08-Jun-2002
Title: In The City
Author: KwyckSylver (kwycksylver@yahoo.com)
Ratings: PG for language
Pairings: None (aw now don't look at me like that ^__^)
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing and I don't own its characters,
except as small action figures - does that count?
Warnings/Spoilers: Spoiler for Duo's Episode Zero and the
novelization of it. The other kids mentioned are not the kids in Ep.
Zero. This fic takes place before any of the events mentioned there.
Notes: The idea to write this short fanfic, based on Joe Walsh's
song 'In The City' has floated around in my head for about a year and
a half or more. I finally got inspired to sit down and write it due
to a thread about Duo's origin that was on the 1x2ML. The thread was
debating whether Duo was born on Earth (which I always thought he
was) or on one of the L2 colonies (also another possibility). This
story has him living on Earth before he stows away the first time.
The lyrics to the song are enclosed in ~ ~.
AC 187
~Somewhere out on that horizon, out beyond the neon lights
I know there must be something better, but there's nowhere else in
sight.~
The small boy heard the low rumble in the distance and poked his head out to watch as the brilliant dot rose into the sky. He stood to get a better view of the ship heading out into space. Its afterburners glowed white hot, leaving a trail of steam as if it were pointing the way to better things and beckoning him to follow.
He crawled back into the cardboard box that served as home and bed and gathered bits of rag and paper around him, hoping this night wouldn't be as cold as the last. He settled down to sleep, grasping a broken bottle in his fist. Its jagged edges were his only protection against nocturnal predators, both furry and human. His growling stomach begged he dream of food but instead he dreamed of stars.
~It's survival in the city when you live from day to day
City streets don't have much pity, when you're down that's where you
stay.~
"Come back here with that, you filthy little thief," the storekeeper yelled. He watched the small form run down the street and disappear around the corner. Once again that kid had snuck inside the store without him realizing it until it was too late. He'd chase after him but that would leave the place unattended. He shook his head and went inside and began checking the shelves for what was missing.
Why couldn't that kid just dig through the dumpsters like the rest of them did?
The boy stopped running as soon as he rounded the corner and began looking for a good place to hide. Stealing food was one thing, keeping it long enough to eat it yourself was another.
~I was born here in the city with my back against the wall
Nothing grows and life ain't very pretty. No one's there to catch you
when you fall.~
The boy sat on the fire escape and looked down at the gang of kids gathered below him. He pulled back on his tangled mess of hair, getting it out of his face and began to spit down on them. His aim was good, hitting every target he'd zeroed in on.
"Git down here ya li'l runt," the biggest boy yelled as he wiped spittle off his face, "so's we can beat the crap outta ya."
"Go away, ya got whatcha wanted," the small boy yelled back, "jus' leave me alone."
"Nah, I think you're holdin' out on us," one of the other boys yelled, "there had ta've been more. The guy looked rich."
"That's all there was," the small boy answered, "I may be a thief but I ain't no liar. You got what you wanted so go away." He began climbing higher up the rickety frame until he reached the roof and pulled himself over. Those boys would beat him to a pulp if they got their hands on him. They were mean and dangerous and the only reason he'd agreed to steal for them was to stay alive. Now the only way to stay alive was to get as far away from them as he could.
He scanned the top of the building, looking for another way to get down when he spied someone's laundry hanging to dry. He looked down at the stained and greasy rags he wore. He was a smart boy and knew you never looked a gift horse in the mouth. It was time for a change of clothing. He heard the low rumble in the distance and looked up and smiled. It was time for a change of scenery too.
~But somewhere out on that horizon, far away from the neon sky
I know there must be something better and I can't stay another
night.~
The engines roared in his ears and he braced himself when he felt gravity pull against his small frame. It had taken him a few days to make his way to the spaceport and a few more to find the best way to sneak on board one of the ships. No one had even noticed him. Well no one except a neatly dressed boy with unruly brown hair and a glare in his eyes that pierced right through you. But the boy hadn't said a word to anyone, not even the man he was traveling with. It was strange who your allies were sometimes.(1) But now here he was, hidden safely away in the cargo hold and on his way to a new life. He didn't know where he was going and he didn't even know if he would survive the trip, but it was a chance he was willing to take. Anything had to be better than Earth - right?
The End
Note:
(1) To quote Judy Tanutta - it could happen!
KwyckSylver
Please send comments to: kwycksylver@yahoo.com