Title: LondonAlleyways

Author: AlexJanna

Pairing: 1x2x1, 3x4, 5xOC

Warnings: very slight angst, difficult accents, period fic, AU, intrigue, humor, semi-large age differences, OCs

Summary: Heero narrowly escapes being mugged by a gang of street rats in a dirty alleyway in London. Being unable to forget their violet eyed leader he quickly devises a plan that will hopefully benefit them both.

Chapter 01 : Unexpected Encounter

It was a grimy and dark street despite the bright blue sky and fluffy white clouds over head. The smell of industrial pollution and coal soot hung heavily in the air with the possibility to choke those less aware of their surroundings. Conversation, loud laughter, bartering, and arguments drifted between the brick buildings and wooden carts set up throughout the market place.

Wealthy business men in fine suit coats and two tone button up boots strolled briskly on their way while scruffy merchants showed off their wares and shooed away grungy pickpockets with shouts and mad waves of hands.

Heero Yuy hated to walk among the crowds in this way. The smell of horse dung and flowers always seemed like an abomination to the senses. On a street such as this distinguishing between the classes and occupations was a palpable and audible act. Thick street slang and stilting educated speech mixed with little trouble on these cobblestones.

His steps were calculated and measured with a cold efficiency reflecting of his task. In the city it never froze and the snow was never white, but still Heero kept the lapels of his knee length, navy blue coat high to guard his neck from the chill in the air. Keeping the coat's silver toggles buttoned all the way up to the parting of his lapels brought the covering to tighten over his white dress shirt and black scarf with red piping.

A black gloved hand clasping the red glass ball atop his black lacquered cane, Heero let its pointed tip hit the cobblestones every second step adding a metronome-like beat to the chaos of the market. Ruffled sleeves peeking out from the cuffs of his navy blue coat shivered with the chill while the zippy breeze skidded through his choppy, molasses colored bangs. He had a purpose to be in this part of town. A quite annoying one, but a purpose just the same.

Miss Relena had requested his presence and as loathed as he is to accept, the young lady's Aunt subsequently has the last say over his inheritance. So it is, with an annoyed scowl that he trudges through he dregs of society to his impending boredom. As his impeccable promptness demands Heero takes a turn down an ally to cut his travel time in an impressive half.

Almost immediately the noise and smell from the market is buffered in the narrow ally by the stone walls of the buildings on each side. The light is cut in half and the relative cleanliness of the carts, horse dung, and straggling merchants suffers greatly in the tiny alleyway.

No more than two steps into the alley and away from safety of bustling society had Heero's need for promptness backfired in a most inconvenient way.

"Well! Looke' 'ere!" A tall scruffy boy about Heero's age with blond hair down around his shoulders stepped out of the shadows with a menacing smile.

"Look at wha' we got 'ere, boys." The mockingly innocent lilt to his speech caused the already deep scowl upon Heero's brow to deepen.

The sound of foot steps from behind him, told Heero that the blond boy's "boys" were not only impeding his path, but blocking his only exit as well.

"Oi Solo! Look a' 'im!" Another, younger boy's voice rang out of a shorter and dirtier looking body on the blonds' right. "'E must be real rich!"

"Ay. Real rich and real stupid."

Heero took immediate offense to such a statement. He wasn't all that wealthy nor was he anywhere near stupid. By these boy's speech patterns and rag clothes it was deduced that they were street urchins. No education and no hope of getting off of the streets. They stole for food and fought for anyplace to call their own. Heero had no wish to fight them, but he would do what he must to get out of that alley in one piece.

"I have no wish for confrontation-"

"Cut the fancy talk pre'y boy and give us yer purse!" The blond, Solo, the supposed leader, pulled out a short, but sharp blade and waved it around in intimidation. Apparently this tactic had worked numerous times, but Heero Yuy wasn't frightened by anything so juvenile or so desperate.

He stood with his pinstripe clad legs perfectly even with one another and looked the boy straight in the eyes. "I will not fight you. You will let me pass." His voice, cold and unfeeling, told of many bad things. The alley boys paused in their advance and Solo looked, for the first time, unsure.

Pulling out his silver pocket watch, Heero flipped it open. He was already going to be late for his date with annoyance, but any more than this and it was simply unacceptable.

The chink of the delicate chain and the glint of the polished silver added kindling to Solo's dwindling nerve. "Tha's a pre'y piece ther. Give i' t'us and w'll le' ya' go."

Pity his daring was for nothing. Heero continued to study the time displayed on the watch's round face and ignored the boy in front of him. Solo's brow creased in frustration. No body ignored him! "Give me th' damned watch!"

Heero looked up and looking into his mugger's eyes, about to make another demand of his own when a low, honey smooth voice drifted from the shadows to his left.

"Oi Solo! Don'cha see this 'ere gen'elman's got someplace ta be?"

Turning his gaze from the startled boy in front of him, Heero glanced to his left and let his scowl deepen even further.

Sitting atop a wooden crate was another street urchin around his age. The boy's mischievously smiling violet eyes were trained on Heero while a thin stream of smoke floated up from the hand rolled cigarette perched at the corner of his full pink lips.

A ratty plum colored scarf was wrapped around his neck and tucked into his dirty button up blue shirt. His chin was perched on top of grungy knuckles sticking out of unraveling gray fingerless gloves that left his wrists exposed by the missing buttons on the cuffs of his fraying shirt. Faded plum trousers with blue and green patches reached to his mid calf then stopped in a jagged pattern to reveal grimy gray socks and unlaced, worn out leather boots.

None of these aspects of this new boy's appearance were really surprising to Heero except for the long scraggily chestnut braid that seemed to trail down his back till it pooled on his makeshift perch beside him. If it weren't for the obviously poor hygiene and lack of suitable clothes Heero would have said the boy was almost... attractive.

"Duo, come on! I's jus' abou' ta make some quid!" Solo scowled at his gang leader, Duo.

Lifting his head from his fist and plucking the cigarette out of his mouth, Duo exhaled the smoke with a friendly smirk. "Nah, man. This 'un's got a shada' on 'em. 'E'd prolly skin ya' live."

Heero let his eyebrow rise. This boy, Duo, was very astute. He seemed to measure the danger lurking in his gang's conquest and figured it outweighed the benefit; which it had. Heero had unmeasurable strength and skill when it came to hand-to-hand combat.

"Bu' Duo-"

"Uhah! Le' this nice gen'elman pass. 'E's go' some'ere ta be." Slowly and with his captivating violet eyes still locked with Heero's, Duo returned his smoke to his lips and pulled the grey mist into his lungs to escape from his mouth when he smiled. On normal circumstances, Duo would let his gang steal what they would, within reason of course, and mug whom ever chose the bad decision of stepping into their domain, but this tall, stiff, and gorgeously handsome gentleman had struck a cord in his chest. Of course the dangerous waves radiating off this man were quite impressive. Duo could tell he was not one to give up his items without one hell of a fight; he kept his gang away from fights as much as possible.

What an interestingly new development. Heero was grateful for his unexpected savior. He had saved him from having to fight with boys he had no qualms with and from being more tardy than necessary to his meeting with the annoying girl holding his inheritance ransom.

The boys impeding his path slinked back into the shadows and all, but disappeared while the boys blocking his exit did the same. Heero kept his eyes locked with the gang's leader and wondered to him self what had caused this boy to call back his hounds.

Duo smirked and waved a hand in a whimsical fashion toward the end of the alley. "Pleasan' day ta ya', Govna'."

"Hn." Heero nodded his head in a slight bow of gratitude then resumed his brusque walk to the end of alley before looking over his shoulder at the boy still following him with his eyes.

Raising his hand and twiddling his fingers in mock farewell, Duo called over the noise of the market place, "See ya' 'round Gov'na!"

Hn. Heero turned and resumed his course through the less crowded, but still irritating market place.

That boy had left an intriguing taste in Heero Yuy's mouth. He was smart and quick with his tongue, even if his speech left something to be desired. He had the amazing potential to be handsome beyond belief and his very mannerisms exuded a charisma born of necessity. A skinny body he may have, but underneath those dirty, soot covered rags was a deceivingly strong body.

This street urchin had amazing potential. He had charisma, charm, wit, and was beautiful underneath the dirt, Heero was sure of it. His brain seemed to function better than most of Heero's acquaintance and he was an excellent judge of character. It was a damn shame such a creature was sentenced to waste in the back alleys of London.

An intriguing thought flitted across Heero's mind and a smirk scratched to the surface of his lips. Yes, we'll meet once again, Duo.

A/N This is an experimental piece that was inspired by fanart on Moments of Rapture by Kat, the link to it can be found on my profile. I love period fanfics and I thought this picture just screamed "write something for me!" So I did and I hope you like the outcome. I may continue this so if you like it keep your eyes open for a continuation. Feed back is very much welcome.

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