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"White Wing"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: R Warnings: AU, romance, slight angst, sap, and
even the plot bunnies are still sighing over the fluff lol Pairings: 1x2, 3x4, 5x13, Rx1 (unrequited)
Summary: A studious Limo driver’s well laid life plan takes a chaotic turn when a multitude of new doors open when he meets a beautiful young man. Also I know squat about quantum physics and everything technical in this story is purely make believe so if it sounds stupid... uh... that's why! *grin* "White Wing"
Ch 1 He had done alright for himself in spite of a sparse beginning. Memories of his mother were merely the shadows and dreams of a mind too young to recall when tragedy took her away. Having never known his father he became a ward of the state and was eventually placed in a foster home. However, thoughts of adoption never entered his mind as he set his feet on a path of self proclaimed independence and began to build a future of his own. By the time he was ten he had worked his way through high school achieving a bachelor’s degree in science and mechanical engineering before he reached sixteen. His emancipation from his foster father, Odin Lowe, came as no surprise but the subsequent purchase of a business license and solid white, stretch Limousine had been a shock. It became clear very quickly, however, that his plan was as fool proof as any he had lain out in his short life. The funds collected from rentals of the limo would easily fund his other ambitions securing a prosperous future as well as providing him with a way to open doors to those who might find his idea’s of interest. In time he would procure the funds and contacts necessary to make his dreams come true and never again would he want for anything. However, even the best laid plans sometimes encounter unforeseen alterations. “Good morning, Mr. Yui.” He nodded to his middle aged receptionist ignoring the pursed lips as she forced a smile. She was efficient and did her job well so he tolerated her inability to address him in a formal manor without looking as if she’d just bitten a lemon. The schedule was laid out on his desk as usual along with a fresh cup of coffee beside which stood one creamer, unopened and room temperature. He took his seat behind the small desk and read over the schedule while opening his cream and stirring it absently into his cup but then paused when an idiosyncrasy appeared on the page. “Mrs. Yangtz?” “Yes, sir?” she replied appearing in the doorway. “Is there someone of importance visiting the Maxwell Orphanage this afternoon?” “I’m afraid I don’t know,” she replied turning to leave. He returned his attention to the oddity of having been called to a low rent district, the fact that his pick up point was an orphanage that was often on the news pleading for funds weighing on his mind. The thought crossed his mind that perhaps it was a prank prompting him to pick up the phone and dial the establishment for confirmation. “Hello?” came the exasperated voice of a young woman over the phone but as it was quickly followed by the screeching of a child forcing him to pause before inquiring… “Is this the Maxwell Orphanage?” “What?” she yelled muffling the receiver to holler, “Johnny Wilson, put that pain down right now!” Hiiro held the phone some distance from his ear until the noise settled down then hastily interjected, “This is White Wing Limousine Service. I was calling to confirm a pick up at your residence at two o’clock this afternoon?” “What?” she replied then gasped, “Oh, right! The limo for Duo. Two o’clock, thanks bye!” Hiiro stared at the phone with growing unease before placing it back on the hook. It was against his policies to transport minors under the age of sixteen but he would give them the benefit of a doubt. If the child was not of a proper age they would simply have to find another way to get him to his destination. Curious as to what that destination was he read on and creased his brow curiously when it turned out to be Winner Enterprises, a multi trillion dollar conglomerate he had spent much of the past year attempting to build a relationship with. Perhaps it would be worth the risk of transporting the child for the opportunity to meet with someone on the Winner payroll after all. There were three other jobs to do before his pick up at the orphanage however, so he set things in order and prepared to leave for the first. It was not uncommon for those in the entertainment industry to call upon his services when in need of transportation to and from social events or performances though he was rarely familiar with the clients. His first stop of the day was no different and he wondered what sort of people they were as he pulled up in front of NG Records. There had been times when the flamboyant personalities of the entertainment crowd tried his patience but this group looked all right. The young man was oddly attractive for a kid with pink hair but the blond guy with him seemed stable enough. He was familiar with Tohma Seguchi as he was the CEO of NG and one of the people responsible for Hiiro’s initial success with marketing new technology in the entertainment industry. “Hiiro! How are you?” Tohma smiled dancing over to grip his arm in his usual fashion. The ex-rock stars giddy familiarity wasn’t something Hiiro was particularly comfortable with but he wasn’t stupid enough to offend a man like Seguchi. “Fairing well,” he replied hastily stepping toward the car and freeing himself of the grasp. “You know each other?” the guy with the pink hair asked suspiciously. “Hiiro is solely responsible for the new sound system in recording studio eight,” Tohma beamed. “Do you drive a limo for extra cash?” the blond man asked. “Everyone’s gotta have a day job,” pink hair countered holding out his hand as he offered, “Pleased to meet’cha!” Hiiro glanced at the hand noticing absently that the guy’s shirt was short enough to reveal his navel and was spared the necessity of shaking it when the blond guys hand suddenly appeared around his waist and pulled him protectively close to his side. “Yuki?” “Get in the car.” “Are they…?” Hiiro inquired while the blond stuffed his companion in the back seat. “For the moment,” Tohma smiled. “You have the address?” “Of course,” Hiiro nodded raising a brow when the boy glomped his pal Yuki as he closed the door. He made sure the privacy glass stayed up on the way and even managed to ignore the odd noises coming from behind it. It was difficult to tell if they were fighting or having sex but Hiiro hoped for the former as he wouldn’t have time to clean the car before his next pick up. When they arrived at the air port he was relieved to find the back seat reasonably in order and stain free although the pink haired guy looked as if he’d been crying but from the smile on his face Hiiro wasn’t at all sure why. It was a relief to be rid of them though and he still had time to stop off and buy a half dozen roses for the crystal vase mounted in the wet bar before he headed toward the Sanc Embassy. Relena Darlian was a pain in the ass but a necessary evil if he wanted into the political arena. She was smart, dedicated and probably the single most well spoken person he had ever met. However, she was terribly young and had been thrust into a position of high authority when her father was assassinated making her a tad unstable and prone to fanciful distractions. Her favorite of which seemed to be Hiiro. He enjoyed their conversations until she brought up the subject of her absence of a love life and started hinting around about how very available she was. He had no interest nor any time for such frivolous activities and was grateful when they pulled up in front of the mayor’s house where he left her in good company. It was pushing noon when he arrived at the Chang Temple but the trip to take their prodigal son and heir to his dojo was a short one and would leave him plenty of time to grab some lunch before he had to pick up at the Maxwell Orphanage. Unlike many of his regular clients, Chang Wufei had somehow quietly become a personal comrade. At first it was merely a mutual love of silence that brought them together but over time they had eventually spoken and discovered they had many other things in common. Hiiro enjoyed the times when he could arrange his schedule so that he could join his friend at the dojo for a work out before he had to begin teaching his classes for the day but that was not to be the case on this run. Wufei offered his regrets but understood and Hiiro headed for the nearest café that had adequate parking for his extra long car. Mervis’ Café wasn’t the fanciest place in town but they made a killer Cuban and had a spot along the road where Hiiro could park without taking up all the spaces in the small parking lot along side the building. He liked to sit by the window and watch the kids gape at his car pointing fingers and marveling at the sheer size of it. It made him wonder what sort of questions the kid he would be picking up might ask and he decided he would just leave the privacy window up and avoid the whole ‘what’s this? what does that do?’ issue. On an after though he took the time to lock down the back seat in case the kid got curious and decided to play with things. It wouldn’t pay to have the windows broken or his expensive Scotch spilled all over the carpet by a rambunctious youth. Once confident that the kid couldn’t get into too much trouble he set out for the lower side of town and prayed no one was in the mood to play bumper cars. It was painfully apparent when he crossed the line from the upper side into the lower rent district as every eye that spotted his long, white limo stopped to stare and point. Cars slowed beside him trying to get a peek in the tinted windows but all they saw was their own reflections and Hiiro couldn’t help but chuckle at the odd faces they made at themselves. The roads were more narrow in this section of town but he was an expert driver and managed easily enough until he finally pulled up in front of the Maxwell Orphanage and wondered again if he hadn’t made a mistake. The place was clean but looked so poorly funded he couldn’t imagine how they intended to pay the bill. He felt guilty even taking their money but had no choice but to honor their decision to spend it how they saw fit. However, his mind was suddenly on other matters when the kids in the yard spotted him and gave a whooping yell scrambling from all corners and bushes as they bolted straight for the pretty, white car. Hiiro heart sank as he watched the little demons with their muddy hands, sharp belt buckles and glistening eyes rush forward but before they could mob his precious limo an ear splitting whistle sounded in the air and every single one of them stopped dead in their tracks. “About face!” yelled a booming voice and low and behold the little imps did as instructed. “March!” Hiiro looked around for the commanding voice noting it was coming from a strangely attractive young woman on the porch who was giggling as madly as the kids as they high stepped it right past her and filed in the door. He exited the car straightening his dress jacket and settling his nerves as they slowly disappeared then suddenly the girl hurdled the railing and bounded across the yard and his jaw hit the ground when he realized she was actually a he. “Sorry about that, man,” the young man grinned offering his hand. When Hiiro neglected to take it he simply reached forward gripping his palm and shaking away. “They’ve just never seen a limo before. Nice car. Is it your’s or do you just drive?” “It’s mine,” Hiiro replied somewhat numbly as his mind was still processing his mistake. “Cool,” the guy smiled dropping his hand. “I’d love to drive one someday.” Hiiro wiped the sudden coolness from his palm on his pants leg. “You drive?” he asked absently guessing the boy’s age to be around his own seventeen years. “Anything that moves,” the boy smiled. “I’m here to pick up…” “Yeah, I know,” he was cut off marveling again when the kid turned toward the house and revealed a three feet long rope of a braid that tickled along the inside of his thighs when he walked. “Just let me grab my pack!” Hiiro blinked then blinked again. This guy was Duo? Well, there certainly wasn’t any problem with underage transportation but he wasn’t at all sure how to cope with the odd feeling he caused in his gut. In a flash he was back leaping to the ground in lieu of taking the stairs and Hiiro wondered if he might be a sugar junkie of some sort as he appeared to teleport to the curb before he had time to blink. “You ready?” Duo asked beaming a smile as he reached for the door. “Allow me,” Hiiro hastily intoned stepping forward to intercept. “Why?” Duo asked sounding as if he thought Hiiro was concerned he might scratch his precious car. “It’s part of the service,” Hiiro smiled opening the door with the customary bow but it felt entirely different when Duo smiled and climbed in than it usually did. For the first time ever he closed the door with a small smile on his lips and hurried to claim his place behind the wheel but when he sat down he realized he’d put the privacy window up and couldn’t think of a single reason to put it down. Discouraged by the idea of not getting an opportunity to speak further with his passenger he pulled onto the road and pointed them back toward the inner city. They had driven only a couple of blocks when there came a sharp rapping on the glass and Duo’s voice sounded loudly over the speakers in the front. “Hey! Does this thing go down!” “You don’t have to shout,” Hiiro informed him letting his voice coming through the two way explain why as he gratefully lowered the partition separating them. “Oh, that’s so cool,” Duo chuckled. “Do they all come with an intercom?” “No, I added it,” Hiiro replied preening at the inadvertent praise as it was his own ingenuity that had provoked the com device. “Nice,” Duo smiled kicking back in the plush leather seat some distance behind his driver. Hiiro had a prime view of him from that distance that was making it difficult to keep his mind on the road. “The sounds amazing. Minivox?” “Yes,” Hiiro marveled surprised by the boy’s knowledge of sound equipment. “Good choice,” Duo complimented moving toward the wet bar. “I’m Duo by the way.” “Hiiro.” “Got any soda’s?” “There might be a cola but…” Hiiro began stalling when he heard the wet bar open. “Two can’s left,” Duo informed him taking one for himself but Hiiro’s only reply was to gape at him and run a yellow light. “Hey!” Duo gasped startled by the honking of horns as the light had changed to red before the entire car made it through. “You ok?” “Sorry,” Hiiro replied turning to get look at the open bar. “But I was sure I locked it.” “You did,” Duo grinned cockily as he turned the can up. “How long have you been driving?” he asked before Hiiro could gather his thoughts on the subject. “Two years.” “Really?” “Is that hard to believe?” Hiiro grumbled unsure why he was feeling so flustered. “You just look really young,” Duo shrugged changing gears so fast Hiiro had to think twice when he moaned, “Ahhh, maannn! Tsunami satellite? You’re really jacked in. Damn, you can even talk to the colonies with this thing!” “I have clients that require the service,” Hiiro explained shaking off the strange feeling in his chest. Why would an orphan from the lower district know anything about an elite satellite uplink? “Bullet proof glass too,” Duo grinned downing the rest of his drink. “Bet even the President himself would be cozy in here.” “He’s never complained,” Hiiro grinned liking the way Duo gaped much better than his own. “You’re kidding?” Hiiro’s replied with a smug smirk that made Duo laugh in the most delightful way then suddenly the world came to an end when the headquarters of Winner Enterprises loomed over head. The trip was over already?! But they’d hardly had time to talk at all! It crossed his mind to make a trip around the block but Duo was trashing his can and gathering his bag so he had obviously noticed they had arrived. Feeling somewhat irritated at himself for the strange thought he pulled up in front of the skyscraper and parked. “Wait,” he hastily instructed when Duo reached for the door hurrying around to open it for him as he smiled… “It’s all part of the service.” “Thanks, man,” Duo smiled hefting his pack on his shoulder. “You’re really good at your job.” “It’s only a day job,” Hiiro explained uncertain as to why he felt the need to reveal personal aspects of his life. “I design and install advanced technological equipment for a living.” “I figured there must be more to it than just driving,” Duo smirked. “That things communications system alone is worth more than the car.” Again Hiiro was momentarily stunned by his passenger’s astute assessment regretting it even more when they were suddenly interrupted by the sound of someone calling his name. “Duo!” “Hey, Quat!” Duo smiled brightly waving as he went to meet a young blond boy Hiiro instantly recognized as the current CEO of Winner Enterprises and the soul heir their entire fortune. “Did you enjoy the ride?” Quatre Winner, multi trillion dollar conglomerate asked as he openly hugged the braided boy’s neck and Hiiro strove to put the world back on its axis. He had picked Duo up at a lower end orphanage had he not? “Righteous!” Duo laughed slinging an arm around the blond boy’s shoulder that made Hiiro just a tad cranky until he turned and smiled, “Come meet Hiiro. He’s into the techy thing and from the look of his car you guys should hook up.” Hiiro swallowed the lump in his throat as they approached. “Really?” Quatre smiled offering his hand. “It’s not every day Duo offers a recommendation,” he commented. For months he’d been working his way closer to someone with authority in WEI and in less than two minutes Duo had provided him with an opportunity to snag the head honcho himself. “It’s very nice to meet you,” Hiiro offered shaking his hand firmly while he offered a small incline of his head. “You’re Japanese,” Quatre commented smiling softly when Hiiro nodded. “Yoroshiku,” the blond replied in the Japanese tongue bringing a warmth to Hiiro’s heart that banished his nervous jitters completely. “Hai.” “Would you be interested in a meeting to discuss a future with WEI?” “Hai!” Hiiro grinned flashing Duo a grateful glance. “Excellent,” Quatre beamed. “Can you make it tomorrow? I have a luncheon at one…” “Uh… can we make it more like three?” Duo but in. “I’m on my own tomorrow so…” “Perhaps Hiiro could provide your transportation?” Quatre suggested. Damn, this just kept getting better and better. “I’d be happy to…” Damn! “Actually, I’m sorry but I have an assignment out of town tomorrow.” Why the hell did Relena have to visit her brother anyway?! “Can you cancel?” Quatre wondered eyeing him cautiously. And it hit him, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity, Relena could hire another car to take her on her weekend holiday. “Yes,” he smiled. “Of course, I’d be happy to pick Duo up.” “Great!” Duo grinned clapping him on the shoulder and Hiiro felt the irrepressible urge to smile. “Come by around noon.” “But it’s only a ten minute drive,” Hiiro countered. “Yeah,” Duo grinned slinging an arm around Quatre’s shoulders as he fell into step beside him as they moved toward the building. “But I need to make a stop on the way.” Hiiro watched them enter the building fighting off the strange feeling that he would very much like it if Duo wasn’t so physical with his affections then felt a rock the size of Australia fall into his stomach. Where they together? It was a well known fact that Quatre Winner had no interest in girls; he’d even been seen openly dating a young man once which brought to light the very real possibility that he and Duo were more than just friends. He felt a little dizzy as he worked out the logic, it made perfect sense. Why else would Quatre Winner be hanging around with a beautiful boy from the lower side? But it didn’t matter. No, he wasn’t a homophobe. He could deal with it no problem but the crawly feeling in his gut refused to relent no matter how many times he reasoned it out.
~ * ~ tbc... |
