========================================
Role Reversal
By Sefilin
========================================
Disclaimers: Shin Kidousenki Gundam Wing copyright Sunrise,
Bandai, Sotsu Agency
Dedicated, as always, to Kellryn.
==========
Epilogue
==========
JULIAN'S HOME UNIVERSE:
----------
Relena watched as Julian came to stand in front of them, not, as
might be expected, immediately fussing over Heero who was still
unconscious.
Instead, he bowed deeply, "Thank you."
Relena frowned, watching as he straightened, his eyes lingering
on Heero's form. He turned away, seeing her watching him and smiled
wryly, "I am sorry for all the trouble I have caused you, Heero and the
others."
Relena nodded, still watching him carefully as he brushed a hand
through his bangs, another smile tugging at his lips for some reason.
Without saying anything he stood before them, almost seeming to be
waiting for a judgement. What for, Relena wasn't entirely sure, nor
was she sure if it mattered as she stared into the still, sad depths of
his eyes.
Then she took a step forwards and took his hand in hers, smiling
into those eyes, "Julian."
His name was all she spoke because there was nothing else she
could think of, having no idea what she wanted to say.
And in the end, it was enough, because Julian looked at her hand
holding his, looked up into her eyes and there was a very slight
lightening in his own as he returned the pressure.
They smiled at each other and though both of their thoughts were
with other people, hers with Duo, his most likely with the world he'd
left behind, they were also closer than they'd ever been.
==========
DUO'S HOME UNIVERSE:
----------
Heero watched as Julian threw his head back and screamed in
agony. The braid moved to unseen currents and tiny sparkles of light
danced across his pale skin. The boy arched backwards further, his
hand coming off the machine where it had lain, as the scream continued.
Heero took an involuntary step forwards, watching the body of the
boy he loved in such pain. Wufei grabbed a hold of his arm, pulling
him back and Heero remembered Keller's instructions to stay where they
were. He tensed his own body in empathic reaction to the other boy's
plight, wincing at the sudden increase in volume of the scream that
tore its way from the vulnerable throat. He felt moisture gather in
his eyes and blinked tit away, needing to see this, to share in this
experience as well as he could without being in the middle of the
invisible maelstrom that raged in front of them.
Suddenly, the body fell silent, whatever strings that had been
holding it up sliced as it fell limply to the ground and lay there,
completely silent and unmoving.
Drawing in a breath that was half sob, Heero continued to stand,
Wufei's restraining hand still on his arm.
No one was presently willing to risk the possibility that
whatever it had been that had captured the body was still there, though
Heero knew it wouldn't be long before he was compelled to cross the
ground towards the fallen boy.
Suddenly the body sat up, eyes blinking wide, "Eeergh. Man, that
_hurt_. Remind me not to do that again."
Heero's eyes widened, listening to the American accent and hope
bloomed. Then violet eyes turned towards the group and stared at each
of them in turn, taking them in from head to toe. A hand was pulled
from where it lay limply in the boy's hands and rose to grasp at the
nape of his neck. It grasped the braid firmly and gave a tug.
Suddenly a wide grin broke out across the face, "Alright! I got
the braid back." Jumping to his feet, the braided boy sent a withering
glare at the machine sitting at his feet then bounced across to them.
He stopped in front of Relena and demanded, "Who are you?"
Relena blinked, "Um, Relena Peacecraft."
"Who am I?"
"Duo Maxwell, I hope."
He stared at her, violet eyes shining suspiciously and whispered,
"I'm home?"
Relena smiled back, "I think so. You're Duo? Not Julian
Peacecraft?"
"Oh thank god," Duo said before laughing and grabbing the blonde
girl, twirling her around, yelling 'I'm home!' at the top of his lungs.
Heero felt a pang in his chest as he watched Relena laugh, her
hair flying around her and turned abruptly away, not wanting to see
this. Duo and Relena? That... a seed of emptiness began to grow in
his chest as the American and the Peacecraft laughed together.
Then he was tackled from behind, arms winding about his waist and
chest, a face being buried in his shoulder, breath breaking across his
skin as a familiar voice whispered, "Heero?"
Heero froze.
"H-Heero," the whisper broke on his name, "Heero. I missed you,
I missed you, missed you..." Shaking, the voice drifted into silence as
the arms tightened around him, and Heero felt himself slump, relaxing
back into the embrace.
"Duo..." he breathed, his head falling back to rest on his
lover's shoulder.
Neither of them moved for long, long moments as they rested in
each other's company, reassuring themselves that they were back where
they belonged. Heero allowed himself to drift, not noticing the
tightness in his throat or the burning in his eyes as tears gathered
and fell silently. Nor did he hear himself whisper the other's name
over and over, in time to the heartbeat he was listening to.
Broken breaths continued to break across his skin as Duo remained
wrapped around him, his hand reaching for Heero's and clutching it
tightly.
Then the moment passed, other sounds and impressions intruding
upon them and Heero came back to himself, realising he was still in the
field with the other pilots, Zechs, Relena and her chauffeur. The
presence of the tears on his face made themselves known and he felt
heat rise into his face as he lifted his hands to wipe them away.
Duo let him go them, turning him around and brushing his bangs
away from his eyes. Heero stared back into the eyes that once again
housed the soul he lived for.
"Koi," Duo whispered, a familiar grin pulling at his lips and
Heero found it irresistible, having been without it for so long. Duo's
eyes widened at the sight of the shy smile on his face and he wrapped
his arms around Heero again, squeezing hard, pecking him on the nose
and laughing as he stepped away.
Heero's eyes uncrossed and he looked across at his lover, the
blush returning to his face.
"Hey, Heero? Do you have a gun?"
Uncertain why he was asking, Heero nodded.
"Cool! Can I borrow it for a sec?"
Heero nodded, handing it across and watched as Duo quickly ran
through a check to make sure it was full and primed, then sprinted his
way back across to the machine and fired the entire load into it.
"No! No, no, no no nonononononononono! Don't do that!" Keller
hurried over a little too late and, after seeing the damage done to the
machine, stood aghast and stared.
The others laughed and Heero felt the smile on his face again as
he watched the braided American twirl the revolver on his finger as he
sauntered back over. He paused as he noticed the silent observer, in
the form of Zechs and tilted his head before heading in his direction.
"Yo, you look one heck of a lot like Milliard, apart from the
mask. You don't happen to be a Peacecraft in disguise, do you?"
Zechs sighed, "Yes."
"Ah," without warning, Duo glomped the blonde and cheered,
"Niisan!"
Staggering backwards under the sudden weight, Zechs sputtered,
eyes wide, "What the...!?"
Duo laughed and let him go, moving on, "I am in a fucking _great_
mood, man. Damn, but it's great to be a Maxwell again, instead of a
Peacecraft. No offence meant, Relena," he smiled at the girl who
shrugged.
"None taken, Duo."
Duo paused at that, noticing the slightly sad look on her face
and he frowned. He moved towards her, lifting her face to look into
her eyes, "You okay?"
Relena shrugged, "I guess. It's just, I _liked_ Julian."
Duo nodded, "Doesn't surprise me. I liked Relena too, the other
one, I mean."
Heero watched them stare into each other's eyes and somehow an
understanding was born between them as they saw beyond what they'd
previously seen in each other; saw the potential for friendship rather
than someone to avoid.
"It's not easy, huh? Being who you are," Duo whispered, his hand
still gently holding Relena's face up.
She shook her head, "About as hard as being what you are, I
should think."
Duo brushed a few bangs away from the blue eyes gazing so
intently into his and came to a realisation that changed his eyes into
something infinitely warm, "You're not as different from the other
Relena as I thought, and you know what?"
Relena stared back, "What?"
"I think I like you too."
A smile broke out across Relena's face and she stepped forwards
into the arms that closed around her in comfort.
Heero saw Quatre smiling as he watched the two of them and
frowned a little, wondering why he was no longer bothered by this, the
way he was when Duo had swung the girl around earlier. Then he watched
the happiness on their faces, the _friendship_ and shrugged, knowing
that he didn't mind because, well, Relena wasn't quite as bad as he'd
thought and he kind of liked her too.
==Owari==
http://www.geocities.com/sefilin/
[email protected]
Role Reversal
By Sefilin
========================================
Disclaimers: Shin Kidousenki Gundam Wing copyright Sunrise,
Bandai, Sotsu Agency
Dedicated, as always, to Kellryn.
==========
Epilogue
==========
JULIAN'S HOME UNIVERSE:
----------
Relena watched as Julian came to stand in front of them, not, as
might be expected, immediately fussing over Heero who was still
unconscious.
Instead, he bowed deeply, "Thank you."
Relena frowned, watching as he straightened, his eyes lingering
on Heero's form. He turned away, seeing her watching him and smiled
wryly, "I am sorry for all the trouble I have caused you, Heero and the
others."
Relena nodded, still watching him carefully as he brushed a hand
through his bangs, another smile tugging at his lips for some reason.
Without saying anything he stood before them, almost seeming to be
waiting for a judgement. What for, Relena wasn't entirely sure, nor
was she sure if it mattered as she stared into the still, sad depths of
his eyes.
Then she took a step forwards and took his hand in hers, smiling
into those eyes, "Julian."
His name was all she spoke because there was nothing else she
could think of, having no idea what she wanted to say.
And in the end, it was enough, because Julian looked at her hand
holding his, looked up into her eyes and there was a very slight
lightening in his own as he returned the pressure.
They smiled at each other and though both of their thoughts were
with other people, hers with Duo, his most likely with the world he'd
left behind, they were also closer than they'd ever been.
==========
DUO'S HOME UNIVERSE:
----------
Heero watched as Julian threw his head back and screamed in
agony. The braid moved to unseen currents and tiny sparkles of light
danced across his pale skin. The boy arched backwards further, his
hand coming off the machine where it had lain, as the scream continued.
Heero took an involuntary step forwards, watching the body of the
boy he loved in such pain. Wufei grabbed a hold of his arm, pulling
him back and Heero remembered Keller's instructions to stay where they
were. He tensed his own body in empathic reaction to the other boy's
plight, wincing at the sudden increase in volume of the scream that
tore its way from the vulnerable throat. He felt moisture gather in
his eyes and blinked tit away, needing to see this, to share in this
experience as well as he could without being in the middle of the
invisible maelstrom that raged in front of them.
Suddenly, the body fell silent, whatever strings that had been
holding it up sliced as it fell limply to the ground and lay there,
completely silent and unmoving.
Drawing in a breath that was half sob, Heero continued to stand,
Wufei's restraining hand still on his arm.
No one was presently willing to risk the possibility that
whatever it had been that had captured the body was still there, though
Heero knew it wouldn't be long before he was compelled to cross the
ground towards the fallen boy.
Suddenly the body sat up, eyes blinking wide, "Eeergh. Man, that
_hurt_. Remind me not to do that again."
Heero's eyes widened, listening to the American accent and hope
bloomed. Then violet eyes turned towards the group and stared at each
of them in turn, taking them in from head to toe. A hand was pulled
from where it lay limply in the boy's hands and rose to grasp at the
nape of his neck. It grasped the braid firmly and gave a tug.
Suddenly a wide grin broke out across the face, "Alright! I got
the braid back." Jumping to his feet, the braided boy sent a withering
glare at the machine sitting at his feet then bounced across to them.
He stopped in front of Relena and demanded, "Who are you?"
Relena blinked, "Um, Relena Peacecraft."
"Who am I?"
"Duo Maxwell, I hope."
He stared at her, violet eyes shining suspiciously and whispered,
"I'm home?"
Relena smiled back, "I think so. You're Duo? Not Julian
Peacecraft?"
"Oh thank god," Duo said before laughing and grabbing the blonde
girl, twirling her around, yelling 'I'm home!' at the top of his lungs.
Heero felt a pang in his chest as he watched Relena laugh, her
hair flying around her and turned abruptly away, not wanting to see
this. Duo and Relena? That... a seed of emptiness began to grow in
his chest as the American and the Peacecraft laughed together.
Then he was tackled from behind, arms winding about his waist and
chest, a face being buried in his shoulder, breath breaking across his
skin as a familiar voice whispered, "Heero?"
Heero froze.
"H-Heero," the whisper broke on his name, "Heero. I missed you,
I missed you, missed you..." Shaking, the voice drifted into silence as
the arms tightened around him, and Heero felt himself slump, relaxing
back into the embrace.
"Duo..." he breathed, his head falling back to rest on his
lover's shoulder.
Neither of them moved for long, long moments as they rested in
each other's company, reassuring themselves that they were back where
they belonged. Heero allowed himself to drift, not noticing the
tightness in his throat or the burning in his eyes as tears gathered
and fell silently. Nor did he hear himself whisper the other's name
over and over, in time to the heartbeat he was listening to.
Broken breaths continued to break across his skin as Duo remained
wrapped around him, his hand reaching for Heero's and clutching it
tightly.
Then the moment passed, other sounds and impressions intruding
upon them and Heero came back to himself, realising he was still in the
field with the other pilots, Zechs, Relena and her chauffeur. The
presence of the tears on his face made themselves known and he felt
heat rise into his face as he lifted his hands to wipe them away.
Duo let him go them, turning him around and brushing his bangs
away from his eyes. Heero stared back into the eyes that once again
housed the soul he lived for.
"Koi," Duo whispered, a familiar grin pulling at his lips and
Heero found it irresistible, having been without it for so long. Duo's
eyes widened at the sight of the shy smile on his face and he wrapped
his arms around Heero again, squeezing hard, pecking him on the nose
and laughing as he stepped away.
Heero's eyes uncrossed and he looked across at his lover, the
blush returning to his face.
"Hey, Heero? Do you have a gun?"
Uncertain why he was asking, Heero nodded.
"Cool! Can I borrow it for a sec?"
Heero nodded, handing it across and watched as Duo quickly ran
through a check to make sure it was full and primed, then sprinted his
way back across to the machine and fired the entire load into it.
"No! No, no, no no nonononononononono! Don't do that!" Keller
hurried over a little too late and, after seeing the damage done to the
machine, stood aghast and stared.
The others laughed and Heero felt the smile on his face again as
he watched the braided American twirl the revolver on his finger as he
sauntered back over. He paused as he noticed the silent observer, in
the form of Zechs and tilted his head before heading in his direction.
"Yo, you look one heck of a lot like Milliard, apart from the
mask. You don't happen to be a Peacecraft in disguise, do you?"
Zechs sighed, "Yes."
"Ah," without warning, Duo glomped the blonde and cheered,
"Niisan!"
Staggering backwards under the sudden weight, Zechs sputtered,
eyes wide, "What the...!?"
Duo laughed and let him go, moving on, "I am in a fucking _great_
mood, man. Damn, but it's great to be a Maxwell again, instead of a
Peacecraft. No offence meant, Relena," he smiled at the girl who
shrugged.
"None taken, Duo."
Duo paused at that, noticing the slightly sad look on her face
and he frowned. He moved towards her, lifting her face to look into
her eyes, "You okay?"
Relena shrugged, "I guess. It's just, I _liked_ Julian."
Duo nodded, "Doesn't surprise me. I liked Relena too, the other
one, I mean."
Heero watched them stare into each other's eyes and somehow an
understanding was born between them as they saw beyond what they'd
previously seen in each other; saw the potential for friendship rather
than someone to avoid.
"It's not easy, huh? Being who you are," Duo whispered, his hand
still gently holding Relena's face up.
She shook her head, "About as hard as being what you are, I
should think."
Duo brushed a few bangs away from the blue eyes gazing so
intently into his and came to a realisation that changed his eyes into
something infinitely warm, "You're not as different from the other
Relena as I thought, and you know what?"
Relena stared back, "What?"
"I think I like you too."
A smile broke out across Relena's face and she stepped forwards
into the arms that closed around her in comfort.
Heero saw Quatre smiling as he watched the two of them and
frowned a little, wondering why he was no longer bothered by this, the
way he was when Duo had swung the girl around earlier. Then he watched
the happiness on their faces, the _friendship_ and shrugged, knowing
that he didn't mind because, well, Relena wasn't quite as bad as he'd
thought and he kind of liked her too.
==Owari==
http://www.geocities.com/sefilin/
[email protected]