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"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 EIGHT His dad had borrowed Frank's prized 1966 Mustang convertible to drive them to the venue. It was a sunny and relatively warm day for late October in Montana, but still cold with the top down. However, it was well worth it and it was only a short ride anyway. Not long enough for the cold to start to hurt his ears, nose and fingers. The venue, it turned out, was the golf club, courtesy of Dad's lifelong friend. "We couldn't get the church," Norman explained apologetically, as he pulled into a parking spot by the beautiful building. "Dad, I really didn't expect a church, so no worries." He snickered. The two men got out of the car and walked in through the side entrance. As they stepped over the threshold, Norman put a hand on his son's shoulder and they shared a look. Duo got a glimpse of the club's restaurant. He had been there only once before. He knew it to be a large, open space, with an entire wall of windows overlooking the course. It was a space of white floors and vaulted ceilings with white beams. Normally, round tables dotted the restaurant, but those had been cleared away and the chairs had been used to create rows of seating for the guests. About fifty people – the same that had been at the party the night before - were there, divided evenly between the two sides. Obviously, nobody would be attending for Heero. Some guests had already taken their seats, while others were standing around, mingling and laughing at memories of the previous night. White Christmas lights had been wrapped about the beams of the ceiling, about as much as C.C.'s friend was able to pull from storage at City Hall, Duo imagined. He felt nervous suddenly. Sure, he liked Heero now, but this was still a huge step, never mind dangerous. He paused to check his reflection in the mirrored glass that decorated the hallway and fussed with the bow tie his father had tied for him, because he didn't have a clue how to. "Leave that alone, would you. You're going to mess it up," his father scolded lightly and swatted away his hands. "Sorry." The man smiled at his nervousness showing. "Don't worry about it. It's normal." He followed his dad into the restaurant and he suddenly found himself standing at the start of the aisle. He took a deep breath. "There's my favorite grandson," Granny called as she approached. Duo leaned forward to let her kiss him, as her grabby hands clearly communicated she wanted him to. "Where's Heero?" "Upstairs with your mother, finishing up. He looks delicious." She winked at him. Duo forced on a smile. He felt bad about Heero being alone with his mother, he could only imagine the things she was saying to him in anger right now. Funnily, not too long ago he would have loved to be witness to his mother chewing out his boss, but right now he mostly wanted to come to his aid. "You look acceptable as well," she joked and adjusted his bow tie. "And you look beautiful," he said. "I know." A new voice interrupted: "Duo, can I talk to you for a minute?" He turned around to face the man who had snuck up behind him. "Enmar? What are you doing here?" With a look towards his grandmother he excused himself and he dragged his friend to a relatively private corner in the back. "How the Hell did my parents even reach you?" "They didn't. I reached them. I was calling your cell yesterday – must've let it ring for a hundred times – and then your mom answered. She said you were busy having your tux fitted for your wedding," he hissed. "So, what? You want to be my best man that badly?" "No." He shook his head vehemently. "I can't let you do this." Duo leaned in closer, meaning to threaten him. "Are you going to report us to Immigration, or something?" "Fuck, Duo. Of course not. I wouldn't do anything that is going to land you in jail. I'm your friend and I care about you, unlike your betrothed." He pushed him back a little. "I flew out here to come talk some sense into you." Duo glanced around them, hoping nobody would overhear. "You can't be here. You can't be here saying this shit. I need you to leave." If his mother caught wind of this she would only get riled up and then all Hell would break loose. "Duo, please, don't do this. This is your life, man. This is your family. This prick is using you. At worst he is going back to Japan after all. Worst case scenario for you is five years in prison." "He's not a prick. Not really." The defense was a little lukewarm, but it was a new thing for him, standing up for Heero's honor. Enmar scoffed. "Then he's not just using you, he's playing you too!" "Keep your fucking voice down." He grabbed the collar of Enmar's shirt and pulled him out into the shadowy hallway, away from the twinkling lights and the curiosity. His father and grandmother had stalled their own conversation to stare at the two of them from across the room. Out of sight, he slammed Enmar into the wall. "I thought you were my friend." "That's precisely why I'm doing this." He angrily shook Duo's hands off him. Duo's heart leapt up into his throat when he noticed someone approach them and when he looked over his shoulder he recognized Chang. "Did you bring him here?" He asked Enmar. "I don't even know who that is, dude." Chang calmly stepped up to them and shook Enmar's hand to formally introduce himself. "Ohhh, shit…" "What are you doing here?" Duo demanded to know. "I'm pretty sure you're not on the guest list." "As an officer of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, I don't need an invitation when I am conducting an investigation." His black eyes pierced straight through Duo. "I pity you, Mister Maxwell. I genuinely do. I've spoken to a Gisele yesterday and she told me all about what you have had to suffer through, working for Mister Yuy. And now he's bribing you into a fraudulent marriage. Gisele also mentioned the curator would not be attending the benefit tomorrow because the wedding is happening today. I don't enjoy sending people like you to prison, Mister Maxwell. You're only making unwise decisions in desperation. I do, however, enjoy deporting people like Mister Yuy; people who are willing to abuse the system to maintain their position of empty power. He's a despicable person and he doesn't deserve your help." Duo was already coiling back his arm to punch the man in the face, when a surprisingly imposing voice rang through the hallway. "Excuse me…" Oh come on! Duo's body deflated in defeat. It was like he had been punched instead. Now his mom was walking in? Let's have Granny join them too and see her have a heart attack. "That is my soon-to-be son-in-law you're talking about." All three men were equally confused. "Mister Chang," Duo's mother continued and with each step she took towards them, Chang took a step back and it was the most hilarious thing Duo had ever been witness to. "You are welcome to sit in the back to cure yourself of your own cynicism if you so desire. But I will not let you interfere and ruin one of the most important days of a mother's life: seeing her son get married." She stood beside Duo and linked her arm with his. Chang's gaze shifted between the two of them and he ended up shaking his head. "You have until Monday." He held his business card out to Duo. He snatched it out of him hand, only because he knew he wouldn't leave otherwise. "I'll be in the back," Chang announced. "Not interfering." With a whispered apology Enmar left as well. "Mom… Thank you." Her lips were curved in a sly little smirk. "What made you change your mind?" "I had a talk with your grandmother… She told me she had known all along that this was a charade." Duo's eyes nearly bulged out in surprise. He thought for sure he had been able to fool the old lady. It turned out she had been playing him. "She also told me she knew instantly that what was fake would become real." He smiled and shook his head. "And you believed her?" His mother could be as stubborn as his grandmother, he knew. "No. But then I had an honest talk with Heero." He expected her to elaborate and waited, but she kept her mouth firmly shut. There was only a hint of a story in the way the corners of her lips curled upwards. "Is Heero ready?" "Actually, he asked me to go and get you. He wants to talk to you." He frowned, not knowing what that meant. It seemed like everything was working out in their favor against all odds, so why would he want to talk? He kissed his mom on the cheek and headed down the corridor. "Up the stairs, second office to the left," she called after him. He followed her instructions and soon he found Heero waiting for him in a little office with a view of the course. The wedding party was directly below them. Heero was leaning back against the desk and had his arms folded across his chest. He was wearing the most exquisitely tailored burgundy suit with black lapels, over a black shirt. Instead of a tie, he had a broche pinned over the top button and it looked like a piece of art in and of itself. His hair was brushed back. His expression was pensive, the most familiar to Duo. Granny was right, he did look delicious. "Hey." Duo closed the door behind him, not wanting a repeat of the situation that had happened downstairs, with one person after another walking up to him at an unwelcome time. "Hey." "You look… fantastic." He smiled. "I know." He chuckled and momentarily looked down at his feet. "It's no secret why my grandmother has taken an instant liking to you." "You look halfway towards decent." He let out an abrupt laugh. Heero said equally abruptly: "I can't let you do this." Duo shot a look up at him and took one step closer. "It seems Granny isn't the only one you have something in common with." "What?" "Granny just made the same back-handed compliment about my looks. But one of my friends literally just said to me: 'I can't let you do this'." He took another step closer, but this prompted Heero to push away from the desk and walk around, putting the piece of furniture between the two of them. "You are not risking jail time for me, Duo. I won't let you. It was a mistake to let it get this far and I'm sorry." "No, you don't have to worry. My mom isn't going to say anything. Chang is downstairs and she totally told him off. It was beautiful, you should have seen it. You would have been proud." Heero's eyes widened and he paced behind the desk. "Chang is here?" "You're not hearing me. That's not the point. Mom told him to shove it. She has our backs." "No, you don't get it, Duo. He's not going to back off. The fact that he came all the way out here makes that apparent. He doesn't care that there is something between us now – whatever it is. All he cares about is that this marriage is still nothing but a means for me to get a Green Card and he will find evidence to corroborate that. Because we have two days' worth of history on our side and two years' worth of history working against us. Chang is going to find what he needs and he is going to use it to send me to Japan and send you to jail." Duo was panting without even being aware of it. There was a panic stirring in his that made his fingers itch and his knees tremble. He had always dreamed of Heero flying off to never return, but now it was a nightmare come true. "But… But what about the gallery?" "Duo, don't worry. I have plenty of connections. I'll get you an exposition somewhere else. We've come so far… I'll honor our agreement." He squawked a pathetic chuckle. "I didn't mean that. I didn't mean that at all. In fact, someone I trust told me I wasn't ready for a show yet, so I don't want any more anyway." Heero stilled. "What I meant is: you love the gallery." Heero's almond-shaped eyes softened, creasing in the corners at the beginnings of the most affectionate smile. "I think I could maybe love you more, someday." Think. Could. Maybe. Someday. Duo wasn't deterred by any of that. What he heard was Heero confessing something that he never thought he would hear and never thought he would want to hear. He stood there, waiting for the pulse of electricity to pass so he could regain control over his muscles again. "I think I could love you too. But how would we know if you leave for Japan?" "It would only be for a year," Heero pointed out. "After that I can reapply for a Visa, the right way. We could try the long-distance thing at first. I'm sure you can find another sucker in New York to be an awful, awful assistant to." He grinned. "If the long-distance things yields promising results… you could join me in Tokyo for a while, if you'd want. You won't see much of the starry sky, but the city does have a Hell of a skyline to inspire you." Heero stunned him again with how well he was able to interpret his art, pinpointing that city lights were a major influence in his work of bright, moving colors on a dark backdrop. One thought bothered him. "Did my mother talk you into this?" "We did talk for a while," Heero admitted. "But in the end she said that maybe it wasn't such a bad idea for us to get married after all." He snorted. "My mother is a romantic above all else." "But she's wrong. The way I see it, we've only known each other for two days. You told me you don't even kiss on the first date, so you'll agree that it's too soon." Duo thought for a second. He had gotten so oddly used to the idea that he was getting married today, that it was hard to let go of. Making a budding relationship work with one person being in Japan and the other in new York would be a challenge. But not as much of a challenge as having one person in Japan and the other in prison. He had to admit that the weight of a prison sentence not hanging over him like an anvil could only benefit them in the long haul. "What are you thinking?" Heero wondered. "I'm thinking… I'm thinking Granny might also like visiting Tokyo this Christmas, instead of New York." The Japanese man smiled and Duo was really starting to get used to the sight of it. "Will you come out from behind that desk now, pussy?" Heero did just that. In large strides he rounded the desk and the two collided into an embrace. Duo nuzzled his hair. The shampoo he used smelled like oranges. He chuckled lightly, remembering one of the questions from the list. What shampoo does your partner use? He didn't have to think about that kind of stuff anymore. All he thought about now was how nice it smelled. In the quiet of the tender moment, he remembered his friends and family, gathered downstairs to show their support in a way he never dared to hope they would offer him. He still didn't want to disappoint them. He pulled back only far enough to look Heero in his eyes. "What do you say we go through with the ceremony anyway?" "Duo, we just agreed-" "No, hold up. I didn't say we should get married. This is just the ceremony. We'd still have to sign paperwork in New York if we wanted to make it official. The people are expecting romance. So how about we go downstairs and give them a bit of bona fide romance?." "Won't Chang get the wrong impression?" "We'll handle Chang. We'll tell him he's won, that'll satisfy him." "You really want to do this?" "Heck yeah. Let's have a party… consider it our first date," he said smartly. "Now, I did tell you that, at most, I usually only kiss goodnight at the end of a first date. But tonight will also be our wedding night… so I still fully intend on breaking that dry spell you've been having." They couldn't let that hotel room that had been booked for the night go to waste… Heero bit his bottom lip and it caused Duo to impatiently seize it as soon as his teeth released it and he suckled on the lip instead before engaging him in a 'bona fide' kiss. The first chance he got, Heero breathed: "Then I guess I'm in." After another minute, his laugh interrupted the kiss. "Don't get me hard right before the wedding." Duo pressed his forehead against Heero's, with a stupid smile on his face. These past few days had been insane and thinking about the past two years he spent hating Heero made him morose. He stroked his fingers down the lapel of Heero's jacket, while he studied his face, taking another moment to admire his regal beauty. "What?" Heero's voice was so soft, Duo wouldn't have heard him if they hadn't been close enough to feel each other's' warm breath. "Think of all the people in the world who are convinced they hate each other. How little it might take to change that…" "… Sap." "Cunt." He disentangled them and smoothed the few wrinkles out of Heero's jacket. He said mockingly: "You seriously packed this shit for a trip to Montana?" "You truly don't know me at all." "Well… in my defense… this is only our first date." THE END
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