Band for Life

Sharing is Caring


Cities went by and Heero had no idea what was going on. Sure every day was a blur to him, but something was off. His performance was spectacular, but off stage…he seemed lost.

One night Duo decided to pay him a visit. Since the first night then met in the dessert, they hadn’t spoken to one another. However Duo kept leaving little notes in the pockets of Heero’s outfits he mended, saying they needed to talk. He never paid much attention, but now, with the braided boy standing at the bottom of the stairs of the tour bus, he guessed the boy was serious.

Wufei, their drummer, Quatre, and Trowa quickly departed, muttering something about how they were going to get food. As they stepped out, Duo came in.

“Evenin’ Heero. Just came by to see how you were doing,” Duo smiled as he climbed up the stairs onto the main floor.

“Hn,” was Heero’s only reply as he tuned his guitar. He slouched down on the old couch on the bus. Soon, a weight joined his.

“Hey, I’m worried,” Duo’s voice was soft and kind. Heero finally looked up and met concerned violet eyes.

He leaned over and put his guitar down. “About what?” He was honestly intrigued.

“You seem…off, lately,” Duo explained. He was obviously nervous.

“I’m not,” Heero denied rather poorly.

“Heero…” It was so weak. So vulnerable. Heero met Duo’s eyes again and saw tears in them. “I’ve always loved your music, and your band. I could only dream that one day I could somehow be with you guys. And now look what I’ve done…”

Something about how miserable Duo sounded made Heero’s heart clench. Had he done this? Could his own troubles and aloofness caused the beautiful boy to worry?

Without thinking he reached out and pulled Duo close to him. He had started to cry softly. “Shh, it’s okay Duo. I’m fine, really. Please don’t cry.”

Violet eyes slowly looked up into his, shining with unshed tears and awe. Heero smiled softly and wiped tiny tears off his pale face. “So how long have you liked our band for?” Anything to stop the braided boy from hurting.

“Uh, well, ever since you guys came out. I bought magazines that covered you as an underground band, and I kept following you as you rose to the top and went mainstream,” Duo explained, blushing slightly.

“ I see. It’s good to know we have a few fans that knew who we were before we became famous,” Heero said.

“Hells yeah! I got a whole bunch of the other kids at the church into your band!” Duo said proudly. However once he realized what he had said, he became quiet.

“You went to church. Are you very religious?” Heero asked, trying to keep the conversation going. He was never one for much talk, but for some reason he really wanted to spend all day talking to Duo.

“Not exactly. Well, yes I’m religious, but I didn’t just go to church. I lived at one. I’m an orphan.”

This revelation caused Heero to hold Duo tighter, since through all this time he had never let go. “I’m so sorry to hear that…”

“It’s alright,” Duo brightened up. “Everyone there was like family to me. The other kids, the nun, and the priest. We were one big happy family.”

“That’s good to hear,” Heero said.

Duo nodded. “I lived there and went to vocational school for fashion design. Sister Helen and Father Maxwell really supported me the whole way. They loved me unconditionally no matter what. Even when I came out to them, they still thought I was a special boy.” Duo froze, realizing that he had just told Heero one of his deepest, darkest secrets.

Heero had an idea of why Duo had stop speaking, but pressed on so the boy wouldn’t be uncomfortable around him. “Hey, don’t worry. I don’t think any less of you knowing you’re gay…”

Duo let out a relieved sigh, but then sucked air sharply back in. “Please don’t tell the other guys. I don’t want them getting grossed out and never speaking to me again.”

Shaking his head, Heero stoked Duo’s hair. “You have nothing to worry about. Truthfully, I think Quatre and Trowa are more than best friends, but don’t tell them I told you that. They think they’re doing a good job hiding it.”

Duo chuckled. “Really? I did notice Quatre get a special sparkle in his eyes whenever he spoke of Trowa, but I didn’t really think much of it. Wow. Q-man’s got it bad for the bassist.”

It felt as if his smile would never fade, listening to Duo talk quietly. Even though they were alone, they still spoke in hushed voice, huddled close together. It was intimate and special, and neither wanted it to end.

Duo told Heero all about how his parents were killed in a car accident when he was two, but since he was firmly strapped in his car seat he survived. Having no immediate family he was sent to the local orphanage run by the cities head priest.

In exchange for Duo’s background, Heero shared his own. Every other member of the band told magazines their life so the paper could sell, but Heero always kept quiet. In truth he didn’t want to tell them. His father had been a raging alcoholic who constantly beat his mother. Finally fed up, his mother left them. His father turned his attention to Heero then. He would beat Heero every day when he came home from school. Soon Heero learned to keep his bedroom door locked at all times. He came and went via bedroom window. He worked as a bus boy at a local diner so he could make enough money to buy himself the essentials. It was coincidence that he got into guitar. He found a trashed one in his neighbor’s trash and an old amp. He’d stay in his room and play the guitar to tune out his father pounding on his door shouting.

His best friends at school, Trowa, Quatre, and Wufei knew what was going on and always let Heero sleep over their houses. Each played an instrument, and thought it’d be fun to combine their sounds. Soon they thought they really had what it took, so they played at local bars on any open band night. It just so happened that a producer sat in on one of their shows and afterward told them he liked their sound.

From there everything took off. With a bit of tweaking they became widely popular. Quatre for his angelic personality, Trowa for his mysteriousness, Wufei for his good looks, and Heero for his brooding angst. They toured small towns and quickly hit it big.

Throughout the whole tale, Duo watched him starry-eyed. When he finished, he looked down into wide violet eyes.

“Sorry if I sound like a groupie…but you are so cool!” Duo gushed.

Heero chuckled. “Thanks, I think,” he replied.

Soon the other guys joined them on the bus and they were off to their next location.

Trowa strummed out a few chords while Quatre hummed, Wufei tapped along, and Duo and Heero slept soundly on the couch.