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"Uncommon Hero"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/Action-Adventure, Light language,
light angst, humor, action, Some lemony type stuff ^-^ Pairings: 1x2, 3x4 5+ (I aaaainnt teeelling! 8^P) Summary: Duo, Quatre, Trowa and Wufei are all members of an elite rescue team when they receive a fifth, and in Duo's case, unwelcome member. Author’s notes at the end cause they’re spoilers Beta’ed by the beautiful Mechantte ^-^
" Uncommon Hero" Ch 2 The night was thick. Duo sat alone in the common room of their barracks home sipping a tumbler of whisky as he read the many pages of Hiiro’s past. Wufei had turned in as he had an early morning training session; Quatre had been coerced into the privacy of their room by his lover, leaving the braided boy to peruse the file at his leisure. Hiiro’s career had started out even more promising than his own. An orphan determined to save others from the same fate as his parents who had been lost in a tsunami. He spent most of his life preparing to take responsibility for the lives of the unfortunate and was quickly accepted into the field because of his many accomplishments. Duo found himself highly impressed with his methods and success rate over the first couple of years but there was a sudden change somewhere down the line. Hiiro just seemed to stop caring, throwing himself into any dangerous situation without regard for his own safety. It took some time but Duo managed to piece it together narrowing the change down to a certain period of time when he had been employed by a militant group overseeing the extraction of hostages being held by terrorist groups. Duo’s stomach turned as he read about dozens of lives being lost due to inadequate back up, his fingers trembling on his glass as his eyes took in the words describing a mission gone wrong and the child that was lost. Hiiro had failed to rescue her, his hesitation costing the lives of both the child… and her dog. “Shit,” he groaned softly, his hand coming up to gently caress his swollen jaw as he silently closed the file. ** “Good morning,” Quatre smiled, opening the door for Hiiro who scowled around the room until he saw no sign of Duo and entered. “Would you like me to show you around?” the blond boy offered amiably but Hiiro shook his head. “No, thank you. I believe I can find my way.” “You’re over there,” Trowa cut in, pointing to the room in question. Hiiro nodded, keeping a wary eye on the only closed door in the place as he moved toward his new abode. His step stalled when Wufei stepped out of the small kitchen and glared at him, the two holding each other’s gaze until Duo suddenly stepped through the closed door into the common room. “Good morning,” the braided boy smiled, throwing Hiiro off balance when he beamed at him. “Oh, good, you’ve brought your things,” he said, moving to open the door for him. “There are fresh sheets on the bed but you’ll have to provide your own blankets.” Quatre scurried closer to peep in as Hiiro dropped his things on the bunk. “Has the Lady given you your schedule yet?” Hiiro look at him inquisitively. “Une,” Duo laughed. “It’s just our pet name for her. “ “No,” the Japanese boy replied, eyeing him suspiciously. “How long were you with the eighth?” “Two days.” Duo whistled long and low. “And they let you go out on an F5 mission?” “I have prior experience.” “I know,” Duo smiled. “I read the file.” Hiiro stopped in his unpacking to gaze at him for a moment. “That’s still not enough time to get to know your team,” Duo reasoned. “I’ve asked for a week down so we’d have time to properly integrate you.” “That wasn’t necessary,” Hiiro objected. “Look,” Duo sighed. “I know you outrank me but this is more than just some guys I work with. They’re my family. This isn’t a job you can do with someone you don’t trust. At least give them a chance to get used to you.” Hiiro looked anything but happy but the look on Quatre’s face was so hopeful he nodded anyway. “Great!” Duo smiled. “Then if you have no objections we’ll start training this afternoon.” “Duo?” “Yeah?” the braided boy replied, turning back to face their newest member. Hiiro paused a moment before coming to face him, his eyes searching Duo’s for a time before they fell to the black mark on his jaw. “It bruised badly,” he told him, his hand coming up as if to touch the injury but fading away before it made contact. “Guess I bring out the best in everyone,” Duo grinned. “Don’t sweat it.” “I’m… sorry,” Hiiro said softly and Duo’s grin grew to massive proportions. “Well,” he breathed brightly. “That had to hurt.” “You have no idea,” Hiiro grumbled, turning back to his bag. Quatre eyed their captain as he exited, flashing Trowa a hopeful thumbs up while Wufei stood in the kitchen door and stewed. ** The following week was spent running through basics to give everyone a chance to get to know each other. Day one found them on the obstacle course; something neither Hiiro nor Duo appeared to have forgotten in the least as they both mastered the trial in record time. Wufei flatly refused on the grounds that it was beneath him and Trowa and Quatre disappeared somewhere around the middle where the bushes were thick. It became a competition after that. Hiiro won in marksmanship where Duo bested him in ferret infiltration. Hiiro had proven more capable in hand to hand combat, displaying some of his militant training and ran a close second in piloting but Duo won out when he forced his chopper into a loopty-loop and landed it on a small tug boat in the harbor. “I thought Chaney was gonna lay an egg when you broke his staff,” Duo laughed, signaling for Brandy to bring another round. “He was improperly trained,” Hiiro replied. “I think you just liked seeing his eyes bug out,” Duo countered, jovially adding a pouting, “Hey, why does he get whisky when were sucking sodas?” as Brandy set another bourbon in front of Hiiro. “He has ID,” she smiled. “And it says he’s seventeen,” Duo argued. “Yes,” she nodded, setting up the other drinks. “Which is legal drinking age in Japan.” “We’re not in freaking Japan,” the braided boy grumbled but she merely smiled and disappeared. “You’re not a US citizen?” Wufei asked. “I never applied,” Hiiro replied. “Is that legal?” Quatre mused. “I don’t think the Lady gives a shit if it’s legal or not,” Duo chuckled. “She just wants the best team she can put together.” Everyone at the table suddenly stiffened when their wristbands went off at the same time. “Time to rock,” Duo smiled as they all simultaneously grabbed their coats, Hiiro following suit as if he had been with them all along. The small communicators fed them steady instructions as they raced back to the base. Duo and Wufei in his truck, Hiiro on his bike and Quatre and Trowa in Trowa’s Jeep, each pushing the limit, darting through traffic and careening around corners until they screeched to a halt outside the hanger doors. “Fire suits!” Duo yelled, jumping to the ground, his feet already in motion as the others followed orders and slipped into the appropriate gear. “These are going to slow us down,” Wufei commented, pulling on the heavy jacket. “There’s a store of kerosene under that building,” Duo informed him. ”It’s an apartment building!” Quatre gasped. “Tell that to the landlord. Fire rescue is already on the scene but they can’t get inside without air support.” “We’ll take the Firefox,” Trowa said, already heading for a particular plane. “Saddle up, flyboy,” Duo smiled, hitting Hiiro in the chest with his helmet. “You want me to pilot?” “Unless you have a better suggestion,” Duo grinned as he added an inquisitive, “Sir?” Hiiro stared at him for a moment as if deciding whether or not to be insulted before nodding and heading for the plane. The Firefox was a special vehicle capable of maintaining a horizontal position without the danger of a turbine as with a copper. Something that came in very handy when it was necessary to extract survivors through upper story window’s as might be the case on their current mission. Hiiro had mastered the controls by the time they arrived, taking them down close enough for Quatre and Duo to jump into the burning building and search the upper floors where the regular rescue workers couldn’t reach. Fire had spread through the midsection of the building, leaving the upper floors cut off from the world below. The twenty minutes it took to extract the eight people they found still alive seemed to take forever and Hiiro was forced to leave Duo behind as he refused to leave until he had done a more thorough search while Hiiro delivered the people safely to the ground. “Hurry up!” Wufei snapped, glaring angrily at the window where they had left Duo. “Clear away!” Trowa shouted at the people curiously milling around the plane but it took Wufei’s threatening growl before they complied and Hiiro could lift off. “Take the helm!” Hiiro shouted, all but snatching Quatre into the copilot’s seat. “What are you doing?” Wufei demanded. “I’m going after him.” “Like hell!” the Chinese boy spat, readying himself to jump. “I have special training for this!” Hiiro shouted but Wufei was intent on searching the smoke. “Wufei!” Hiiro bellowed wrenching him around so he had to look at him. “I can get him out but I need you here to bring him on board! Can you do that?!” Wufei’s eyes darted from the building to Hiiro and back again. “Do not let him die,” was all he said before grabbing the Japanese boy and flinging him into the building. A moment later the floor below exploded, knocking the plane away from the building and Wufei screamed Duo’s name. Inside Hiiro had tucked and rolled when he hit the floor, coming to his feet and quickly moving forward, his feet just barely making it across the threshold before the floor in the room he had just left disappeared. “Duo!” he shouted, making his way swiftly through the flames. He paused, feeling the temperature of a door before opening it and moving through. “Duo!” “Hiiro!” His head spun around to find the braided boy hanging halfway out a window. “Help me! I can’t reach her!” Instantly Hiiro’s feet were in motion, his body moving gracefully through an adjacent window. “Wait!” Duo cried, watching him step boldly out onto the ledge and move steadily toward a small bundle that was huddled in an alcove. “Damn it!” he growled, pulling his head back inside. “Wufei!” he shouted into his com. “Duo!” “Get your ass up here! Hiiro’s outside!” “What?!” the Chinese boy gasped, turning his attention to the upper floors to search as Quatre rose higher, the plane once again rocked when an explosion from below blew out a portion of the wall. “There’s a child on the ledge! He’s trying to reach her!” “Son of a bitch.” “Do not let him fall!” the braided boy snarled, stepping out onto the ledge himself. “Duo!” Wufei cried desperately, urging Quatre higher by sheer force of will. “Duo! Give me your hand!” “Get Hiiro first!” “I’m not leaving without the girl!” Hiiro shouted over the roar of the plane. “Go!” “I’ll get the girl!” “Shut the fuck up and get your ass in here!” Wufei roared, stretching his hand out toward Duo as far as he could. Hiiro took the last step rounding the corner of the alcove just as another explosion rocked the foundations of the building. The girl screamed as he snatched her into his arms but he held on tight. “Go!” he shouted at Duo again, holding her tightly to his chest. “Duo!” Wufei screamed, trying desperately to reach him. “Come on! Jump! Duo! Now, god damn it! Jump!” Duo’s eyes darted between Wufei and Hiiro, his uncertainty in his eyes until they suddenly locked with Hiiro’s and he launched himself into Wufei’s arms. The Chinese boy caught him and held on tight as another explosion right below Hiiro and the child knocked the plane outward again. “Move!” the braided boy snarled but Quatre was already halfway out of the chair. A moment later the plane was less than twelve inches from the ledge where Hiiro still held the terrified girl and all he had to do was step aboard. The moment he had, the basement coughed, a horrible hissing flush rising through the walls as floor after floor filled with combustion, the plane rocketing away as the entire building exploded in a massive fireball. Duo circled around, the child still bawling in Hiiro’s arms as they set down, the joyous wailing of her mother heard even over the thunderous sound of the planes engines. Duo shut down while Hiiro delivered the child to her mother and medics took them both away, his feet barely touching the ground before Hiiro turned to face him and Duo punched him square in the face. “What in the hell did you think you were doing up there?!” “Duo! Calm down!” Quatre yelled as he and Trowa took Duo by the arms and held him. “You asked for my help!” Hiiro shouted angrily. “I wanted to coax her down not fucking drop off the building myself!” “There wasn’t time!” “Stop it!” Quatre barked, still wrestling their irate captain. “She was terrified! There’s no way she was going to move!” Hiiro growled. “Leave him the hell alone!” one of the ground team shouted. “He saved that little girl’s life!” “You could’ve gotten us all killed!” Duo countered. “I did what I did because I can!” Hiiro bellowed and Duo did a sudden double take hearing his own words echo in his ears. “Or would you rather I let her die!?” “I’d rather everyone come out of it in one fucking piece!” Duo roared, kicking a bit of debris that was near his feet. “DUO!” Wufei barked, stepping into his line of vision. “Everyone is fine,” he reminded him. “Just calm down.” Hiiro held his ground for a moment longer before climbing back aboard the plane. He rode in the rear while Duo sat in the cockpit sulking and Wufei piloted them home. Quatre had crawled into Trowa’s lap where he was being given some much appreciated tender love and care as the taller boy nursed the minor scrapes and burns he had suffered during his time inside. No mention of the confrontation was made when their report was given to Une and neither Hiiro nor Duo spoke to one another once they returned to their barracks. Hiiro simply ignored the lot of them and went straight into his room while Duo plopped down into the couch to sulk some more. “Quatre,” Trowa whispered but the blond boy pulled away, his eyes burning with a righteous fire as he stood before their friend and captain. “You know we all support you,” he began, “But that was entirely uncalled for.” “Give it a rest,” Duo sighed. “I really thought you had put it behind you,” the blond snipped. “It’s not like you to react like this.” “I’m sorry, ok?” “It’s not ok. Like it or not we are going to work with him so I suggest you fine a way to put this petty jealously behind…” “Oh, for Christ’s sake!” Duo scoffed, rising to his feet. “When have you ever known me to be jealous!?” “Then what is the problem?” Trowa asked in support of his lover. “Are you all blind?” Duo groaned, heading for his room as he added, “I just don’t want him to get hurt!” Quatre gaped as the door slammed behind him, his gaze shifting first to Trowa then Wufei who stared at the silence of the closed door for a very long time. ** tbc... |
