Shin Kidouseki Gundam Wing belongs to Bandai and co. I do not own  them, only playing with them. Really!

 

Chocolates, Shinigami and The Arabian

Gundam Fic By : Ms.  J. Helios

 

Somewhere in the middle of the galaxy, a certain noise kept on repeating itself again and again.

 

*Tap** Tap** Tap*

 

The noise roused the young man from his sleep. Opening his indigo eyes, Duo Maxwell looked towards the direction of the noise. What he found was Heero Yuy tapping away on his laptop.

 

“Oi, wazzup?” he said, rising. He took a look at the time and cringed when it told him the time, “God, it’s 2:30 in the morning Heero! What are you doing? Surfing for porn man?”

 

Heero spared him a glare and went back to the laptop. Duo shrugged at the usual coldness of his roommate and stumbled out of the room in his red and blue striped pajamas. Walking down the corridor, he noticed that Trowa’s and Quatre’s room was open and he sneaked a peek into it. Quatre and Trowa were reading something intently on their laptops.

 

“Oi.” He called. Trowa looked at Duo and his pajamas and stifled a smile. Instead of reacting, the other boy went back to reading. Quatre on the other hand smiled at Duo and said, “Ohayo Duo.”

 

“Whatcha reading?” he asked. “Heero’s doing the same back in our room. Is it a new mission?”

 

“Looks like it.” Quatre stretched a little in his light blue pajamas. “Why don’t you read it?”

 

“I’m gonna get a drink first in the kitchen” said Duo, moving away.

 

“Matte Duo, I’ll get one too.” Said Quatre, joining the braided pilot down the hallway.

 

They passed Wufei’s room and found the Chinese boy reading with sleepy looking eyes. “Oi Wu” called Duo.

 

“Maxwell, quit calling me that” Wufei’s usual response contained no anger in them, only tiredness.

 

“Do you want anything from the kitchen Wufei?” asked Quatre. “Duo and I are going there.”

 

“No, thank you” nodded Wufei as he pointed a to glass of juice sitting beside his laptop. He went back to reading the message. Duo shrugged and pulled Quatre towards the kitchen.

 

“Looks like everybody’s in the mission” said Duo as he poured out the water for Quatre.

 

“Arigato” said Quatre as he took the glass. “Seems like it. At least it’s a change, team work without piloting.”

 

“You don’t like to kill people do you Quatre?” said Duo as he drank down one whole glass of water.

 

“Take it easy on the water Duo” said Quatre, “You might regret it. It *is* morning you know”

 

“Yeah.” Answered Duo, opting to look for more food in the fridge. “You haven’t answered my question yet Quatre.”

 

“Well…” started the blond pilot. “I feel that it is one part of my life that I rather don’t like, but have to do sometimes, just to do what is right.”

 

Duo nodded and brought out his little stash of chocolates. He gleefully tore open one and offered it to Quatre. Quatre took it from his with a big smile and delicately bit into the sweet bar.

 

“Me?” started Duo as he bit a large piece off of his bar, “I guess it’s okay, you know, to kill someone you’re fighting, especially in a gundam. I mean, at least they have an almost equal chance to nail me.” He shook his head and his face took on a different mask that his Joker one, “But that’s just it, I still kill. Whether it’s civilians or OZ troops, or little slimy bugs under some cave I still bring death…”

 

“You *are* death after all.” Said Quatre to fill the quiet that had fallen with Duo’s hanging statement. “But then, so do we Duo.” Quatre nibbled slightly on the chocolate bar momentarily.

 

“Heero, Trowa, Wufei, you and me…” Quatre drifted off, “We all are instruments of death in this war, but what else can we do?”

 

Duo snorted and looked at his hands, “Kill or be killed, if you’re vulnerable you get trampled upon.” He shrugged his shoulders, but soon let it droop back in a dejected motion, “Simple as that. But jeez, even death can be tired of killing y’know.”

 

“If we don’t do *anything* for the war…we’ll be just casualties.” Said Quatre.

 

“Numbers to be counted.” Muttered Duo bitterly as a cynical smile touched his lips.

 

Quatre mirrored his smile and said, “See? Twisted as it may seem, we *have* to kill to make sure *somebody* survives the war”

 

“Twisted” said Duo, smiling a bit. “But I can see what you mean.” He gave the Arabian a smile before gripping his hand tightly for a while, “Thanks”

 

Quatre blushed and said, “It’s alright.”

 

They ate in silence for a few minutes before Duo suddenly said, “Hey Quatre, can I ask you something?”

 

“Sure Duo-kun” said Quatre.

 

“D’you ever feel, you know,” Duo scratched his head a bit sheepishly “Jealous of all those other kids our age, those who don’t have to fight?”

 

Quatre nibbled even slower on his chocolate bar, he seemed to be really mulling over the question. After a few more moments of this, and after Duo completely consumed his bar, Quatre said slowly, “Yes…and no.”

 

“Semi-kinda-sorta-in-a-way-could-be-maybe?” teased Duo.

 

Quatre laughed while Duo grinned away. When they both quieted down, Duo asked, “In what way?”

 

Quatre shrugged again and said, “In some ways yes,  I do envy them. They live so far from the war, to them our battles are no more than numbers and events that they have to report in class.” A sheen of tears fell across his deep blue eyes. “They don’t have to face death head on. They don’t have to kill and kill and kill….”

 

“But on the other hand, I don’t think they’re that happy either.” Said Quatre, “At least, we know we’re doing something to change the war but them…they don’t have anything to do except step back and be protected…”

 

“All civilians are supposed to be protected.” muttered Duo.

 

“Maybe it would be better off if everybody knew how to fight, and did fight in the war.” Said Quatre although they both knew the answer to that.

 

“If everybody fought….then no one  would be  left to rebuild after the war.” Said Duo as he opened a new chocolate bar.

 

“After the war is over…” said Quatre as he bit into the last part of his bar, “Soldiers like us who knew nothing but to fight will be obsolete. I have a feeling that we’ll never fit into post-war society”

 

“Do you still remember what peace was like?” murmured Duo.

 

“No, I don’t” was Quatre’s quiet answer.

 

Duo leaned back a little and focused on a far wall, “Imagine that, all of us, going to school instead of going off to battle some nameless base or what not…” licking what was left of the bar off his fingers he continued, “Or maybe learning to hang out on those malls, not under cover or just for supplies or what…just there because…”

 

“Duo, enough” came the swift but pained answer. “Onegai?”

 

Duo looked back from his daydreaming with wistful and bitter eyes, “All I can do is dream ne?”

 

Quatre smiled back. “Same here.” He cocked his head aside, as if evaluating the American Pilot. “You know Duo, I’ve rarely seen you like this.”

 

“Heh, don’t mince words Quatre.” Duo responded, nodding, “you’ve never quite seen me like this.” A shrug “and you might not.”

 

Quatre looked confused for a while and he asked, “Why not ne?”

 

Duo’s smile brightened, “Because I have no more chocolate.”

 

Quatre looked back at him incredulously. “Are you telling me that chocolate is a truth drug to you?”

 

“I wouldn’t put it that way…” his teeth worried his own lower lip, “But yeah, maybe.”

 

“Quite ne?”

 

Duo shrugged and stretched, “Yeap…well, let’s go back and face the music shall we?” with a wink and a grin he turned down the corridor and swaggered on his way, with no sign that he ever lost his joker’s mask.

 

***

 

Duo dumped himself on the bed and sighed. It’s been a hard day’s night and he should be sleeping like a log.

 

Eh? He realized what his mental thought was. I’ve gotta stop listening to those silly Beatles re-runs. He hauled himself over to his desk in an effort to finish his mission.

 

It’s been several weeks and two missions since he last talked to Quatre in the kitchen. Not a word had escaped to the other pilots and for that Duo was glad. He really didn’t anticipate that much of a reaction from himself. Put simply, he has gotta cut back on the chocolates. For sanity’s sake. That was one of the rare times he let anyone else see what was behind the Joker’s mask that he had learned to perfect all though these years. And he was glad as Hell that it was Quatre who was there. Good old understanding Quatre.

 

Rubbing his eyes, he mused a bit on the fact that he too got quite and insight into Quatre’s psyche. Then again, he realized, if he had the joker’s mask…so did the rest of them, each one having varying masks. It seemed that only Quatre picked up on that fact. then again, he mused, it is common courtesy to knock before entering anybody else’s psyche.

 

An icon called his attention and he opened the message it held. Blinking rapidly, he realized that it came from one of the other pilot’s computers :

 

Duo-Kun,

Kombanwa, knowing that you would finish your assigned mission first. I assume you have headed

 straight to you room and would be trying to send out a report to wrap up all the loose ends of your

 mission. Good for you. Once you’re done, I hope you would venture forth to the kitchen and open

 the vegetable drawer.

          Arigato and oyasumi.

                                                                                                                                                                   Q. R. Winner

 

 This earned a raised eyebrow and a piqued curiosity from the American pilot as he hurriedly finished the report.

 

Leaning back and nibbling lightly on his lower lip, he checked and re-checked his report. Given, his report was rather vague and his grammar at the start was horrendous, but then again,  they always were. He shrugged and sent the message. At least he got the job done.

 

Making his way out of the room, he sighed a bit at the silence their apartment had. All too quiet with no Wufei ranting, Heero’s tapping of keys, Trowa’s animals, or even Quatre’s TV. He sorta missed them, in a way. Then again, he was usually the source of all the noise anyway.

 

“However,” he said aloud, “Talking to myself may lead to me going completely bonkers, something I’d like to postpone thank you very much!”

 

Entering the kitchen, he headed straight for the ref. He paused momentarily, wondering what Quatre wanted him to see. Of all the pilots, Quatre was the health nut and therefore had dibs on the vegetable drawer. Wufei might nibble on a carrot here and there, and Trowa might ransack it for one of his animals, but all in all, Heero didn’t care about vegetables even if they came up to him with a Colt and threatened to shoot him. Then again he may. Duo avoided it for a reason. Quatre kept Broccoli in there.

 

Duo HATED broccoli.

 

Taking a deep breath, he opened the door to the fridge, letting the cool tendrils drift across his face as he knelt to be in level with the vegetable drawer. Hesitating, he opened the aforementioned drawer and took a look.

 

Inside were several chocolate bars of his favorite kind, wrapped up in a ribbon. Blinking, he took the card that was attached and read with quizzical eyes.

 

          Yes, I know it’s pretty silly. But knowing you like chocolates so much, I’ve decided to get you these. And also, knowing

          That Heero likes these particular chocolates also, I’m hiding them here. Just for you good friend.

          I’m looking forward to talking with you again.

Over the chocolates of course.

I’ll bring the chocolates.

And we’ll both lose the masks good friend.

                                                                                                          Quatre.

 

Duo stifled a laugh that was building up. “Quatre my man, if I didn’t know better I’d think you’re seducing me!” he muttered to the empty kitchen. but he replaced the chocolates and shut the drawer. He quickly left the kitchen, closing the door behind him.

 

***

“Maxwell?” Wufei peeked into the bedroom of Heero and Duo. Heero looked up from the technical manual he was reading and raised an eyebrow at the Chinese boy.

 

“He’s not here” he said quietly.

 

Wufei muttered something under his breath. “Where the hell is he?”

 

“Not here” was Heero’s infuriating reply as he went back to the chapter he was reading.

 

“K’sou…” was Wufei’s parting words as he left the room.

 

Checking Trowa and Quatre’s room, all he found was a sound asleep Trowa, no Quatre in sight though. Padding back to his own room, he dumped himself on the bed and muttered darkly about a particular American. After a few minutes of this, his mouth was decidedly dry. He would have persisted to sleep instead but a quiet voice in his head reminded him that there was one place he hadn’t looked.

 

The kitchen.

 

Quietly making his way to the kitchen, he became aware that voices were coming from it. Pushing the door open he called out, “Maxwell?”

 

“Yo, Wu!” said Duo with his mouth full of chocolate. Quatre looked up from across him, holding a bar of chocolate also. There was a picture album in between them and Quatre shut it as Wufei entered the kitchen. “Want?” he said, holding out a bar he had obviously bitten into.

 

Wufei shook his head, heading for the Fridge. “I don’t want a toothache Maxwell” he poured himself out some orange juice he found in a plastic bottle. Praying to the gods it was still fresh he brought it to his lips and drank.

 

Thankfully it was and Wufei got a second helping. “What are you doing here in the middle of the night anyway?” he muttered as he poured out more of the juice.

 

Duo shook his head. “Chocolates.”

 

Wufei smirked, “I thought  chocolates were only used to bribe little kids.” He looked at Duo who stuck his tongue out, “Then again, you ARE a little kid then Maxwell.” He drank his juice and put it down in the sink.

 

As he left, Duo called out, “It takes one to know one!” the door swung closed and Quatre’s and Duo’s laughter echoed in the small kitchen, somewhere in the middle of the galaxy.

 

*** Owari Da ***

 

Author’s notes : I do not know what came over me. Number one, I don’t know Quatre that much so I have a feeling he’s a bit OOC. Number two, it sounds pretty Shonen Ai around the middle so gomen ne for those not so inclined (and also to those so inclined) , it’s not. Can I help it if I’m used to writing Shonen Ai ne? And number three, I do not know why chocolate. I am allergic to chocolate and most dairy products because I’m lactose intolerant. Lord knows, I shiver in terror at the mention of chocolate. But then again, maybe a hidden side of me still prefers it. Hm….*whacks head* anyway, enough Psychology, I’ve gotten enough of that from Nyre last year…the title sticks, I know, but can I help it if Titles are not my forte. Neither is writing maybe. I’m a horrible writer. I can’t stand fluff and WAFF but that’s the type I write best. Oh the humanity! Okay, this is becoming a rant already. *Sigh* anyway, so any comments, suggestions, flames, strawberries(?), tomatoes, rotten eggs, rubber chickens, missiles, grenades and what-not may be sent to [email protected] or to [email protected] if you want a quick response, or if you REEEAAAAAALLLY think that the world would shatter if I don’t get to read it. Saa! Ja ne!