|
"Bona Fide"Written By: ExecutiveShrimp Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing, it belongs
to Bandai, Sotsu and associated parties. Written for pleasure not
profit. Rating: NC 17 Warnings: Romance, drama, family Pairings: 1x2x1 Summary: Heero is being deported. Duo suggests (or proposes, if you will) marriage, to get Heero a Green Card. All they have to do is convince Immigration that their love is 'bona fide'. The problem is… they hate each other. Bona Fide is part of the GWCU: The Gundam Wing Cinematic Universe A GWCU fanfiction based on The Proposal (2009) This series of stories places our two (or more) favorite Gundam Wing characters in movie "universes". Not following the original story of the movies, but borrowing their worlds, events and/or premises. For a comprehensive introduction to the concept of the GWCU - as well as an up-to-date list of movie adaptations that are completed, in progress or planned - view my profile page.
"Bona Fide" PART SIX Duo's mother was going to arrange everything and surprise them both, she was adamant about it. Duo and Heero were fine with that, at least they wouldn't have to think about things that they had never considered before in the first place. Like the type of venue, food, music or flowers. Once in a while his mother would present them with two options to choose from and the answer was always the same, from either of them: "Whatever you think is best." Heero spent the morning with his laptop and cellphone in Norman's den. With them getting married on Saturday, they wouldn't be back in time for the fundraiser at the gallery on Sunday, so Heero had to delegate and instruct the rest of the staff. From what Duo could tell from catching snippets of conversation, Mulls was willing to step in, in the absence of his curator. It was fairly apparent the gallery owner was happy to make this investment of his time so his prized curator wouldn't get deported. Duo caught himself walking down the hallway between the kitchen and the living room a lot, sneaking glances at Heero at his father's desk. He had a lot of odd thoughts bounding around his head that he couldn't get a grasp on for long enough to decide if they had any impact or meaning at all, or just a temporary presence that would eventually lose steam and sink to the bottom of the grey matter like all other rash impulses. He was spying on him again – although, was it really spying when he was blatantly standing right outside the door, staring at him? – when he heard: "Psst!" Duo spotted his mother in the kitchen, waving him over. He shot one last look into the den and then walked up to her. "What?" "I'm pretty sure every piece of clothing Heero has brought with him in his suitcase is nice enough to get married in," she said. Today the man was wearing a blue suit over white button-up, the jacket being of supple fabric and draping down to mid-thigh, elongating him and moving like poetry with every move. "But I take it all you've packed is that one pair of jeans you've been wearing, two sweaters and a handful of socks and underwear." Yeah, so… apparently a son didn't have to be home much for his mother to know him really well. He shrugged. "Let's go." "Go where?" "To the store, to get you a suit for your wedding day." She grabbed his hand and urged him along to the front door. "Uhhh… I… Uhm… I don't think I should leave Heero alone." "He's working anyway. And your father won't bother him, don't worry." Before he could come up with a legitimate excuse that could get him out of buying a suit for his wedding day – the thought of which made him feel hot and itchy – he had been dragged out the door and ushered into the car, behind the wheel because his mother didn't like to drive. Heero was going to give him Hell later for leaving without even giving him a head's up. "Does Heero like the ring?" She asked with a big smile, as soon as they pulled out of the driveway. "You don't mind that he has it?" "Of course not. Why would you think so?" "Just because Granny is crazy enough to give her blessing-" "Don't speak of your grandmother like that. And don't ever think I wouldn't give you my blessing for being with the person you love." His gaze remained focused on the road while she spoke. "Ever since you were a little boy and you planted a kiss on Maggie Grey's cheek at Andrea and Frank's anniversary, I've been waiting for the day for you to stand before us, as a grown man, to tell us you are getting married. Last night was a dream come true for me. That you are marrying a man, doesn't detract from that in the least. And getting to meet him has made me feel closer to you than I have in years." His eyes welled up with tears and a weak, bitter chuckle escaped him. She was saying everything he had always wanted to hear, but it was all tainted. When she lay her hand over his right hand, which had been resting on the gear shift, a tear fell and he didn't have a hand free to wipe it away before she saw. "I love you. I'm sorry for making you doubt that." "No… No. It's just… I've always known that you love me, but I didn't know how you felt about this side of me. You've never asked about… boyfriends, or… stuff." "I didn't want you to think I was prying. Duo, sweetheart, I still remember how terrified you were when you told us you were gay. I wanted to let you be as open or as private as you wanted. I wanted to let you decide on what you felt comfortable sharing or not." He nodded in understanding. His voice was nothing but a mere whisper in the cathartic moment. "Thanks, Mom. I love you." "I love you to." She squeezed his hands before letting go, so he could wipe his cheeks dry. "What about Dad?" He dared to ask. She sighed. "He's struggling a little." Her honesty was painful, but it was what he needed. "I think because we've all chosen not to talk about your sexuality, for our own reasons, he hasn't really made himself come to terms with it yet. It doesn't mean he loves you any less," she stressed. He nodded and thanked her for telling him. Then he eagerly changed the subject and while he got her to ramble on about the new – hideous – statue in the neighbor's front yard, he had some time to breathe and gain control of his emotions. At a local store, they picked out a simple tuxedo for him to wear and the elderly seamstress would have it tailored in time for the wedding the next day. She was an old friend of Granny and happy to do it. She couldn't be budged into giving a discount though, the cheeky lady. It wasn't hard to tell why she was friends with Granny. Mother and son had a late lunch after the fitting before going back home. When Duo walked into the kitchen, he saw his father exiting the den. He looked at his son. His mouth was tight and his eyes distrusting. Then he walked in the opposite direction, even though Duo called for him. Rather than going after his father, who clearly didn't want to talk, Duo headed into the den where he found Heero thoughtfully staring out the window. It didn't feel right just bursting in, so he announced his presence by knocking on the open door, before taking two steps into the room. "What's going on?" "Hm?" Heero blinked a few times before meeting his questioning gaze. "What do you mean?" "My dad just gave me a weird look." Heero sighed. "Chang called. Here. He told your dad about his suspicions." Duo's nostrils flared in anger. "That fucking asshole has no right!" "Yes, he does. It's part of the process." "No, he has the right to ask questions. He doesn't have the right to call up and poison my family against us." He started pacing back and forth. "And you know what? Fuck my dad for believing some stranger's word over mine. I told him that I love you. He doesn't get to question that just because some asshole Immigration officer is butting in." "Calm down," Heero said, getting up from his seat. "No. I will not. And you're not the boss of me. Not anymore!" He didn't know why his anger shifted to Heero. The man, for once, hadn't sounded forceful, or superior. "Duo, we can fix this. Why are you getting so riled up?" "My mom took me to buy a tux, for our wedding," Duo said, full – overflowing, rather – with emotion. "She told me that meeting you has made her feel closer to me. She told me she has always dreamed of the day I'd get married and that it doesn't matter that it's with another guy. She's so wonderful and I'm a piece of shit." He kept his voice down so they wouldn't be overheard, since his father was already suspicious now. Heero could say nothing other than: "I'm sorry." Duo shook his head and ran a hand through his hair, taking a moment to regain his composure. "No, you don't have to say that. It's not your fault. It was my idea." He snorted at the ridiculousness of it all. "It was all my idea." "Chang's deal doesn't expire until Monday." "Stop saying that. I'm not taking his deal. We're doing this," he said with resolve. "I gotta go convince my dad now, I really don't have the energy to convince you too." "Okay." He paused. "Thank you. I know you're not doing it for me, but-" "You're welcome," Duo said, as soon as he realized that was the first time Heero had ever thanked him for anything. They shared a long look. "I'm gonna…" Duo threw a thumb over his shoulder in the general direction of the door. "I'm gonna talk to my dad." The den felt too small all of sudden. Had they been standing this close the entire time? Why did he suddenly notice the scent of Heero's cologne? "Okay. Good luck." Duo scratched the top of his head, once more befuddled by his own, elusive thoughts and then backed out of the den and went to search for his father. He found him in the backyard, raking leaves off the lawn. Duo stood on the back porch and watched him for a minute as he wrestled with words in his head in preparation. Eventually, his father stopped his chore, planted the rake in the ground and leaned on it like a staff. "Either help me rake, or help me understand." Duo dug his hands into the pockets of his denim jacket and came a few steps closer. "Why did a USCIS officer just call me to tell me that my son is committing fraud to keep some guy in the country?" "Dad… tell me honestly: if WuFei Chang had called to tell you I was marrying some girl to get her a Green Card, would you question my relationship just as readily?" He adjusted his hold on the rake and looked off to the side. "Just be honest." "Honestly… no. Probably not." "What would you have told Chang if he said I was marrying Hilde, to keep her from being deported to Germany?" "That's not fair, you've known Hilde for a long time." "Actually, I've known Heero longer, if you look at the time we've really spent together." "Yes, time you spent hating him. That's what you told us yourself, every chance you got," Norman pointed out. "Yeah, I did hate him, at first. Not anymore." There was a novel truth to that statement. It was a far, far more recent and minor development than he implied, but still… "But when that change happened, I didn't feel like I could tell you guys. I couldn't tell you that I had come to love him, because I didn't think it was something you wanted to hear. So I kept ranting on about him, like I always had." "So you've been lying to us?" You have no idea… "Yes. Because I've never felt like I've been the son you wanted, I didn't want to pile my gay romance on top of that disappointment. It's why I've never told you about any of my boyfriends." The grey-haired man frowned. "On top of what disappointment?" Duo's heart had been hurting so much these past few days that it was exhausting. He heaved a sigh and bared a long-time wound to his father. "That I'm nothing. That I'm just a twenty-six year old assistant, pretending to be an artist." The man let the rake drop into a pile of leaves and he veritably stormed towards him and pulled his son into his arms and he petted his hair when Duo cried into his shoulder, too emotionally raw after his earlier talk with his mother to reign it in. "You are not nothing," he stated. "You are a brilliant artist. Heero knows that now. But I have always known it. It is one of many reasons why I am proud to call you my son." "Fuck…" he gritted. "I love you, Dad." "I love you too, my boy. And I trust you." He hugged him for a while longer and then released him after one last squeeze. He went back to pick up the rake, handed it to Duo and clapped him on his shoulder. "Help out an old man, would you?" Duo chuckled. "Sure." He watched his father jog into the house, calling over his shoulder that he was getting trash bags for the leaves. That was when Duo noticed the figure standing behind the window of the den. Heero had been watching the entire time. Their eyes met and neither looked away. Duo felt a flutter in his stomach, but brushed it off as an effect the heart-to-heart with his Mom, Dad and Grandma, in such a short span of time, had had on him. Norman returned with trash bags and together they cleaned up the yard. When they were done and headed back inside, Cecilia suggested the four of them should go out for dinner, which they all happily agreed on. In the hallway, Norman handed Heero his coat, touched a hand to his shoulder and smiled at him. Duo knew their secret was safe. Even though they had been having a good time at the restaurant and hadn't had dessert yet, his mother announced that they should head back home, after constantly checking her watch for the past hour. Norman paid the check and the foursome left to go home. "You boys need to get your beauty sleep. I plan on taking lots of pictures tomorrow," said Duo's mother as they drove home. Duo knew something was going on and that suspicion was confirmed when Norman handed Duo the keys of the house and he and his wife trailed behind the two younger men, walking up to the front door. As soon as the door swung open, the lights were switched on and dozens of people screamed 'Surprise!' right before someone in the living room pressed play on cue and loud music filled the house, only to be drowned out by cheers from friends, family members, neighbors and pretty much Duo's entire class from his Senior year in High School. Granny was at the front and approached him to be heard over the music as she said: "Sorry, we couldn't find any male strippers on short notice." "Mom!" Called C.C. as she shook of her coat. "This isn't a bachelor party, it's an engagement bash." "Still would have been better with strippers!" Amen. Duo took off his coat and then helped Heero out of his, because the man looked ready to bolt but was less likely to run out into the cold in just the white button-up and blue trousers he had been wearing all day. They had no choice but to go along and pause for pictures every time someone pointed their smartphone at them. Duo boldly snaked his arm around Heero's waist every time they posed, knowing it would look good to show those photo's to Chang. Everyone told them they looked great together and when one of them showed Duo the picture that had been snapped, he couldn't help but agree. As unnatural as it still felt, it looked natural. It was only then that Duo noticed how subtly Heero leaned into him. The music was loud enough to drown out the self-doubt that had been plaguing him and he decided to enjoy the party, but limited himself to one beer because he did intend on looking dashing in his tuxedo the next day. After merely an hour or so, the older generation retreated to the formal sitting room, as far away from the stereo as they could be, while all of Duo's cousins, old friends and former classmates danced in the living room, spilling into the kitchen. He was pretty sure nobody actually cared all that much about his engagement, but in a stale town like Broadview, Duo remembered that while you were still young, you had to make the best of every chance you got to party. Heero had been by his side for most of the night until Duo lost track of him when Hilde – his High School sweetheart – playfully asked him to dance. He jumped up and down with her to Footloose, Waterloo and It's Raining Men, just three of the cliché songs that were playing all night. Which he thought was pretty hilarious, in a tongue-in-cheek way, for the engagement party of a gay couple. He kissed her on the cheek and then handed her over to her husband who had joined them on the dance floor. He searched the crowd for Heero's face but couldn't find him and he felt guilty for leaving him to fend for himself in a room full of strangers. Although he never knew Heero to have trouble taking care of himself. He had seen the curator shine through many busy events. Of course those were with much more civilized, sophisticated people than had gathered now. He climbed the steps two at a time to reach the guest bedroom upstairs. The bedroom was empty, and so was the bathroom. He headed back down the hallway and then caught sight of the man standing in Duo's childhood bedroom, which had been preserved by his parents. He stood at the threshold and quizzically regarded his boss, sitting on the edge of the twin bed, in front of a wall that Duo had painted a Wild West scene on, when he was ten years old. He was about to make a joke about the cross-eyed horse to ease his own discomfort, when he noticed that Heero… didn't look like himself. Duo couldn't put his finger on what that meant – he didn't look stressed, or scared, or flustered - he just recognized instantly that he wasn't himself and that something was wrong. "Can we get out of here?" Heero said with strained voice. Duo nodded. "Yeah. Okay. Let's go." Heero darted out the room and out of the house and Duo rushed after him, thinking to snatch two of his father's warm coats again along the way, since he had no idea where they would end up. When Heero approached Norman's truck, Duo called out to him and thumbed at the garage. "Let's take my truck." He was pretty sure his dad would need his own car to shuttle Granny home soon. With the press of a button he opened the garage door and got behind the wheel of his rusty pick-up truck which his parents had gotten him for his Senior year. He hadn't used it much in the past eight years, but he knew tinkering with it was a hobby of his dad's, so he trusted it to still start. As soon as Heero climbed into the passenger seat, Duo put the old pick-up to the test and turned the key in the ignition. He wasn't disappointed in his dad's mechanical skills. He backed it out of the garage, paused to remotely close the doors and then pulled away from the house to drive aimlessly. He kept glancing Heero's way. The man looked calm, but absent. When he looked for about the hundredth time, he was caught and his gaze met Heero's. "Thanks," the Japanese man said. "For not making me explain." "No problem." He bit his lips. "I'm not asking… but… If you wanna tell me what's going on…-" "Family means something to me too." Duo frowned at the road. "What you said, Wednesday night, when we just got here… You said 'family might mean shit to you, but it means something here'." Duo had said that and as recent as that outburst was, it felt like ages ago, because so much had changed since then. "Just because I don't have a family, doesn't mean…" He made a weak gesture and turned his head away. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I… I didn't know you nearly well enough to come to a conclusion like that. I still don't know you very well, but… I'm pretty sure now that that was way off." He knew that was why Heero kept reminding him of the deal Chang had extended to him. Heero was fine trading his reputation as a picky curator and displaying Duo's amateur work to keep his job at the gallery, but he clearly wasn't okay with hurting Duo's family in order to stay. Knowing how much the gallery meant to the Japanese man, gave plenty of weight to that. It was silent for a long time and Duo just kept driving along the country roads circling the town. He waited patiently, because he knew Heero would eventually speak and he was right. "My parents weren't very affectionate. That wasn't their fault, just how they were raised," he started quietly. "It's a horrible thing to say but, while I loved them, I didn't miss them much, once they were gone. I went to live with my grandfather, who was much the same as my father. He was a stoic traditionalist who never did any harm, but never did any good either. He never laid a hand on me, he also never hugged me." That short story explained so much about Heero that it put the past two years in a different perspective for Duo. His voice became a little stronger as he said: "I've never had what you have, but that doesn't mean I don't know how valuable family is. In fact, I think I'm all the more acutely aware." "I'm sorry," he said again, truly meaning it. Without Duo needing to ask him, Heero told him what had caused him to get upset at the party: "When you were dancing, I ran into your grandma. She started telling me she had never been to New York, but that she wanted to see it. And that she wanted to see it with us. 'Maybe… maybe this Christmas', she said. She and your parents could fly out and stay in Manhattan for the Holiday weekend. She wanted to see the Empire State building, and the gallery, and my loft, and my cat, Sam." Sam? Sam as in Samuel? Duo wondered, bemused, how the little minx had gotten the man to admit to that. "I remembered one of the questions on your list was: 'How do you spend the holidays?' And I got to thinking it would be really, really lovely to spend it with… family." Then he choked out a sob. Duo's eyes widened and he looked to see the always composed man in tears, refusing to look back at him. "But it's all fake," Heero continued, angrily wiping at his face. "After a couple of years of marriage, my Green Card won't get disputed when we divorce and I'll give this ring back to you and I will never see them again. I'll go back to not having a family again, only missing it all the more." He let out a laugh. "And I don't even like the ring!" Duo laughed as well at the moment of levity. "It's really dated and doesn't go with anything I own, but…" He didn't finish that sentence. He didn't have to. He toyed with the ring and chuckled instead. "Anyway… Sorry I ruined your party. If we go back, you might still get a dance or two." He could tell Heero wasn't truly ready to go back to the house yet. "Nah. No rush. In fact, I want to show you something, city boy." He drove the car onto the next dirt road splitting off from the road they were on and then drove out into a vast field of grass. He used to spend a lot of time in that field when he was younger, playing sports with his nephews, or escaping life on his own. They had been driving for nearly an hour, but he had been circling the town and they were, in fact, only a couple of miles away from the house. Duo still knew exactly how to get back through the patch of forest between the field and his street; he knew the forest by heart. The truck screeched to a halt in the middle of the wide open space and he shut off the engine. "Come on." He threw the door open and jumped out. After some delay, Heero got out of the cabin as well and walked around the vehicle to join Duo at the back. "Here, put this on." He handed Heero one of the heavy coats and put the other on himself. Exerting some force he managed to drop the rusty tail gate and climbed into the open back of the pick-up truck. He extended his hand out to Heero and helped him up. Heero watched apprehensively as Duo lowered himself down onto the metal flooring and lay flat on his back. The American patted the empty space beside him. There was more hesitation on Heero's behalf, but he eventually got into position next to Duo, lying face up. "Woa…" the usually jaded art connoisseur breathed, as the starry sky filled his entire field of vision. Heero wasn't easily impressed, but it suited him well that the sight of the universe managed to do so. Is wasn't a sight that could be observed from the city. The light pollution dulled the midnight sky. And from C.C and Norman's backyard, the branches of the trees of the forest encroaching on the house, obstructed the view. Duo didn't watch the stars that sparkled above them, he watched Heero. He smiled noticing the other man was regularly holding his breath, so the white puff of air wouldn't cloud his vision. "Pretty good, huh?" He smirked. "… It's astonishing." "Whenever I came home from college, I'd sneak out every night and laid here, right here in the back of this very truck, soaking it all up. Letting it inspire me, so I could keep painting, keep drawing." The wonder on Heero's features was mesmerizing. "I aspire to one day create something that people will look at like that. I know I can't, nobody can. But it's what drives me." "Maybe, one day, you can," Heero whispered. Duo rolled onto his side and propped his head up in the palm of his left hand, to feast on the sight of Heero as it, too, inspired him, unexpectedly. Heero's blue eyes shifted ever so slightly to regard him. With his right he reached for Heero's open coat, folding it closed over his chest to keep him warm. Then his fingers trailed the zipper up his chest and he touched his cheek, reverently. What if they got married… and didn't get divorced? What if Granny was right and this was all meant to be? What if there was something here? Something real. Something bona fide. He slipped his hand around the back of Heero's neck and leaned in. There were no spectators. This wasn't for show. This was for them and for all the questions in Duo's head, that he could see in Heero's eyes too until they both closed their eyes and sank into the moment. Their lips met, barely, but the soft touch resulted in a strong release of desire. They kissed languidly, moving their lips together. When Heero sighed pleasantly, Duo scooted closer and finally deepened the kiss. Duo moved his hand over the long neck, feeling the racing pulse of the other. His hand traveled lower, this time parting the coat to stroke down the center of Heero's chest. At his stomach, he slipped as many fingers as he could fit into the opening between two buttons to touch his skin. Heero moaned and delved his fingers into Duo's hair and kissed him back with increased fervor. Knowing they shouldn't rush this, considering how high the stakes were – they couldn't risk doing anything that could end up imploding everything on the eve of their wedding ceremony – Duo retreated his fingers and his tongue, slowly letting the intensity of the kiss wane before rolling away and laying down on his back again. But this time with his shoulder touching Heero's. Neither said a word for the longest time, letting the midnight sky overwhelm them once more. Duo was lightheaded in the aftermath of the kiss. This was the same man he absolutely despised the day before yesterday. None of what he was feeling made sense to him, because how could two days change everything he had come to believe about a person over the course of two years? Was this only because Heero was unwittingly the catalyst of the life-changing moments he had shared with his grandmother, mother and father since returning to Montana? He focused on the brightest star, not wanting to think of any more questions this night. There was no rush, because nothing was going to change what was going to happen tomorrow anyway. He turned his head when he heard Heero sigh and was surprised to see him with his eyes closed. "It's so quiet out here…" he extolled breathlessly. Duo grinned and looked back up. He waited a heartbeat, letting the silence settle in again, before he started: "… Play that funky music, white boy…" A single, hearty laugh escaped Heero, unlike anything Duo had ever heard from him. The rest, he painstakingly held in. Duo continued to sing, mimicking the characteristic vocals to the best of his abilities: "Play that funky music ri~ght! … Play thay funky music, white boy…" "Lay down the boogie and play that funky music till you die." They both roared with laughter.
|
