|
"The Princess With The Purple Heart"Written By: ExecutiveShrimp Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing, it belongs
to Bandai, Sotsu and associated parties. Written for pleasure not
profit. Rating: NC 17 Warnings: Smut, angst, AU Pairings: 1x2, Summary: Don't ask, don't tell
"The Princess With The Purple Heart" Sixteen With only two weeks left on tour, he makes use of the internet café for the last time to chat with friends on Facebooks and he smiles at them dropping hints about throwing him a welcome-back party and then he calls his mother and keeps her talking so he runs out of time, leaving him an excuse to not call his girlfriend again. Of course, keeping his mother talking means that she brings her up eventually. "Hilde says you haven't been calling her much the past couple of months," she notes with that tone of voice everyone knows from their mother; disapproving and concerned at the same time. "Last she heard of you was an email four weeks ago." He sighs and it crackles in the receiver. "We just don't have much to talk about, with me being here and her over there." "You're not making much sense, honey. Wouldn't you have that problem with everyone you call? You don't seem to be avoiding Quatre for this reason. Or me." "You and Quatre are easy to talk to. Or rather," he chuckles, "you talk easy, so you're easy for me to just listen to. Hilde… Hilde asks a lot of questions." He makes a face. That wasn't entirely true. Just like everyone else, she asks him how he's doing and stuff like that, the problem lies with him. The problem is that he has been cheating on her, with a man, with his friend. It doesn't help his guilt that he checked out of the relationship a long time ago and was waiting for the right opportunity to let her down gently. "I'm sure everything will be fine between the two of you once you get back home," his mother assures him, misinterpreting the issue, but that was for the better. "It's difficult being away from family but I know it's even more challenging maintaining a romantic relationship while you're so far away from each other." She does know, she went through the same thing with dad. Duo doesn't exactly consider them a success story – his parents have always been cold and distant to each other, if there ever was a spark, it's been long gone – so he doesn't know how to respond and he just lets the silence be until she speaks up again. "How's Hero?" She inquires, sensing he would rather talk about something else and mercifully playing along. He smiles. As long as two tours he has been telling her about Heero and she still mispronounces his name. He's become convinced she's doing it on purpose, either because the mispronunciation makes sense, considering Heero is a hero, about to be decorated with a Silver Star after all, or if it's out of spite, because she's never been given the chance to meet this incredibly person he keeps mentioning, who saved his life and everyone else's. "He's…" hot, sexy, funny, brave, caring, witty, excellent in bed… "…great." "Tell him I'm counting on him to keep you safe for two more weeks." He snorts, amused by her motherly overprotectiveness. "I'll let him know, so he won't slack off on the job." "Are you ever going to introduce him to your mother?" He rolls his eyes at her tone. Out of spite it is, he surmises. He wants to say that he'd love for her to meet him, but them grimaces and reconsiders. Meeting the mother has become a loaded and complicated thing in light of what is happening between them, that they have yet to figure out and put a label on. "He lives in California, mom." "I'm pretty sure there is this invention that they call an 'airplane'. I heard it somewhere… from the Wright brothers, I believe." He laughs at her sarcasm. "I'm sure when he's home he's just happy to be home. He's not going to be flying across the country to meet my mother." "Maybe I should come with you to his Silver Star ceremony, then." Oh. "You are going, right?" "Of course, but… why would you?" "If not for him, they would have sent you back to me a long time ago Duo, in a cedar casket. I want to look this man in the eyes and thank him." He smiles, recognizing the emotion in her voice. A hand lands on his shoulder and when he looks up one of the techs informs him: "Time's up, Lance Corporal. Sorry." He nods and mouths: "It's fine." He breaks the news to his mother that he has to hang up. They say their goodbyes and she makes him promise again to stay alert and stay safe. "I'll see you in two weeks, mom," he asserts confidently and that makes her feel better. He disconnects the phone and walks out with his hands in his pockets and his heart in his throat. They were supposed to have the evening off and Duo and Heero and a handful of the rest of the guys were in the Rec Hall when their Staff Sergeant came to collect them. One of the other teams wouldn't be arriving back on base for several more hours, due to an unforeseen delay in their operation to Zarghun Shahr. They wouldn't be back in time for their scheduled evening patrol, so another unit had to step in. They drew the short straw. Everyone gathers in their fatigues at the equipment building. Follander heaves dramatic sighs as he routinely checks and repacks his gear, while the other men wallow in quiet resignation. It's a six hour walk from Camp Sharana to the village of Terwa in the North. They have to check the road for explosives; they had been sweeping the infrastructure in the area for the past two months, finding a record number of IED's. Luckily, once they have cleared the road, they can drive back and that will only take them forty minutes, but they will still be gone until sunrise and none of them are looking forward to it, considering they had just finished a long shift of drills and inventory. "Look alive - stay alive, ladies," the Staff Sergeant barks as he rounds them up and directs them to their positions around the three Humvees they will accompany – and which will drive them back to camp after the long trek. "When you see the sun at the horizon, it will be the start of day 411 and there will only be thirteen more to go before you can go home." His remark seems to lift some spirits, but Duo shoots a look Heero's way before casting his gaze down at his boots. The caravan hits the road, inching along it in formation. The three Humvees are lined up, with enough space between them to fit another car. Lindsey and Flint are at the front-right and Chapple and Medina are front-left; the two pairs are walking a few steps ahead of the first vehicle. One of each pair has his eyes trained on the road, the other keeps an eye on their surroundings, with their rifle held to their chest. The next two pairs walk a few steps ahead of the second vehicle, doing the same, but paying more attention to the bank on either side of the road. A final pair walks at the very back of the caravan, providing cover from behind. Duo and Heero are paired up, they walk to the right of the front bumper of the second car. Duo is closest to the car, with his eyes trained on the horizon. Heero edges along the bank, searching the dirt. Since the Taliban is catching on that the military likes to travel off road to avoid traps, they have taken to placing IED's a few yards on either side of the road, hoping to hit them that way. Unfortunately, that mostly just means they get locals traveling by horse or camel, or by foot instead, or the accompanying cattle that they herd back and forth. The sun is already below the horizon and the last of the light is blood orange. Dark shadows appear in the hilly landscape to the East; dark shadows in which anyone could hide. Duo is alert – more like high-strung. It is always the case for him that the closer he gets to the end of tour, the more nervous he becomes. He's made it this far, he doesn't want to screw things up and get killed – or get people killed – with only a few days left before shipping home. Heero feels his tension and offhandedly tells him to relax. Duo snorts. "Yeah, thanks, I can just do that, because you tell me to." The Corporal doesn't take his eyes off the ground; he can't, or he would have scowled at Duo for sure. As the darkness settles, the Humvees turn on the headlights and the floodlights on top of the roofs. It's necessary for them to be able to scan the road, but Duo feels antsy. The caravan is a beacon of light in the black desert, they can be seen from miles away. They are exposed with no hope for cover. He still remembers very well the last time they were walking alongside a car and shit hit the fan. "Did you call your mom?" Heero inquires. He smiles, knowing Heero is trying to distract him and he appreciates it. "Yeah." "Any news?" He thought for a moment, rerunning the long, mostly meaningless conversation he had with her. "…She wants to come to your ceremony." He watches Heero and notes that the man suppresses the urge to look up at him in surprise. "She knows it's in San Diego, right?" "She sure does. She really wants to meet you." "Oh… Why? What did you tell her?" He lowers his voice, even though the others can't hear them anyway, over the sound of the engines and their own chatter to kill the time. "Nothing," he hurries to say, knowing what he was asking, although the answer doesn't seem to alleviate any of the tension in Heero's shoulders. Of course he didn't tell her that they are… That they are what? The only word he has for it at the moment is "lovers", in the most undefined way, and he definitely didn't tell his mother that. "Just that you saved my ass a few months back and got shot to pieces in the process. She wants to thank you, in person." "I didn't do it just to save you. I did it for the whole unit." "I know. She does too. So, is okay if she tags along with me?" "Of course. But, you don't have to come if you don't want to." Duo playfully hits his shoulder. "I want to, you jackass. Of course I want to." He grins at him, even though Heero can't see. "Someone has to be there to keep everything from going to your head." He feels better when he catches Heero's smile. "…You know, if you're flying out anyway… you might as well stay a couple of days." That idea is both exciting and nerve-wracking. He definitely wants to see Heero for more than just a day after tour was over – so they can enjoy each other the way they have been – but they also have a lot to figure out and that makes him nervous, like knowing there is a test coming up that he can't study for. "Yeah, sure. That'd be nice. Have to find a way to get rid of my mom, though." He flashes another smirk. After what felt like six hours already, he checks his watch to discover with a grimace that they're only halfway. Maintaining focus is exhausting. He keeps scanning the darkness, all he can do is look for lights that give away a possible insurgents' approach, but he sees nothing and after a few hours it is becoming disorienting. Heero doesn't have it any easier, with his gaze trained on the dirt. Every rock and hump of sand looks like something else, especially with the way the lights from the Humvees cast sharp shadows around everything. Everyone goes quiet, too tired to keep talking and joking. The rumbling of the three engines and the crunching of the wheels and their own boots in the sand are the only sounds to fill the silence. Duo tries to pay attention to everything, listening for different sounds, like trucks in the distance. Every sputter of the Humvee next to him has him tightening his fingers around the handle and the barrel of his rifle. The false alarms keep triggering him. He makes sure to drink plenty of water and reminds Heero as well. They stop once so everyone can take a piss and then continue on. He thinks about the end of tour and going home. He knows that once he is home, he will be happy to see his family and friends again, but right now he mostly dreads it. He'd feel better knowing when he will deploy next, although it's uncertain if he even will. After three tours, it becomes more challenging to get cleared to be sent back out. The Marine Corps is becoming hesitant of sending men out to war too often for too long, with the way PTSD is running rampant among Veterans. If he'd be completely honest with the shrink who will evaluate him, he probably won't see another tour in Afghanistan. If he owns up to feeling more at home on a Forward Operating Base in a warzone than he does in New York with his family, he is bound to set off some textbook alarms on maladjustment and codependency. He might get stationed on a military base Stateside instead. The entire unit lives scattered throughout the states, so he likely won't end up on the same base as any of the guys he considers his brothers, especially not Heero. If that happens, they can't escape back to this time and place, where they are free from the complications of "the real world"; free to indulge in this thing between them that means so much to Duo without even knowing what it means and without it having any consequences in "the real world". Duo always likes keeping his war-life separate from his home-life, but if he wants to hang on to Heero and further explore what they have, he has to blend the two and that is daunting. He wonders how Heero feels about all of this, but is hesitant to ask. He is curious and it might help knowing his friend's thought-process and emotions on the matter, but he is reluctant to start that conversation before knowing where he himself stands. He throws his gaze up ahead. He can't see much of the road, only a few yards are illuminated, but he knows it stretches far ahead and he resents being alone with his thoughts for the rest of the way and wishes something would distract him from himself. Just as that thought pops into his head, he sees something glint on the dirt road about a yard in front of the first Humvee. Something catches the light before it disappears in the shadow under the front right bumper. In a split second Duo knows – just knows – what it is. Lindsey should have seen it, but he didn't. They keep walking and the Humvee rolls on. "STOP!" Duo screams. It's too late. The right front tire of the Humvee rolls over the IED and sets off the explosive. There is a bright flash of light. The force of the explosion rocks the armored vehicle and throws Lindsey and Flint to the side like ragdolls. Duo doesn't think, he just reacts. He twists to stand in front of Heero, turning his back to the explosion. All he sees are Heero's wide, blue eyes as he stands closely in front of him, shielding him with his body. Duo feels pinpricks all along the back of his legs and arms and his brain doesn't even have time to register the pain as it is pieces of shrapnel imbedding into his flesh. Some kind of projectile collides with his shoulder and another connects with the back of his head. His vest and helmet prove their worth as they catch both, although it hurts like Hell. The force of it is powerful enough to throw him forward, having him crash into his partner. The lip on the front of his helmet clips Heero's nose as Duo falls on top of him, but Duo is out cold before they hit the ground.
|
