By quicksylver
Warnings: Blatant Yaoi, sap and lame moments abound. Language, and out of controll OOcness. If you love Terry and Batman Beyond and love him the way he is on the show then this fic is not for you!
Standard disclaimers apply and i doubt anyone would want to steal this but no unauthorised posting please.
Sweat ran down his taut face in rivulets but the braided pilot paid it no mind. He should have been happy... the war was almost over, there was no way Oz could put up anything resembling a fight now that the Allied Nations had finally banded together and formed a formidable force against Oz tyranny. That and the fact that he was still alive on his sixteenth birthday should have been cause to celebrate.
But the one thing he hadn't been prepared for had slapped him in the face on a bleak Thursday morning. That thing was Heero Yuy's brutal honesty. Just as he was going on a mission Heero had pulled him to one side of the hanger and dumped him. That's right... the old "I don't feel the same way anymore" line.
Duo had been speechless ... a rare occasion indeed. For over a year he and the wing pilot had been partners, friends... lovers. He thought that it would last, that it would grow... apparently Heero didn't. He explained the situation in that annoying, condescending way of his, his nasal voice scraping against Duo's inner ear like nails on a chalkboard. The war was over... and so was their relationship. It was simple. He had needed Duo 's friendship to survive the war; the sex was well... an added pleasure.
"Added pleasure my ASS!" [1] Duo screamed through the speaker of his gundam.
Of course the unmanned suits could not quiver in terror at the rage in his voice but Duo was sure that if he had been fighting Oz soldiers, they would have already pissed their pants. He smiled wickedly and pictured Heero in front of the sadly out skilled dolls, taking select pleasure in shredding their metallic bodies until nothing but blackened debris remained.I could do this all day; he smirked, burying his thermo-scythe into Heero's forehead.
***
Deep within the thick belly of the research compound, quick fingers flew over the blinking keyboards. Lights from the alarm that had been triggered when the attack began still flickered, turning the deserted lab into a morbid disco. Maybe deserted was the wrong choice of word, as the bodies of over a half a dozen scientists and technicians lay strewn about the wrecked and cluttered room.
The sole living occupant stepped over the body of the lead scientist with passing interest. They were no longer important, their deaths had been a necessity. Their groundbreaking knowledge could never fall into enemy hands... they died for the glory of Oz. With a toss of long brown hair and a flicker of light on rounded glasses, a slender finger confidently pressed the final button.
The alarms and flashing lights stopped and for a moment everything was silent as the flow of time slowed to a mere trickle. Then in a flash of blinding white light that was seen for forty miles and talked about for three months, everything went straight to hell in a hand basket.
***
The sleek and state of the art Batwing whooshed through the towering high rises of Gotham with practiced ease. I guess all that time playing Night Flight Fighters at the arcade was of some use after all, Terry chuckled inwardly. It was the final run he would make through the city before calling it a night. He was never the early to bed, early to rise kind of guy but he had an exam tomorrow. And if I don't pass this one, even being Batman won't save me from the wrath of Mary McGinnes. Who knew that all the villains in Gotham couldn't hold a candle to the devastating power of the Mom?
He chuckled at the thought and checked his COM unit. Bruce had signed off for the night; it seemed that old age was taking its toll on the original Dark knight. Terry fired up the boosters with a smirk, turning to head home when an explosion rocked the city. Reflexes kicking in, he veered toward the action, 'burning rubber' as it were, to get to there as fast as he could.What he saw there almost stopped him dead in his bat tracks.
"What the?" he choked out as the black billowing smoke of the explosion cleared.
As he watched, the behemoth emerged like a god out of the pillars of smoke, its jet-black wings massive and deadly against the moonlight sky. Terry could only hover and stare as more and more of the immense nightmare came into view. Glowing green eyes flashed and smoldered as the large laser-like weapon sparked and seared the crisp night air, casting an eerie green glow on the hulking black metallic body.
Duo exhaled, his training the only thing forcing his pounding head to function. What the hell happened back there? He thought to himself, declining to scream the question as his head already hammered to high heaven and he for one was not going to do anything to make it worse. Hopefully he would find his ground and head for home.
Unfortunately, hoping doesn't mean getting.A small explosion to the side of Deathscythe made him jerk his head up painfully. Like a pro he threw Deathscythe into reverse, pulling back to get a better assessment of his enemy. What he saw was a mosquito.
"What the hell?" Duo gaped as the minute contraption came round for another shot.
"Oh no you don't", the Shinigami pilot warned, shaking off some of his dizziness.
He flipped on his gundams aft rockets and whipped up into the night sky with the mini jet in tow. The buildings were too close to maneuver in, even for the versatile stealth gundam. He cooled the jets, hovering just out of range of the speedy nuisance.
"You wanna fight zippy?" Duo shouted cockily through the speakers. He was all brass and sass by now."Well... come now and meet your fate and the hand of Shinigami!!"
Terry felt a small shudder travel down his spine at those words. What's a Shinigami? He pondered briefly before letting loose another missile. This one barely fazed the machine that looked like across between the iron giant and the terminator. His jaw set with termination, he tried to out maneuver the goliath, buying some time until he could find some kind of weakness he could take advantage of.
Sadly he wasn't fast enough. The metal of the Batwing wailed as the blazing green scythe clipped one of the jet's wings at its base, eating through the plane's internal workings like a hot knife through butter. Terry grunted as he struggled to steer the handicapped plane, barely making a grinding landing on a nearby rooftop.
Quickly he vaulted out of the damaged jet, armed with a fire extinguisher and a grim look. When the hiss of dying flames finally subsided he searched the sky, not at all pleased to find his opponent long gone.
***
JJ, the master jokester of Gotham underworld himself stopped laughing. And when he stopped... everyone stopped. He leaned forward in his inflatable pink chair, throwing his recent main squeeze Halle onto the floor with an ungraceful bump. She opened her mouth to complain but thought better of it when she saw the serious expression on her boy toy's face.
The teenage criminal, dressed to the nines in a quasi-classy purple and green getup, reached for the remote and turned up the volume on the TV a few notches. The normal faceless anchorman was coming across on a special report.Earlier, in a well to do part of Gotham, the Smay/Hearst Construction site was demolished by what seemed to be a huge metal robot. JJ watched in awe as the amateur footage revealed the huge machine locked in battle against the Batman, finally downing the dwarfed jet plane.
"I wish I had me one of those" he said in a low voice, "then I would rule Gotham"
"You can" a clear female voice pierced the air of the Joker hideout. JJ sprang to his feet, guns cocked and ready to take down the fool who had actually entered their liar.The 'fool' was a dread looking woman with big shiny glasses and a princess Lea [2] hairdo.
One of his men cocked his gun but the head joker called for them to back down. He looked her up and down, taking in her full figure under the freaked out uniform she wore. She smirked and stepped forward; unafraid of the guns pointed at various parts of her anatomy. JJ nodded his approval. The bitch has balls.
"Here's the deal... you work for me and do what I say... and you'll get what you want." She stated calmly.
JJ laughed at her cockiness. "What's keeping me from popping you right now bitch... what can you get me that I couldn't get for myself."
The iron maiden smiled coldly and raised a slender finger to pint at the large vidscreen where the gundam Deathscythe hovered, silhouetted in the moonlight.
"That."
***
Terry stood in front of the main building of Hamilton High waiting for his friend and confidant Max Gibson. The dark skinned diva was late for school... yet again. He leaned against the stone banister and let his mind wander. The previous night's events were still fresh on his mind. What was that thing? It was incredible, even the unfazable Bruce Wayne had seemed in awe of the metal goliath. They didn't have a clue who was behind it... but he was sure that Batman would find out soon enough.
"Thinking about last night?" a voice interrupted his reverie. It was Max.
"You heard?" he asked.
She rolled her wide eyes."The whole of Gotham heard... and saw how you got your ass whipped."
Terry groaned at the memory. It was true, if the iron giant had really wanted him dead he would have been dog meat. Why didn't he strike while I was down?
"By the way... have you seen the newbies today?" Max poked him in the ribs with an elbow.
The newbies at Hamilton were kids had just been transferred in. They came every semester, grouped together like lambs to the slaughter. It had become almost a ritual for the veteran students to heckle the newbies while they were still impressionable. It was not something Terry partook in personally but it was always interesting to witness.He glanced over to where the transfers all stood together and his heart stopped.
Standing a little away from the rest of the students stood the most breathtaking vision he ever laid eyes upon. Tall and slim built torso snug inside a pair of fashionably faded jeans and a thick black mock turtleneck burned into his mind. The vision turned, and loose strands of chestnut hair, dancing in the morning sunlight, escaped from a thick braid that went almost past the smooth round curve of the butt. Violet pools shone from under thick lashes like rare orchids as they returned his stare unblinkingly.
Terry flushed; he had been caught gaping like a schoolboy. Wait... he was a schoolboy. He glanced up hesitantly and felt something akin to disappointment that the violet eyes had already turned away. He shook his head in disbelief. What was he thinking? He had a girlfriend, for Pete's sake! Speaking of his girlfriend... where was Dana? She was supposed to meet them this morning.
He scanned the area quickly, shrugging off her absence with a surprising indifference. Maybe she's with some other friends, he thought as Max pulled him toward the school. He met eyes with the vision for just a moment and he nearly tripped, embarrassed as hell that he could look so dumb as Max could barely contain her laughter. Making a face at her he glanced back at the vision just in time to catch the smallest of smiles and his heart soared.
He shook his head once again. What the hell is wrong with me? He asked himself as he was guided toward his first class by the natural current of busy students. No one's ever made me feel like this before... much less a guy! I must be slipping
.***
Duo slipped along the wall of the alleyway, keeping to the shadows. This had become his ritual for the past few nights, skulking along the streets of Gotham, trying to get the lay of the land as it were. Being a street urchin made this form of recon his most efficient. He had figured out by now that whatever it was he had been sent to destroy back at the lab was what had sent him here. Now all he needed to find out was where 'here' was and how to get home.
Gotham was a completely different ball game. The earth wasn't at constant full-scale war... there were no colonies ... Gundams had never even been invented. He could remember the commotion at Deathscythe's sighting... thanking his lucky stars that he had hidden the gundam well out of view before any more panic erupted. People had dismissed the video footage as a hoax, some called it a movie stunt... some even accused the construction company of attempted insurance fraud. It was just as well.
Using his uncanny computer skills, and the fact that the world he came from was much more advanced in its programming, he had gotten himself a small apartment and enrolled at a local high school. All at once he had given himself a cover and access to the schools computers. It served his purpose at least until he could find a way home.
He glanced around the corner, taking in the deserted street quickly. He had to be careful in this neighbourhood, the streets gangs were infamous n these parts. Hopefully he would not have the opportunity to run into any of them. The click of a switchblade in the crisp night air dashed his hopes. Damn, he swore silently, freezing in position. Let them make the first move Maxwell, he told himself, let them give away their position then strike.He straightened, and gazed around.
Twelve boys dressed in twisted clowns getups stood around him in a loose semi circle. He watched them silently as they laughed with each other, slowly closing the circle.
"What do we have here?" the big one, who was obviously the head guy, leered.
The rest laughed.Duo kept his eyes on this one; his war training kicking in. Take down this one and the rest would scatter. Head honcho took a step forward, lifting a piece of paper to read it under the dim streetlight. Duo smirked inwardly; surprised that clown boy could even read.
"Hey guys!" head honcho shouted, "This is the one we've been looking out for... the robot pilot.
"Duo 's violet eyes narrowed, they now had his full attention. How could they know about the gundam?
"Imagine what the boss will say when we walk in the lair with this one all trussed up like a present..." the big clown leered, "... after we've had a little fun with him of course."
Duo felt sick as the muscle bound man raked his eyes over Duo's fitted black pants, winking and grinning hungrily. Just what I need, Duo groaned inwardly, another prick in a clown suit. And some kind of sex deviant no less.He shrugged and gave half a smile, the one he gave when he was ready to kick some serious ass and put his hands on his hips cockily.
"Oh please Krusty! [3]The only thing that's hard on you is the law. Heh, I bet your favourite band is Limp Bizkit [4], you could relate to that couldn't ya!"
He grabbed his own crotch rudely to add effect.It worked. The insult to the head guy's ego and the laughter of the other gang members was just enough to push him over the edge. He charged the braided pilot angrily with the intent to cause major bodily harm. Duo, on the other hand, wasn't going to wait around and get pasted. He quickly sidestepped the enraged hulk, sending him crashing into the wall behind him. Then, while stars still flew in front of his eyes, Duo delivered the kick that he had earned respect in Wufei's eyes with, felling the big guy like a tree.
He stood smugly for a few moments until he realized he still had the rest of the 'big shoe' crew to deal with... and they were mad.He took a defensive stance, ready to take them on. There were about a dozen of them, armed with knives, sticks and chains. Duo psyched himself up... he could do it... he had dealt with these numbers before. Of course that had been in a gundam but now was not the time to study minute details. Just then one of them shot forward and got the party started.
***
Terry perched on the ledge of the Geodes Plaza, surveying the city. It had been a week since his encounter with the iron giant... Shinigami. It's like it just disappeared or something, he thought. He didn't even know what Shinigami meant much less who was behind it. Maybe one of Gotham's many criminal minds was moving into the field of robotics. Speaking of Robotics... the jokers have been pulling off some pretty high profile jobs lately, he mused.
The institute of robotic research had been the latest of well-planned heists that had brought the counts up to seven places raided within the past five days. Something about the robberies just didn't sit right with the new dark knight. The jokers were somewhat of a threat to Gotham but that had been because of their numbers and explosive natures but they were anything but organized. Someone else was planning these heists cause the jokers just weren't capable.
I wonder if the same person behind Shinigami is the one behind the robberies, he pondered, pushing off from the ledge to soar over the city. He swooped down to the lower rooftops, scanning the area, and was about to return to the higher levels when the sounded of fighting alerted him. He landed quickly and silently on a nearby fire escape and used his infa-red to determine what was going on. The jokers, he shrugged figures. They were always fighting in this nieghbourhood. Looks like I can get in some action tonight after all.
Like a shadow he swooped down next to one, punching him out like a light. One by one he picked those off on the outer fringes, making his way to the main scuffle. One of the clowns came careening past him and he wondered whom they were fighting. His answer came instantly. The last gang member doubled over in pain to reveal a very angry Duo, frozen in mid kick.He looked so beautiful, his snug clothing hugging the toned muscles in his legs and chest, his braid whipping through the night air, his violet eyes flashing with anger.
Terry could only stare as Duo turned those eyes on him, ready for a fight. Terry took a step back, his hands held up in submission.
"I'm not here to harm you" he confessed. Duo cocked his head to one side, something that Terry found incredibly sexy.
Duo raised an eyebrow. "Uh huh... and I'm supposed to believe some freak I meet in the middle of the night dressed like a bat. "
Terry was about to reply when one of the jokers rose suddenly behind Duo. Terry quickly let loose his Batarang, taking down the big clown in a matter of seconds. Duo spun around as the unconscious gang member hit the ground.
"Does that answer your question?" a voice said behind him. He spun again, coming face to face with the Batman. Duo looked at the Bat then at the knocked out guy, then at the gang members that lay strewn around the alleyway. He shrugged.
"I could've taken them on my own y'know, no need for charity from the local super hero." He defended cockily.
Terry grinned under the costume. He was beautiful like this.
"You've heard of me?" he asked eagerly.
Duo shook his head, "No... but I've read enough comics to know a vigilante when I see one."
Terry was disappointed. "You've never heard of Batman?"
Duo shrugged. "Should I have?"
Terry was silent at that. He wasn't an especially proud person but to have the boy he liked (liked?) not know of him was kinda depressing.
"Hey man.." Duo said softly after he noticed Terry's silence. " Don't take it personal or anything... I'm new around here. The name's Duo... Duo Maxwell."
"Duo?" Terry repeated, noticing how easy the word rolled off his tongue. "Duo"
"Hey hey... don't wear it out," the braided boy warned.
Just then a police car passed by; siren whooping as it flashed a light into the alley. Terry quickly wrapped his arm around Duo 's waist and lifted him with a yelp onto a nearby rooftop. After the cops had passed he looked down at the boy to see him still gripping his costume, violet eyes wide. Terry languished in the warmth of his body as they stood so close.
Suddenly Duo caught himself and stepped away blushing. Terry immediately missed the contact. Duo quickly mumbled an excuse and disappeared down the nearby stairwell before Terry could stop him. Terry looked after him in stunned silence for a moment before flushing hotly. What was happening to him? How could one person make him feel like laughing, crying and punching something at the same time? He looked up at the half moon and wondered just what the hell was going on.
***
The next day at school Terry could barely pay attention in class. Every time he walked along the halls he would search the throngs for that familiar braid, those smiling eyes. They were all he could think about. He was staring into his locker near the end of lunch when he heard a voice. It was Dana; she had been calling his name for the past half a minute.
"Sorry Dana... I've got a lot on my mind." he apologized.
"Apparently all that doesn't include me." She countered, folding her arms across the chest.
He raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
Dana sighed, " It's just not working anymore Terry. We never see each other anymore, we don't even know what's going on in each other's lives. I'm sorry Terry but I can't go on like this. "
She stood waiting for a reaction but it was long in coming. Terry stood mute, blinking silently. She was dumping him. He didn't know what to say... what was he supposed to say? He opened his mouth then shut it, looking away from the Asian girl. She pursed her lips angrily.
"I thought you have at least have something to say Terry McGinness. But I guess I was wrong"
With those words she turned away and disappeared into the crowd. Terry jammed his books into his locker and slammed it shut, pissed off at his actions. Angrily he made his way down the hall, pushing through students. What was wrong with him? How could he be so stoic to Dana? Why didn't their break up affect him like he thought it would?
All these questions twirling in his mind prevented him from watching where he was going and he collided headfirst into another student.Books and papers fell to the floor and they both stooped to recover the fallen leafs. Terry apologized curtly, grabbing at papers regardless of the owner.
"It's ok" a voice replied and he froze.
Slowly he looked up and drowned in endless pools of violet. It was Duo. He quickly stood, papers in hand and held his breath while Duo also got up. One look into those eyes and everything that had just happened before faded out of memory. He blushed when he realized that he was staring once again and looked down at the papers. One of them caught his attention, it was a sketch. He leafed it out and took a better look. It was a sketch of Batman, drawn in mid flight, silhouetted against the full moon. Shocked, he looked up at Duo who blushed crimson.
"You like Batman?" Terry asked hopefully.
Duo blushed even deeper."He's ok I guess, I was bored in chem class that's all" he shook his head in mock-indifference.
Terry smiled, he didn't believe him.
"It's really good" he said and grinned when Duo responded with a smile.
He looked at the initials at the base of the sketch. "DM?"
Duo shrugged, "It means Duo Maxwell. Duo Maxwell... that's my name"
"I know" Terry said softly, slapping himself mentally on the foreheadfor the slip.
"I mean, that's nice.. I'm Terry McGinness." He covered, grateful that Duo didn't seem to notice.
Just then the bell rang and Duo laughingly excused himself, running to class. Terry stared after him until the hall monitor sternly reminded him that the bell had rung. He walked off quickly, clutching the sketch in his hand.
After school Terry sat at the edge of the large desk in the computer lab as his friend Max typed away at the keyboard making idle conversation. Terry paid no attention, his mind wandering. After a while the tapping of the keys stopped and he realized that Max was calling his name.
"Earth to Terry... come in Terry." She called, nudging his shoulder.
He looked at her and she shook her head, going back to typing. Max was his only confidant other that Bruce when it came to his secret life. And instead of pushing them apart as Terry had first feared, it had brought them closer. He wondered if she would understand what he was feeling now.
"Max" he said softly.
"Yeah?" she replied.
Terry took a deep breath.'You're my friend right?"
"Yeah sure!"
"Well... would you still be my friend if you knew I had a secret?"
"Oh oh give me the dirt, I want all the juicy details." She joked.
"Max be serious!" Terry frowned. Her smile faded.
"I found out that you were Batman and I'm still your friend."
"That's true," Terry admitted.
"Why do you ask?"
Terry bit his lip."Um... nothing.What did you find out about Shinigami?"
Max noticed the subject change but didn't want to pressure Terry into telling her. She knew that he would talk when he was ready.
"At first I did a random search... names, buildings, research projects and came up with nothing. That is... until I realized that it wasn't just a word, it was a different language. It's Japanese."
"Japanese?" "Yeah... once I found out what language it was I had no problem finding out what it means."
"What does it mean?"
"You're not gonna like this Terry" she warned.
"Just tell me what it means!"
"Well... Shinigami... translated into English means... the God of Death."
Terry was dumbstruck. I have to fight some huge robot called the God of Death! He groaned and looked at Max... and knew that this was far from over.
***
The Batwing, newly repaired, hovered near a huge billboard out of sight. He had just switched off communications with Bruce and was priming the jets for take off when the distress call came in over the police band. A giant robot was attacking the federal reserve train that was going past the Badlands... a semi desert environment a few miles outside of Gotham.
A giant robot? Shinigami!
Terry fired the jets and took off toward the Badlands.What he found when he arrived shocked him. A giant robot was uprooting the reserve train but the thing that shocked him was that the robot wasn't the same one he had encountered the first time. There's more than one, he breathed.
Just as he was gathering his thoughts a commotion arose from the nearby Onyx lake. The water bubbled and splashed as huge metal wings emerged. Like a phoenix the gundam Deathscythe emerged from the depths of the lake, water running off the shiny black metal in large columns. The huge scythe flickered and flared to life, burning like the flames of hell. Good God! Terry breathed, two of them.
Deathscythe charged at the new mobile suit with no time to waste. Duo wanted to know who was behind this suit. Gotham wasn't ready for mobile suits. He didn't want this world to go the same way his did. He would not let anyone destroy what peace that this world had. With a battle cry he charged the other suit, scythe blazing.
They met in a great clang of metal force against metal force, the gundanium of Duo' s chest plate scraping against the body of the foreign suit. Terry watched as they fought, locked in a deadly embrace. It was magnificent yet horrifying as they dodged and parried, scythe against laser cannon. Duo grunted as the other suit pushed him off, prepping to fire it's beam cannon. If I don't bring him down soon I'll be Kentucky Fried Pilot, he admitted.
He ducked to the side and swung his beam scythe wide, cutting through the nuzzle of the laser cannon. The suit rocked back and trembled, bursting into flames as the laser power source overloaded. Terry watched as Deathscythe was thrown back, grinding to a halt almost three hundred feet away. Flying around the now burning wreckage of the other robot, he touched down near the fallen Shinigami, jetting up unto the chest of the huge machine. He jumped in surprise when the cockpit suddenly depressurized and opened, spewing steam and smoke.
After the air cleared Terry walked cautiously and peeped inside. What he saw inside gave him his second shock for the evening and brought him to his knees, his jaw hanging open. Strapped inside the cockpit of the fallen mammoth was an unconscious Duo Maxwell.
***
Duo groaned... his head hurt. Slowly he opened his eyes, taking in his surroundings. The last thing he remembered was being in the cockpit of Shinigami when the other gundam exploded. He sat upright in the bed, groaning as nausea hit. The other gundam... what happened? Where was he? ... and who brought him here? He glanced around the bedroom. It was neat and homey yet with a minimalist look. There was a window that looked out onto the city but nothing else seemed to make the room stand out.
Nothing except a small piece of paper that was stuck to the wall near the bed. Duo took a closer look, nearly falling off the bed as he realized what it was. It was a sketch of the Dark knight, and not any sketch... it was his sketch. He could clearly see the three initials that he had put there after drawing it. What the hell? He frowned, then yelped as he lost his handhold and slid off the bed, landing with a soft bump.
Duo groaned and leaned over to rub his bruised rear, his eyes falling on a piece of black cloth sticking out from under the bed. He bit his lip, wondering whether to investigate. In the end his curiosity won out and he pulled on the fabric. His eyes widened as he unfurled the strong material. It was the Bat suit, he was certain of it.
Just then the door opened and he looked up to see a surprised Terry McGinnes with a sandwich on a plate in one hand and a tall cool glass of orange juice in the other.Terry looked at the rumpled Bat suit, then at Duo and, taking a deep breath, set the dishes down on the nearby desk. He sighed and sat against the bare wooden worktable.
"I guess we both have a lot of explaining to do."
***
"Space Colonies? ... Gundams?" Bruce Wayne repeated incredulously.Duo nodded. It was a big pill to swallow. He wasn't sure if he would believe it himself if he hadn't seen it for himself. He and Terry had driven out to a private hanger owned by Wayne Enterprises earlier that evening. Soon after the battle Bruce had arranged for Deathscythe to be transported out of sight before the authorities could arrive. Duo had been grateful, his gundam still meant a lot to him, it was the only thing that had remained constant in his life.He looked over to where Bruce and Terry stood with the mechanic who had been charged with the repair of Deathscythe then turned toward the great sliding doors.
The sun was setting in a blaze of brilliant breathtaking coloursHe hugged himself loosely and bit his lip in thought. Terry was everything he looked for in a guy: smart, caring, brave... drop dead georgeous. And this world was almost like a dream come true. Sure... it had it's fair share of bad guys and some really freaky folks but at least he didn't have to be on the run all the time. He had the chance to live a normal life in Gotham. Did he want to leave all of this behind?If, somehow, he found his way back to his world... what did it hold for him? Sure he would miss the others... Quatre, Trowa... Wufei. But did he want to give up this life for that one?
A warm hand on his shoulder broke his train of thought. In the rich amber of the sunset Terry looked even more appealing than he already was.
"Penny for your thoughts?" he asked, his voice husky.
Duo looked back at the sunset. "I was wondering if I'll ever find my way home again..."
Terry frowned, he hadn't thought about Duo going back to his own world. The idea upset him.
"... and if I do... would I really want to go?" Duo finished, looking up at Terry with questioning eyes.
Terry drew in a breath. Duo's eyes said what his vioce couldn't. The confusion, the fear, the longing
was plain to see in those violet orbs. Terry lifted Duo's face with a finger and smiled. There was no time to think, his body was no longer listening to any doubts his mind could conjure. Duo's mind ceased all thought as soft lips touched his own. Terry tasted so good. Instinctively he leaned toward the source of this bliss like a plant to the sun, moaning into the kiss as strong arms surrounded him.
He slipped his arms around Terry's neck, all but melting their bodies to one another.Terry deepened the kiss, exploring the cavern of Duo's mouth like a newly discovered country. Never before had he felt like this about anyone. He couldn't seem to get close enough to the braided teenager. They stayed like that for a while until lack of oxygen forced them apart. Duo lay his head against the dark haired boy's broad shoulder and caught his breath. This felt so right... He could stay like this forever.
***
Bruce glanced at his large dog and companion Ace. The canine had been staring into the horizon for the past five minutes. He followed his line sight, raising an eyebrow at the combined silhouette outlined in blaze of evening. He wasn't that surprised. Ever since Terry had introduced the young pilot to him, he had had his suspicions. The way Terry looked at Duo, the way he talked about him. He had seen it all before in his many years[5].Ace growled, standing. Bruce put his wrinkled hand on the dog's head.
"There's nothing out there to growl about boy!" he assured but to no avail.
The great dane growled deeper... letting loose a heart skipping bark. Bruce frowned, something was wrong. He looked above the couple into the deepening sunset, searching for what had cause this unease in his friend. What he found was a small black speck, no bigger that a fly. As he watched, the speck grew with time until an outline could scarcely be made out. It was a mobile suit!
Quickly he gave a shout that brought Terry and Duo back to the here and now, and to his side. Duo cursed. It had been wishful thinking to believe that he had seen the end to gundam fighting. It would never stop. Without a word, he ran to his fully repaired gundam, strapping into the cockpit with renewed determination. If he didn't stop the new suits, Gotham would surely fall prey to the same fate his world did. He couldn't allow that to happen.
Terry could only watch as Deathscythe flew off to meet this new threat. He couldn't lose Duo now... they had just found each other. Bruce's hand on his shoulder spurred him into action. Soon after the Batwing was zooming off into the fray.Duo faced his opponent with one grim goal... to destroy this mockery of a mobile suit. Deathscythe hovered steadily, ready for anything but...
"For the Glory of Oz!" a sharp female voice boomed from inside the goliath's cockpit.
Duo let out a string of curses. Une! ... he should have known she was the only bitch crazy enough to get them into a mess like this. She must have tried to self-destruct the base, causing them both to be transported here. With an angry war cry he charged, figuring his only chance was to surprise her. She was faster, jetting out of the range of his scythe just in time to prevent her own demise. The green blade sliced deep into her leg as she maneuvered around for a good shot.
Une locked on to her target, smiling smugly that she would be the victor. This one will die just like the others; she smirked, thinking about the dead jokers she had left behind in the warehouse. There was no way that she would leave this technology in their incapable hands. She patted the mini disk drive installed in the left-hand compartment of the cockpit. I have everything I need right here.
As soon as she gained a positive lock she fired her main beam cannon. If all had gone right the gundam would be down for good, but all had not gone right. Two stealth missiles from the tiny Batwing exploded on her right. Pathetic idiot, she fumed, your puny weapons are no match for the might of Oz!S he swung the huge arm of her gundam at him, swatting the jet plane away like a fly. Duo watched in horro as the black jet careened wildly through the air before exploding against the rocky face of a nearby cliff.
"Terry!" he cried out in disbelief.
That was soon replaced by burningrage as Duo turned his eyes toward the other suit.
"YOU BITCH!" he screamed, "YOU"RE GONNA FUCKING DDDDIIIEEEEEE!!!"
He swung his scythe in a perfect arc, catching Une just behind the suit's left arm. Slowly it burned its way through the chest of the large machine, shorting circuitry and melting metal. Une bellowed in anger, redirecting all power to her main cannon. She would not go down alone!Time seemed to slow down once more as the two suits held each other in a death grip. Deathscythe's laser blade was slowly burning its way to Une's cockpit while Une's cannon was slowly preparing to discharge. Then, just before time could slow to a complete stop, both weapons erupted, exploding in a great ball of light.
***
Terry shook his head groggily, pushing himself off the ground. He had leaped from the batwing just before it had crashed against the wall, using the mini jets in his costume to cushion his fall. He looked up at the hole in the side of the cliff that the explosion had made. Boy, trashed the Wing twice in a few days... Bruce is gonna kill me.
His joke, however, was cut short when he caught sight of the badly damaged Deathscythe. Oh God ... Duo, he choked as he took off toward the still gundam. Please let him be alive, Terry prayed, using his batclaws to pry open the cockpit hatch.Then, with delicate hands, he lifted Duo 's limp body out of the sea straps, cradling it against his chest. He quickly ripped off his mask and kissed Duo's face, murmuring softly as he rocked the pilot's frame.
"Please please please Duo, come back to me... I need you so much" he begged, tears burning his eyes.
He couldn't lose Duo now... he would die without him.
"Duo Maxwell I love you" Terry whispered into his chestnut hair, planting feathered kisses on the soft brown locks.
"You sure?" a voice croaked and Terry froze. He looked down to see one violet eye staring back at him mischievously. Terry held his breath, scared that he might be dreaming. Duo coughed and gave his best attempt at a grin.
"Well what are you waiting for?" he demanded weakly, "Kiss me already!"
And Terry did, with the greatest of pleasure.
***
Terry sat on the sofa in Duo 's apartment trying not to laugh. Duo had invited Terry's mother and brother over for lunch, claiming that his cooking would be the best they'd ever tasted. Unfortunately the stove in his apartment decided that this was the day it would blow up, spreading soot all over the kitchen and it's cook.
Now Duo stood on the terrace in a fresh pair of clothes, sulking while Mary and Matt McGinnes ate heartily from the Chinese takeout that Terry had ordered. Terry stood and stepped out unto the balcony, wrapping his arms around the braided boy. His family and friends had understood when he had told them about the relationship. leaving out the parts about the gundams and batman of course.. Mary had hugged Duo and Matt had spent the rest of the day asking a million and one questions. Max had understood as well. He considered himself lucky to have such good family and friends.
He smiled as Duo leaned back into his embrace, wrapping his arms tighter around Duo's slim waist.
"It's no big deal you knowom and Matt adore you alreadyo do I" he murmured into Duo 's ear.
"It's a big deal for me...I've never really had a family... unless you count the other pilots. I just wanted to make a good impression. " He pouted.
Terry turned Duo to face him, still in the embrace, and kissed him deep. Duo moaned in protest as he finally pulled away reluctantly.
"You don't have to prove yourself to anyone here. We already love you just the way you are."
"Say that again." Duo demanded gently
. " Your home is with us...you don't have to prove yourself here, " He repeated and Duo shook his head.
"No... I mean the part where you say you love me." The violet-eyed teen bit his lip playfully.
Terry grinned and pressed his forehead against Duo's. " I love you Duo Maxwell... so help me God ...I love you."
And with those words he kissed the ex-Shinigami pilot under the full moon of the Gotham sky.[6]
:: Finis ::
[1] No pun intented so get you mind out of the gutter.
[2] Is that how you spell it? I'm not sure.
[3] Simpsons 'morbid clown' reference... and if you even think of doing the 'bartman' in fron of your pc i'll find you and kick you a$$.
yes you... I know where you live. Mwahahahaha!
[4] Didn't you think of that when you first heard that name? hentai!
[5] Bruce really is an old goat isn't he?
[6]Can't you just picture that drawn like the batman series. sigh... swoon.
I would usually ask what you think but i'm afraid of hate mail. If it's good mail then send it here and if it bad then send it here. K?
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