bad spot to be in. I had a clear view of the water, with the sponsor's tent being inside of the competitor's area. I was even relatively hidden from any reporters that may look our way.

The waves were about as perfect as they could be at the Rift. I'd come out several times just to observe the waves. In all that time, I hadn't gone in to ride them. I had thought to save that risk until after Gundams. I almost wished I had gone in earlier, there had been a time or two when the good waves had been coming more frequently, when I'd been sorely tempted to ride a wave. But the Rift is a surfing spot that should never be braved alone. The force of the waves is just too great.

'Duo!' a voice called cheerfully behind me. I couldn't place it, so I turned around to see Kip being carried by his father over the sand. I got to my feet.

'Kip! Good to see you, buddy,' I said and made a gesture towards my chair with my hand.

Kip's father gently set him down in the offered chair and held out his hand for me to shake.

'Sorry, he saw you from up there,' –he gestured towards the parking lot– 'and wanted to come and say hi.' I guess I wasn't as well hidden as I had thought.

'Of course. Hey, how about staying here to watch the competition. I'm sure Quatre wouldn't mind. Would you, Q'?' I called the last two sentences a bit louder, unsure if Quatre had heard what we were discussing. Unsure if he'd even noticed Kip and his father at all.

'Not at all,' Quatre answered from the front, where he'd obviously been eavesdropping.

'Can I, pa?' Kip asked and his father frowned.

'We have work today, your mother and I both. I told you we could only come by for a quick peek. There are some functions that don't close just because of surfing contests.'

'We'll look after him,' I said. 'If you can just bring his chair down here, he can come with us back to Heero's place afterwards as well.'

Kip's father looked at him, and I'm sure he saw the same pleading look in his son's eyes as I did. He sighed, and looked his son directly in the eyes.

'Listen to Duo and Quatre, all right, Kip?'

'I will!' the kid agreed readily.

'You call if there's anything.'

'Yes,' Kip nodded, and his father turned to me.

'I'll give you my phone number,' he said, and pulled out his phone. I immediately bent down to search through my bag for my phone. I still hadn't learnt to bring it everywhere, and I was pretty sure I'd forgotten it at the house. Way to prove to Kip's dad I'd be responsible enough to take care of his kid.

'I've got your number, Mr. Rickins, unless you've changed it lately?' Quatre said, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Kip chuckled next to me, and I gave him a mock glare. He stuck out his tongue, and then he grinned widely. I was glad I hadn't ruined his day just because I hadn't brought the phone.

'It's still the same,' the man said and spoke a little with Quatre before heading off to get the wheelchair so we could bring Kip if we went anywhere.

'Lucky,' I said to Kip, and he chuckled again.

'I thought everyone had phones!' he said, and I shook my head.

'I have one,' I said. 'Somewhere.' I flopped down in the sand next to him, having given up my chair.

'You're silly,' he said with a small snicker.

'Thank you,' I said, making him laugh louder.

We spent the morning chattering idly with each other, and running our own commentary on the competition. Trowa and Quatre, and Wufei when his heat wasn't running, amused us by interjecting with their own sharp observations, and we were having a great time. Wufei was doing really well, and I truly enjoyed seeing him in the big waves. They were definitely more his element than the smaller ones, and he seemed to be completely at home in the Rift.

It didn't take more than an hour for me to feel the fatigue come creeping up on me, but there was no way I could leave. There were only five rounds after all, with the first being your usual non-elimination round. Each heat however, ran for forty minutes in order to be able to get as many good waves as possible.

In total, there were twelve entrees for Rift Wars, less than half of those who had entered Gundams were also interested in the big waves of the Rift. It wasn't surprising, the Rift is kind of terrifying, and if you're not confident you can distinguish the good waves from the closeouts, you have no business being out there. Normally, that's an easy task; you can look at the wave and see where the slope is. The Rift however isn't easy. Nothing about it is.

'Medicine, boys,' Quatre said behind us, and both Kip and I turned in surprise.

'What?' we both asked, grinned to each other, and then looked back at Quatre again.

'Well, Heero made me promise I'd make sure you'd take yours, Duo. And Kip, Mr. Rickins made it a condition for your stay here.'

He said it in the kindest way possible, but he had the look of someone who was bracing himself for an argument. I'd learnt from my first mess-up however, and accepted the antibiotics with a smile. The one thing that did bother me was that Heero apparently felt the need to mother me, but that wasn't Quatre's fault. I'd keep that argument for Heero.

When the second round of the day started, I was really tired. I sat with my arms curled around my legs, my head resting on top of my knees. It was proving difficult to keep my eyes open, and I fell asleep where I sat.

'Duo, Duo! It's Wufei's turn!' Kip said, and shook my shoulder.

I blinked my eyes open, let go of my knees and straightened my back, wincing at how stiff I was. I murmured a small thanks to Kip for having woken me, and I wondered just how long I'd been sleeping. I could remember kind of having seen the first ones of the second round, and with Wufei having won his heat in the first round; he was competing in the first heat of the third round. So I had slept for more than an hour in that position. No wonder I was feeling stiff.

Wufei competed against Mueller in the heat, though I hesitate at calling it competing. Crushing might be more apt.

Trowa interrupted my musings when he came up with ice cream, and handed one to Kip.

'Tro', what about me?' I asked, but he shrugged and dropped down into the sand next to me.

'You didn't say you wanted any,' he said.

'You are an evil man, Trowa. Evil.'

'Here, Duo,' Quatre said, and an ice cream was held in front of my nose.

'I love you, Q',' I said, accepting the ice cream from him, and happily started to eat.

'I think Mueller's practicing his falling technique,' I said to the guys when Mueller found himself in another closeout and had to bail. There was a small round of chuckles.

'He's really a good guy,' Kip said, and I looked at the kid in surprise. Had I gone overboard? Did he know Mueller? Were they related?

'He's leaving all the best waves to Wufei,' Kip said then, and grinned widely.

I blew out a breath of relief, and licked on my ice cream, watching idly as Wufei continued to show Mueller exactly how it should be done.

When Wufei came up, he was smirking, and happily accepted Sally's embrace before they both walked towards us.

Mueller, on the other hand, looked a bit like a thundercloud, and he appeared to grumble something to Alex as he accepted his shirt and switched the competition shirt for it. Then he looked up, directly at us, and we locked eyes. I'm pretty sure there was lightning shooting from his eyes. Or it could have been my overly active imagination. Either way, he started towards us, and I groaned, but stiffly got to my feet, not wanting to stay sitting if Mueller was going to try anything.

Like one, Trowa and Quatre got to their feet as well, obviously having seen what I was bothered by. Kip looked a bit confused, even more so when Mueller and Alex stopped in front of us, with only the rope around the tent as a separator.

'What's up, Mueller? It's not my fault you lost to Wufei,' I said, and the man's eyes narrowed.

'There's not a damn thing wrong with you,' he said angrily, letting his eyes travel over my body. It made me uncomfortable, and more than a little pissed.

'I'm happy you think so,' I said cheekily. 'I did choose my best trunks.'

I heard Trowa snort softly on the side, but I paid him no mind. But leave it to Trowa to find my quips funny.

'You're nothing but a fag who's too scared to fight his own battles,' Mueller said, presumably referring to my dropping out of Rift Wars. My immediate comeback would have been that he wouldn't even have had a spot if I hadn't dropped out. I didn't get a chance to say it.

I'm not entirely sure what happened, or where the ice cream that suddenly sat smack in the middle of Mueller's shirt had come from. I had to look at my own hand to verify I hadn't been the one to throw it.

'Duo is miles better than you'll ever dream to be!' the kid said next to me. His ice cream cone was suspiciously missing its filling.

'He's the one who's dreaming if he thinks he'll survive as a surfer now,' Mueller said, with his head upturned, doing his best to look superior.

'See, Mueller,'I said. 'That's where you're wrong. I've had more sponsors calling for me now than ever before. Apparently, it's a thing to be a sponsor to the first openly gay pro surfer.' I tried to say it nonchalantly as I could. 'Thank you.'

His nose wrinkled as he looked at me in disgust. 'What?'

'You practically forced me to come out. It's the best move I've made in a long time.'

'Piece of faggot ass,' he said and took a step forwards, but was halted by Alex's hand on his shoulder.

'Let's go.' Alex said, and to my amazement they turned and walked away.

It was as though we all let out our breath at the same time, allowing our shoulders to slump. Then I remembered his ruined shirt, and I had to give him one final farewell. I scrambled for my bag and withdrew my wallet, from which I brought out a ten-dollar bill.

My legs were protesting at my first steps, feeling shaky as I stepped over the rope, but once they stabilized I decided I was fine to jog to catch up with Mueller. I heard the others call for me, but I ignored them

'Mueller!' I called, and he snapped around.

I walked up to him and held out the ten.

'Here, it looks you need it for a new shirt,' I said to Mueller and put the ten in his pocket as he didn't reach for it, but merely looked at it in disgust. I don't take charity, especially not from the kinds of Mueller, and this was the perfect opportunity to give the money back.

When I turned to walk back to the tent, I was surprised to find the guys right behind me, Wufei and Trowa were watching me with smirks on their faces, and I knew they remembered my first meeting with Mueller. Quatre looked kind of confused, but still pleased.

'Come on, Duo! Let's go!' Quatre said with a wide smile on his face and we went back to Kip.

'If I see that guy within a year, it's entirely too soon,' I said, and Quatre smiled as he put his arm around my shoulders.

'I have reason to believe it will be a lot longer than that before you see him again,' he said into my ear, and I looked at him in surprise, but he'd already slipped away from me, and engaged Trowa in a conversation.

I plopped down in the sand next to Kip again, and Zero lay down next to me. I put my hand in his fur and scratched. What had Quatre meant?

Something dripped onto my hand and I looked at the melting ice cream in disgust, not really feeling like eating it anymore. Then Zero was there, gulping it down in one big bite, and I blinked.

'You read minds now as well, boy?' I asked, petting him, as he licked the last of the ice cream off of my hand. 'Tro'?'

'Yeah?'

'Zee's not allergic to ice cream, is he?'

Trowa snickered, and I sighed.

'Come on, buddy.' I said. 'Do I have to take the dog to the vet, or what?'

'No, you're safe,' Trowa said, sounding much too amused to my liking.

Kip, who hadn't heard the story about Zero and the Diarrhea, was intrigued, and I ended up retelling the entire thing to him. It left him in tears, and now that it was all done and over it, I agreed that it was a tiny bit amusing. If only Zero hadn't had to suffer for it.

Wufei got through the semifinals without a hitch, and it ended up being him and Broden in the finals.

Wufei surfed without abandon, and I stood up. Not to see him better, because it made no difference. His intensity had me wrapped up, and I was surfing with him. Every twist, every turn, I leaned ever so slightly, and we rode the waves. The water sounded in my ears, breathing, roaring.

Living.

We got through the biggest wave yet, and the crowd roared. My heart was soaring when the horn sounded to end the heat, and I was somewhat rudely pulled back to myself.

How had I ever thought I could live without this?

I wanted to be out there.

Someone put a hand on my shoulder, and squeezed. I looked, and saw Quatre standing there, watching me with a melancholic smile.

'He won,' I said, and made sure to grin widely. I'd be back out there soon enough. There was no reason to make Quatre gloomy about it.

'Can you stay with Kip, we'll go congratulate him,' Quatre said, and I nodded.

We watched as they headed to Wufei and lifted him on their shoulders, similarly to what they'd done for me two weeks ago.

'Sorry for keeping you here,' Kip said, and I looked down at him.

'You're not,' I assured him. 'I don't much feel like carrying Wufei's ass around anyways.'

He grinned, accepting my explanation, and we waited until awards had been handed out, interviews had been given, and they came back to us. When they came back, Heero was with them. He shot me a concerned gaze, and I rolled my eyes before I kissed him.

'You're in so much trouble,' I told him, and he laughed softly.

'Sorry.'

'You should be. Making Q' remember my meds?'

'Did you remember them?' he asked pointedly and I grinned. I hadn't.

'So not the point, 'Ro,' I said, and he leaned in to kiss me when I saw cops walking along the beach.

I pecked him on the lips before I nodded towards the cops.

'What's that about?' I asked, and Heero shrugged, brows furrowed.

They walked up to Alex and Mueller, and soon had Mueller between them, saying something. Alex was looking at him with a frown, before he shook his head and turned his back on his friend. I could almost hear Mueller's heart break as he shouted "I did it for you". He didn't resist when the cops led him off of the beach.

'What the hell was that about?' I asked again, and Heero shook his head.

'Apparently there was a witness to when the shed burnt down,' Quatre said and I understood his earlier insinuation.

'They took him for arson?' Wufei asked.

'I should expect so,' Quatre said.

'About time,' Wufei said, and I wondered if they'd all known.

I hadn't expected Mueller to even be suspected, much less caught, so I was pleasantly surprised. Maybe I should have actually told them about what I'd heard Mueller say when he was trying to burn me alive.

An arm was wrapped around my waist, and I leaned in against Heero. He rested his cheek against my head, brushing his lips gently against my temple.

'Love you,' I said, and he answered in kind.

'Heero, Duo, come on! We've got a barbecue to prepare for the winner!'

I chuckled and we walked slowly behind the guys. Trowa was carrying Kip, Quatre was carrying the wheelchair, and Wufei and Sally were carrying Wufei's boards. Heero was practically carrying me. The day so far had really exhausted me, but I couldn't turn down a barbecue.

'Hey,' I said on sudden thought. 'You never prepared me a barbecue!'

They laughed loudly, and I grinned.

Lovable assholes.

...

The fire burnt hot and bright in the darkness of the night. Kip had been picked up by his father hours ago, and all other friends had left. Only the five of us, plus Sally, were still left, sitting silently around the fire.

Quatre and Trowa leaned against one of the logs with their hands intertwined. Sally sat in the sand in front of Wufei who sat on a log and massaged her shoulders.

Heero sat with his back against the log and his legs stretched out in front of him. I had my head on his thigh, and his hand was massaging my scalp in that way I've come to love. Zero lay with his head on Heero's other leg and I was scratching his head.

Quatre had said it would be a barbecue for the winner. He never defined which one, and it had been just as much for me as it had been for Wufei.

As soon as we'd gotten back from the Rift, I had gone to sleep, and had only woken up by noises from everyone preparing food in the kitchen. It had been a bit of a shock to see so many people, and almost more of a shock to realize I knew all of them, and could call many of them friends. The amount of people I'd come to know and love in only a few short months was amazing.

The feeling that I had somewhere to belong, somewhere to come home to was mind-boggling.

'Love you, 'Ro,' I said, and his fingers stopped moving in my hair.

'I love you too,' he answered, and with a gentle stroke of his fingers he swiped away some hair that had been lying across my cheek.

I turned my head to look deeply into his blue eyes that sparkled from the fire.

I truly and utterly loved him.

This was life.

This was forever!

 

~ * ~

Chapter 29

Back to Single Authors Index

Back to GW Authors Index.