07-Jan-2001
Disclaimer: "When you're living in America at the end of the
millenium...you're what you own." ... In other words *deep breath* GW
doesn't belong to me, it belongs to Sunrise and Bandai a bunch of other
guys, and I doubt terrorists could get them to give it up. (Hm, should sic
my muses on them.) Tracy Chapman owns "Fast Car" and since, last time I
checked, I'm not T.C, I don't own that either.
Warnings: Yaoi (duh), 2+4, little bit bittersweet
[You've got a fast car, I want a ticket to anywhere
Maybe we can make a deal
Maybe together we can get somewhere]
The wind blew through Duo's hair as he let it fly loose, not caring. He loved the feel of the wind in his hair. It made him feel free... Not for the first time, he wondered where the others were.Last he'd heard, Wufei was working for the Preventers, and was "probably having an affair with Sally". Trowa and Heero had both disappeared, which he'd been expecting from the two silent pilots (whereas it wasn't in Wufei's nature to be silent). His own guess was that Trowa had returned to the circus, and Heero, having no place to call his own home, went with him.
Duo, himself, had no home, but didn't want to be the "third spoke", the odd man out.
He peered to his right at Quatre, who was carefully watching the road. "Quatre..." he murmured softly. The light in Quatre's eyes was dying, and the shadows in his own were growing. "Oh, Katoru," he murmurred, again, giving the name the Japanese twist as he'd picked up from Heero.
"You don't deserve this...we'll make it through this somehow," he continued, the wind drowning out the soft words Duo was saying to himself, "Together."
[Any place is better
Starting from zero we've got nothing to lose
Maybe we'll make something
But me myself I've got nothing to prove]
Flashback
"I can't believe it..." Quatre breathed. "He wrote me _out_ of his _will_?" "I'm sorry, sir. You'll have to resign from the company immediately. You understand, during the war it was just so hectic that we couldn't read the will then. But now that it's been read, law requires that the Winner estates go to Mr. Winner's nephew."
Quatre made his way numbly to his room, after hours of frantic debate. The lawyers insisted- the will couldn't be overridden, not even for a former Gundam pilot. He cracked the door open, slipped inside like a bit of light from a small, flickering candle. Suddenly a shadow detached itself from the wall. "Hey, Kat- I heard and hurried over here-" "Duo- I- I have to be _gone_ by morning. I can't take _anything_.[1] The Magunacs are gone- what am I gonna do?" The last was said in a near-silent whisper.
"Actually, I was thinking- I don't have anywhere to go, either. I was thinkin' about joining the preventers, but I've had enough to do with the "peace-keeping process" to last ten people their entire lives. But I thought maybe you and I could kinda- join forces-" he began to stumble over the words. Not really audibly- that wasn't Duo- but Quatre could hear the slight hesitation in his old friend's voice.
He suddenly let out a puff of breath. "Sure, Duo, that'd be great."
/Flashback
[You've got a fast car
and I've got a plan to get us out of here
I've been working at a convenience store
Managed to save just a little bit of money
We won't have to drive too far,
Just 'cross the border and into the city
You and I can both get jobs
And finally see what it means to be living]
"There's two jobs there, in a scrapyard-" Duo was explaining. "But Duo, we don't have enough money to get an apartment in the city...!"
"Ta-da!" Duo proclaimed cheerfully. "Been scrimping, but I've saved a fair amount...it should be able to pay for our rent until we get our first paycheck..."
"Duo!" Quatre said, hurling himself at Duo, realizing that the reason he looked so thin was that he had been skipping meals to save money... and for him..."Duo," he repeated, tears welling up in his eyes as he buried his face in Duo's shirt, inhaling his scent. Several "You shouldn't have!" and "What were you thinking!" and other similar phrases came to mind, but Quatre knew Duo would just brush them off with a goofy grin. "Thank you," he settled for instead, and was gratified with a sincere grin from his- friend? Or more? He'd begun to wonder...
[You see my old man's got a problem
He lives with the bottle, that's the way it is
He says this body's to old for working
I say his body's too young to look like this
My mama went off and left him
She wanted more from life than he could give
I said somebody's got to take care of him
So I quit school and that's what I did.]
Flashback
"No, I've had it! I'm leaving!"
A bottle slammed against the wall, alcohol dripping down it. The slamming of the door was lost in the tinkering of glass.
Young Quatre peered around the corner at his father, in a drunken stupor on the couch. "What have I done?" he moaned softly.
"'Tou-san?" Quatre questioned tentatively.
"Quatre, go to bed."
"Anou, but 'tou-san, 'kaa-san...?"
"GO TO BED NOW!!!!" Quatre's father roared, bowling him over. Sniffling, Quatre ran back to bed.
"Tou-san..."
/Flashback
[You've got a fast car
But is it fast enought so we can fly away?
We have got to make a decision
We could leave tonight or die this way]
"C'mon, Quatre," Duo said, dragging his friend out of the bar. "We have to go." His words turned bitter. "Or would you rather stay here? We could live the rest of our lives in this dump, die in this dump...is that really what you want?" He slung his friend's arm around his shoulder. "C'mon, let's go."
"Uhhnnn," Quatre said, slurring his words. "Du~? Gomehn."
"Don't apologise, Quatre," Duo said, eyes dark as shadows, voice like chips of ice. "Just don't do it again."
[I remember when we were driving, driving in your car
The speed so fast felt like I was drunk
City lights lay out before us
and your arm felt nice wrapped round my shoulder
and I had the feeling that I belonged
and I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone]
They left that night for the city. Quatre had sobered up, apologising profusely. Duo could tell that he was really feeling guilty. Then came the unexpected.
Driving in the car, heading for their new apartment, the city lights spread out in a shining blanket, reflecting in Quatre's eyes. And Quatre had slowly and sneakily slipped an arm around Duo's shoulders. Duo had been suprised, but he slowly leaned against Quatre, snuggling into his warmth.
He fell asleep there, that night, and Quatre smiled, and unpacked the car, hauling the stuff in on his own, letting Duo stay asleep, sprawled out in the front seat, as he unloaded their few possesions from the back. After laying out a sleeping bag in the apartment, he lay Duo to sleep in the small single cot, and covered him gently, kissing the sleeping angel of death on the forehead. "Gomen nasai, Duo. ...I'll take better care of myself, and you. We need each other, ne?"
[You've got a a fast car We go cruising, entertain ourselves,
You still ain't got a job
Now I work in a market as a checkout girl
I know things will get better
You'll find work and I'll get promoted
We'll move out of the shelter
Buy a bigger house and live in the suburbs]
"Duo!" Quatre yelled, barging into the small apartment. "I got a better job! As a mechanic for cars! The man says I'm the best at machinery he's ever..." his voice trailed off as he took in the empty apartment "...seen. Duo?"
[I remember when we were driving, driving in your car
The speed so fast felt like I was drunk
City lights lay out before us
and your arm felt nice wrapped round my shoulder
and I had the feeling that I belonged
and I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone]
Duo remembered Quatre's arm around him, and gave a bittersweet smile. He'd stay with Relena. She'd welcome him, even if he hated charity. It was not going to work out, not if Quatre didn't shape up. Relena would keep an eye on him, and when he seemed to be working for his love, he could come get him. And the note he'd left made that perfectly clear.
[You've got a fast car
And I've got a job that pays all our bills
You stay out drinking late at the bar
See more of your friends than you do
Of your kids
I'd always hoped for better
Thought maybe together you and me would find it
I've got no plans and ain't going nowhere
So take your fast car and keep on driving]
Quatre was never around, he was doing all the work...pouring his soul and love out to someone who never even saw him. He only saw his "friends". He sighed.
"I thought we could make it together, Quatre. Was I that wrong? I'm not going anywhere...I'll be right here..."
[You've got a fast car
But is it fast enought so we can fly away?
We have got to make a decision
We could leave tonight or die this way]
It was him! Duo yelled and ran downstairs. The reports from Relena's evil little spies had been increasingly good. And Quatre was here! He gave Relena a hug, whispering "Domo arigatou gozaimasu, ojou-san, oujo-sama," making a little pun out of his nickname for her.[2] She smiled as he ran to Quatre.
"Quatre!" Duo hurled himself into his lover's arms.
"Gods, Duo, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I can never make up for what I did..."
Duo silenced him with a quick kiss. "You mending your ways is all the apology I wanted, Quatre, not empty apologies." He gave Quatre a grin. "So, still got that pretty little car, huh?"
"Yup. I've got a job with a large car manufacturing company to do the designs- _yes_ I realize you already know- and we're going to head to my fair-sized apartment. And just so you know I'm sincere-" Quatre pulled out a small boz and knelt before Duo, "Will you marry me?"
Tears sprang to Duo's eyes, and Quatre was afraid he'd done the wrong thing, until a hundred pounds of flying Duo hit him. "Yes, yes yes, gods, yes!" Duo said breathlessly, whil layering kisses all over Quatre's face. Quatre slipped the wring on Duo's finger. "Aishiteru, zutto."
And this time, Duo didn't fall asleep when Quatre's arm snaked around him in the car. In fact, he didn't get much sleep at all, that night.
~Owari~
Notes:
[1] Whaddya mean you wanna know where they got the car...?! Author's
whim...J/K ^_^ Quatre made it out of Sandrock. ^_~
[2] Domo arigatou gozaimasu is a very polite thank you, roughly, "Thank you
very much." The pun is Ojou-san, meaning "young girl" and oujo-sama being
"princess".
Mars/Lyra
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