May 9, 2001
Here it is folks. The last Chapter of Crossed Wires. Thanks to everyone that has read and commented. I hope you enjoy the ending.
AK
Title: Crossed Wires
Author: AstroKender
Pairings: 2+3, 3+2
Rating: Alternate Timeline
Warnings: Slight angst, quickly remedied. I in no way advocate riding a motorcycle without a helmet!
Spoilers: Hmm...nope.
Notes: This is a small fic I've wanted to put out to reflect how much Duo and Trowa seem to clash during the series. Important! This doesn't go along with the series. There may be some similarities, but don't try to pin it to a specific time or you'll get a headache. This is purely a 'what if' kind of thing.
Disclaimers: I own nothing...Don't sue.
Trowa slowly walked across the damp grass of colony C421. He glanced back at the circus tents behind him, making sure Catherine had not seen him leave. She hadn't left him alone for hardly a moment in over two weeks, fearing that his depression would consume him.
But Trowa was stronger than that. "I'm not going to throw my life away just because...." Bowing his head, the Latin boy walked father away from the base camp and towards the main road.
One month ago almost exactly, Trowa was stuffed, wounded and shaky, into the Gundam called DeathScythe. Unable to disengage the autopilot, the green-eyed boy was forced to watch Duo Maxwell's last confrontation with the OZ officer Trant. Trant was sucked out into space and then the bay doors had closed. That was the last time he saw Duo.
Sitting in the cockpit, safely cloaked from Zechs' sharp eyes, Trowa was forced to watch as every mobile suit carrier that left the base was destroyed. And after there was no one left to fight, Tallgeese completely destroyed the moon base.
Only half conscious, Trowa had landed on the closest colony of the L1 cluster. He was quickly taken in and assisted by Dr. J and Professor G. How they had known he was coming was still a mystery. He was bandaged up efficiently and given a hot meal.
A week later there was still no word from Duo. Professor G had already taken him for dead, and the old man suggested that Trowa do the same. After three more days, the Latin boy reluctantly agreed and, leaving DeathScythe with the scientists, he left for his home in L3.
And here he stood, one month later and still dwelling over a comrade long gone. But, he could help it. Duo had been... a real friend. Trowa didn't have many of those. And now he had one less.
"Damn...." Tears that had visited him so often recently once again ran down his cheeks. Shoulders hunched, the lanky boy lowered himself to the curb and cried, uncaring of who might see him.
The first thing he heard was a roar of a motorcycle as it whirled around the corner, followed by the deafening boom of some old earth rock music. the singer shouting something about being an 'American Bad Ass'. Groaning softly, the Latin boy rose and prepared to find someplace quieter to mourn when the motorcycle suddenly squealed to a halt right next to him.
Looking up he stared at the cycle's rider, whose face was covered by a large black helmet. Leather-clad hands reached up and unclasped the helmet's fasteners, then lifted the heavy headgear up and off of the rider's head. Said rider shook his head in relief, causing a long braid to whip around him wildly. Two overly large cobalt eyes fixed their gaze upon Trowa casually.
"Catherine said I could find you here."
Trowa stared at the American in disbelief, tears long forgotten. "D-duo..."
"Hey Trowa. How's it hanging?"
Dragging his fingers through his hair and forcing himself not to shake the other boy, Trowa replied with forced casualness. "Up and to the left."
Duo laughed uproariously and Trowa found himself grinning uncontrollably. Tossing appearance to the wind, he lunged at the longhaired boy, only to find Duo one step ahead of him. Dropping the kickstand of his motorcycle, the American jumped off the seat and gathered the other boy into his arms. They hugged each other tightly, neither quiet ready to believe that the other was there, safe.
"How's that bullet wound of yours doing?" Duo asked, when they finally pulled away.
"It healed up pretty quickly, though the area is still tender. Catherine hasn't been letting me do anything more strenuous then feeding the lions so I've been going more than a little stir crazy." He breath deeply, unused to talking since the braided boy's disappearance. "What about your arm?"
Duo waved his left arm, which carried a thin splint. "The cast came off last week. As long as I don't do any handstands, I shouldn't have a problem."
Trowa smiled. "Handstands are more my area anyway." His expression turned serious. "Where have you been all this time? Everyone thought you were dead."
"Well," Duo took a deep breath. "To start from the beginning, the beam saber that I was strapped to prevented Jeremy from blowing up Epyon. I radioed him and explained to him my situation and what I planned to do. I sent him to go prepare a dozen mobile suit carriers to launch as soon as I gave the signal. I then jumped back into the ventilation shaft and high-tailed it back to the chamber where Epyon was kept." Duo sat down on the curb and gazed at Trowa a moment before continuing.
"I gave Jeremy the signal and told him to take a single person shuttle and meet me at a small abandoned resource satellite in the L5 cluster. The mobile suit carriers were launched, and while Zechs was busy destroying them, Jeremy and I snuck out the back door, so to speak. I've been spending the rest of my time hiding until things cooled down."
Trowa's eyes widened as realization dawn on him. "You took--?" Duo nodded solemnly.
"Since then, Zechs has been too occupied with the White Fang to actually seek it out. But he knows it's still out there. So I have one more mission to perform before I report in to the Professor."
Duo stood, dusting off the back of his jeans. Glancing up at Trowa coyly, he batted his eyelashes melodramatically.
"So, I was wondering if you'd like to come with me to get rid of a little extra cargo I've been packing around. You know, a certain red spawn of Satan? It's a smooth ride and all, but it's not my style. I'd prefer a darker shade of Gundam, that is if you haven't dented my poor baby too badly."
Green eyes stared at Duo carefully. "On one condition."
Duo looked up, startled. "What's that?"
"I get to drive."
Duo looked back at his motorcycle in confusion before laughing. "You like the ride, huh? A little gift from the Sweepers."
"Well, the motorcycle is nice, but that's not why I want to drive." Trowa carefully seated himself on the bike's sleek black body. Duo stared at him, dumbfounded, and he couldn't help but laugh.
"I'd trust my life with you during battle any day. But trusting you not to drive us off a cliff is another matter entirely."
"But this is a colony, Trowa!" Duo protested. "It doesn't have any cliffs." Regardless, the longhaired boy carefully climbed up behind the green-eyed boy, wrapping his arms around the other's waist firmly.
Trowa started the engine and glanced back at him. "You ready?"
"Sure!" Duo grinned. "But I'd like to see how you're going to put that helmet on with that hair of yours."
The Latin boy lifted the kickstand. "We're Gundam pilots Duo. We don't need helmets."
Duo's grip tightened at the bike suddenly shot forward. Resting his head against Trowa's back he sighed. "I guess we've survived worse." His braid flew out behind them merrily, waving goodbye to the circus tents behind them. Carefully sitting down a bucket of water, Catherine watched them disappear with a smile.
Owari
(:./astrokender/crossed13)
