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"Summer Time"Written By: t-shirt Disclaimer: Gundam Wing and its characters are
copyright to Sunrise, Bandai, Sotsu Agency, and associated parties.
I make no money with this fic. Rating: NC 17 Warnings: AU/Romance, Fluff. WAFF *grin*, angst,
attempted rape of a minor (but Hiiro kicks his ass!), mention of lemon Pairings: 1x2, bg 3x4, mention of 5xM Summary: A young man takes a step into his past
only to discover his future. "Summer Time" Ch 1
He couldn’t believe it had been three years. The winding road still looked the same as he drove up Silverhead Mountain. The air was sweet with the heavy scent of the massive pinewood forest, the trees standing in their silent vigil as if awaiting his return, but the road was a lot smoother under his seat than it had been when forced to endure the trip in the backseat of an ancient, diesel bus. ** “Old man goat just ain’t what he used to be… ain’t what he used to be… ain’t what he used to be…” “It’s old grey mare!” “What’dyu know!” “Carlton! Settle down!” Sally shouted over the cacophony of excited children as she wrestled the rattling, old bus around the next corner. “Quatre! Catch!” “No!” the blond boy gasped, ducking just in time to evade the water balloon Duo had pitched at him, but came up with the most god awful expression of ‘oh shit’ when he realized Trowa had taken a direct hit in the face. “You’re going down,” the taller boy declared, jumping from his seat to scramble after Duo, but he darted for the front and the safety of Sally’s side. “Sit down!” the woman snapped, narrowly evading a fallen limb in the road. Duo stuck his tongue out at Trowa who narrowed his eyes in a promise of revenge as he wrung out his long fall of bangs. “Shit!” Sally grumbled, glancing apologetically to her passengers when they ‘oooo’ed’ and teased her for the slip as she ran over a rock that had apparently tumbled into the road during the last storm. Every bottom on the bus bounced high into the air, some children squealing with delight while others squawked in fear or surprise, but one Chinese boy merely guided his butt back into his seat and took back up where he’d left off in his book. “You gonna read all summer again?” Duo grinned, not daring to return to the back of the bus where Trowa awaited. “Perhaps if you picked up a book now and then your speech pattern would improve,” Wufei replied haughtily as he turned a page. “I read,” Duo shrugged, moving out of the way of Carlton’s spitball that was meant for Shelly but hit Sally in the back of the head. “Hey,” he smiled suddenly, staring anxiously into the back of the bus. “Do you know who the new guy is?” “No,” Wufei replied succinctly. “But he’s foreign like you, ain’t he?” Duo pouted out, daring another glance at the strangely quite boy sitting in the very last seat. His eyes were trained on the landscape outside, but Duo couldn’t shake the feeling that he was watching… everything. “I have no idea who he is,” the Chinese boy reiterated in annoyance. “Why don’t you go ask him?” Duo’s eyes shifted to Trowa who was eyeing him intently while Quatre sat next to him and talked with Kelly in the seat in front of them. “We’ll find out at camp,” he reasoned, content to keep his skin for a little while longer. ** Not so long ago, he thought as he maneuvered around a fallen stone in the road. The bus would be arriving just about that time but he had had the foresight to wait long enough that the initial arrival would be over beforehand. He smiled, recalling what a disaster that had been. ** “Everyone here?” Noin asked as the last of the children piled out of the bus. “Sound off!” Sally shouted, but the usual roll call was not forthcoming. “Where’s Hiiro?” she asked, looking the pack of anxious kids over but not finding him until she looked back toward the bus. “Hiiro!” she yelled over the rising den. “Start roll call!” “One,” the new boy stated, seeming bored with the entire affair until Duo suddenly blurted… “TWO!” as he grinned with the sort of excitement that can only be found in a thirteen year old’s eyes. Hiiro regarded him warily while Trowa took up the call shouting, “Three!” followed by Quatre’s four and Wufei’s five. By the time Carlton sounded off and the crew was accounted for, most had lost their patience and turned their attention to more entertaining thoughts. Such as Kelly’s discussion with Shelly about who was going to accompany them to the Moonlight Dance at the end of the summer. Burk, a young man who had spent a good deal of the previous summer either locked in the outhouse or tethered to a tree, was doing his best to avoid having a lizard shoved down his pants by Carlton and his friend James, but it was Trowa’s sudden possession of the garden hose that sent the assembly into screaming fits when he turned it on Duo, who used any and every available body to shield himself from the vicious retaliation until he unwittingly reached for the new boy and suddenly found himself seized and held fast while Trowa soaked him through and through. “TROWA!” Sally’s furious roar caused the tall acrobat to abandon his weapon and dash off with Quatre hot on his heels while the rest of the kids went every which way and Duo was summarily released, turning to sputter and drip before Hiiro, but the Japanese boy was stunned to find a huge grin adorning his face. “You know I owe you one?” the long haired boy asked as his eyes twinkled merrily. Hiiro swallowed, but that was the only sign of a response. “I’m Duo,” the longhaired boy offered anyway, not bothering to step away before he shook his soggy bangs out. “H…Hiiro,” the new boy replied calmly, wiping the chilly droplets from his face. ** What a crazy day that had been. Hiiro smiled to himself as he rounded the last turn on the little, switchback road that led to Camp Widehesash, chuckling when three boys rocketed past his sleek car in their effort to escape Sally’s wrath. The woman hadn’t changed at all. Her hair was even in the same style, curling defiantly along her neck as she nabbed one of the scurrying boys and dragged him off toward the main cabin. Again he wondered at the passage of time as he parked and exited his car, stopping to look the place over. It struck him how fast kids grow between the ages of thirteen and seventeen when he compared himself to the adolescent playfulness of the children all around him. Some were merely walking but talking excitedly amongst themselves while others had completely abandoned their senses, running here and there, tumbling on the leaf covered ground or antagonizing the less fortunate with practical jokes that would no doubt rebound on them before the summer was over. He chuckled, knowing all too well that no one was safe from pre-pubescent revenge. ** Camp had not been the social awakening his mentor had hoped it would be. Hiiro sat on a rock quietly contemplating the behavior of a frolicking black bird when his keen senses became aware of the soft sound of a footfall behind him. He smirked knowing very well it was Duo trying to exact his revenge again, but he’d stopped him twice already and he knew he could do it again. Curious as to what the braided maniac had in mind this time he held his ground, waiting for the right moment to act. His lips curled on one side when he picked up the sound of movement to his left and prepared to retaliate, but when he turned and lunged all he discovered was the terrified, furry little face of a frightened raccoon that scampered off into the woods. Feeling oddly disappointed he turned to go back to his rock and ran head long into a young lady with honey blond hair. “Oh, thank you!” she gasped, flinging her arms around his neck and he froze in utter horror until he saw Duo standing in a bush not far away. “You saved me!” the girl gushed, grinning adoringly when she pulled away but his eyes were trained on the huge, demonic grin that was plastered on Duo’s face. “You’re so very brave!” the girl praised, utterly unaware of the braided boy’s sudden, silent laugher as Hiiro flushed scarlet and pushed her away. “That beast was about to eat me!” she wailed, causing Hiiro to grimace at the high pitch of her voice. He was forced to endure her simpering while Duo giggled so hard he doubled up then caught his breath and laid a finger to the side of his nose before he disappeared. ** Hiiro shivered when he remembered the young lady and how she’d chased him all over camp that year. She hadn’t been on the bus with everyone else, arriving fashionably late in a long, Pepto-Bismol pink limo that had made his eyes hurt and his stomach ache just to look at. Still, he couldn’t help but laugh when he thought about how thoroughly Duo had gotten him back. “Hey, mister! You lost?” He turned to find a young lady smiling happily up at him, her bright eyes providing a window back to a simpler time in his mind and he smiled. “Do you know where Zechs is?” Her big eyes sparkled dreamily and he laughed quietly, recalling that the expression had adorned every female’s face anytime the handsome counselor’s name came up. “No,” she replied rather sulkily. “But Miss Sally is helping the newbies get settled over on Bluebird Lane.” “Thanks,” he smiled, turning his toes in the direction of the only place he’d ever stayed in the camp. Bluebird Lane was nothing more than a well worn trail that meandered between the cabins where the newest recruits would be housed. He remembered well the day he’d been shown to Bluebird cabin 1A and his confusion over having discovered Duo in the top bunk. ** “What are you doing here?” Hiiro grumbled, tossing his duffle onto the bottom bunk. “We’re bunkmates!” Duo beamed, hanging his head upside down off the side of the top bunk. Hiiro grimaced crossly when the boy’s thick braid fell down and smacked him in the side of the head, pushing it out of the way so he could sit down. “Why do you get the top?” “’Cause I’m Cabin Master,” the longhaired boy grinned. “It’s my third year so they stuck me in here to help you newbies learn the ropes.” “I don’t need your help,” Hiiro deadpanned, tucking his bag under the bed. “You know where the john is?” Duo snorted, flipping his feet over his head to land with a resounding thud on the floor before his companion. “What?” Hiiro grumbled. “There aren’t any bathrooms in the cabins,” Duo pointed out, smiling impishly when Hiiro looked around and found it to be true. “I could show you but since you don’t need any help you could always just hold it all summer.” “I’m sure I can find it,” the Japanese boy countered. Duo nodded. “But can you find the boys’? Colton likes to switch the signs,” he chuckled, watching the slight shift of concern in Hiiro’s eyes before dancing out the door and into the fray of other children. Hiiro lasted most of the day but inevitably ended up standing in front of the two outhouses trying to discern which he should actually use. He hadn’t seen anyone go in either of them all day and was quickly running out of options when a young, blond boy suddenly slammed into him, almost knocking him off his feet. “S…sorry!” the boy giggled, going pale when he saw the indignant eyes of the new boy scowling angrily, but before Hiiro could push him away there was suddenly a strong hand in his chest shoving him back so hard he broke through the outhouse door falling in a splintered crash. When he looked up, his expression one of ‘seek and destroy’ he was taken aback by the righteous light that was shining in Trowa’s eyes, the way he had huddled Quatre behind him and his complete disregard of the blond boy’s cross reprimand, revealing more than Hiiro was capable of understanding so he simply stood and watched Trowa silently lead his friend away. “Don’t worry,” Wufei advised, stepping up to his side. “He’s always like that.” “I wasn’t trying to hurt him,” Hiiro explained. “I know,” Wufei snorted. “Trowa’s weird that way, but Quatre will explain it to him.” The entire mood was changed when Duo suddenly scampered by with several other kids laughing and carrying on, stopping only for a moment to grin, “Hey! You found the crapper after all!” Hiiro sighed as he watched the braided boy bound away laughing merrily only catching Wufei’s quiet chuckle as he walked away. ** He smiled quietly as he made his way through the camp, recognizing this and that. There was the mess hall, a huge building with three long tables running its length. Then the counselors’ cabins and the seniors’ quarters passed by before he saw the little sign that had been nailed to a tree reading Bluebird Lane and his feet slowed. He could see it all in his mind so clearly, but it was coming too fast to make any sense. He closed his eyes, trying to slow the images that danced in his mind, visions of the lake and boys splashing about, long nights when the crickets would sing so loudly you could talk quietly with your friends and no one could hear, but through it all one constant remained. In every memory were the shining eyes of Duo Maxwell. “Hiiro?” His eyes snapped open as a rush filled his chest, but his mind still didn’t believe it when the image in his mind was standing nearby. “Is that you?” Duo chuckled, evading getting creamed by a racing little girl as he came closer. Hiiro clenched his teeth, having not been prepared for this contingency. He tried to calm his heart but the closer the braided boy came the more unstable he felt. “Hey, man,” Duo smiled, sending a wave of fluttering energy down Hiiro’s throat. “What brings you to Silverhead?” Desperate for something to say that wouldn’t come out sounding hopelessly lame, Hiiro grasped the only subject that came to mind when he saw the name tag on Duo’s shirt. “You’re a counselor now?” “Yeah,” Duo snorted. “Go figure, huh? Damn it! He looked so good it was making it hard to think. He hadn’t changed much, but what had changed had definitely been an improvement. His face was longer but the nose was the same. He couldn’t remember his lashes being quite that long or the curve of his neck having that supple bend. His hair was considerably longer too, dangling to mid-thigh instead of stopping at his lower back, but the smile… that was exactly the same. “Is there something I can help you with?” Duo asked, looking a tad off balance and Hiiro clenched his teeth against the blush that was trying to take over his face as he explained. “Zechs.” Duo’s left brow rose in amused inquiry while Hiiro lost the battle of the blush. “I need to speak with Zechs,” Hiiro clarified, wondering where his intelligence had suddenly run off to. “He’s in town,” Duo informed him. “We had a girl arrive without her allergy prescription so he had to take her to the pharmacy to get a refill,” he explained. “But he should be back shortly. You wanna get something to drink?” There was a warmth that invaded his soul whenever Duo stood by his side, a warmth he remember all too well as he fell into step beside him for the first time in three years. ** “It wasn’t my fault,” the braided boy sulked, crossing his arms defiantly. “You may not have started it but you simply can not bury your campmates up to their necks in the woods,” Zechs sighed tolerantly. “He tried to cut my hair,” Duo grumbled. “And you stopped him,” the man reminded him. “That should have been sufficient…” “That prick’s been hounding me all summer!” the braided boy growled. “He had it comin!” “Duo…” “If he ever touches me again I’ll bury him upside down next time!” Duo shouted, hitting the door so hard it bounced three times before he disappeared into the woods. He didn’t slow down until he was on the other side of the lake and his lungs burned, but the moment his feet stopped he became instantly aware of his shadow. “What’dyu want?!” “Are you all right?” Hiiro asked, stepping cautiously from behind a tree. “No!” Duo barked, but quickly lost the animosity in his voice as he sank to the ground. “I’m not gonna apologize to that jerk!” “I don’t blame you,” Hiiro nodded, coming closer. “He put a night skink in my bed!” “I remember,” Hiiro chuckled, sitting down in front of him. “It’s not funny,” Duo grumbled. “Why’s he so mean to you?” “I dunno,” the braided boy shrugged. “We used to be friends but last year he started picking on me and now I just hate him.” “You shouldn’t hate anyone,” Hiiro reasoned, explaining at Duo’s indignant scowl. “It just gives them power over you.” “Where’d you hear that?” “My mentor.” Duo’s nose scrunched up. “Is that like your dad?” “I don’t have any parents,” the Japanese boy explained. The information brightened the longhaired boy’s eyes a little. “Me too!” “So we’re the same,” Hiiro smiled. The light slowly bled from Duo’s eyes but he seemed more relaxed when he replied, “At least we won’t be lonely.” “I could make him… go away,” Hiiro offered tentatively. Duo’s smile grew bright as he enthused, “You’d do that?! For me?!” Hiiro’s only response was the slight reddening of his cheeks. “Thanks!” Duo grinned then shook his head. “But I wouldn’t want you to get in trouble too.” “Will they punish you?” “I’ll probably have to sleep in the red cabin for a night,” Duo sighed. “Wanna go swimming before we go back?” Hiiro smiled. Duo grinned brightly again, pulling his shirt off and racing for the lake as he shouted, “Race ya!”
~ * ~ tbc... |
