After 2x3, this is my second favorite pairing in the Gundam world, involving two of the pilots most unlikely to pair up. These doujinshi are vastly different from the stories where Duo is cast as the seme. I'm not completely fond of seeing Duo as the uke in this pairing (as, with the exception of 5x2, I simply don't see him as an uke period), but many stories are still quite enjoyable and this style doujinshi is infinitely easier to come by than 2x3.
TAIFU CLUB
Title: Patricia Reicharot
Size: B5
Published: 12/29/98
Pages: 38
Novel: No
Rating: Shounen-ai
Duo is asleep on Trowa's lap, while Trowa quietly sits and reads. As Trowa looks down at Duo, he plays with the other boy's braid, and Duo wakes up to give Trowa an adorably sleepy grin. A particularly effeminate Quatre bursts into the room and insists that Duo wear a bow with a bell attached on the end of his braid. Duo humors Quatre, but it's obvious that Trowa dislikes the bell and resents Quatre for barging in on their snuggling. The end of the doujinshi shows the two making up with some smoochin' time.
This doujinshi has a distinct, easy style. While Duo is a little bug-eyed and overly skinny, the artist has Trowa down quite well -- unsmiling, serious, and damn sexy. However, I wasn't particularly impressed with the girly-Quatre, and I didn't quite get the giant oversized 'H' that kept appearing over Trowa's head when he was upset. Is that supposed to mean something?
Title: Linus Van Pelt
Size: A5
Published: 12/25/99
Pages: 62
Novel: 15 pages
Rating: Shounen-ai
Trowa and Duo are secluded for some rest and relaxation at some random safehouse, although this downtime is about to come to an end. A bored Duo decides to play pranks on each of the other pilots, giving each of them a shaken can of soda. A sopping wet Heero throws the soda back into Duo's face, drippy Wu Fei threatens to run Duo through with his sabre, and Quatre merely laughs and refuses to open the soda altogether. When Trowa opens his soda and it explodes on him, he simply blinks with shock. Duo takes him back to his room to towel off, and Trowa gives Duo an affectionate kiss.
TDL
Title: Miracle Night Diving
Size: B5
Published: 3/3/96
Pages: 68
Novel: 25 pages
Rating: Shounen-ai, Yaoius Interruptus
This is the second book in the Duo as a Gremlin series. Trowa and chibi-Duo decide to do some baking for Valentine's Day. However, disaster strikes as a chibi tries to help out in the kitchen. First, chibi-Duo falls into the cake batter and cries while Trowa tries to keep from laughing. Then, he tries to get a canister of cocoa and instead knocks the bottle of pepper all over himself. Trowa picks up a wriggling, choking chibi-Duo, and he splits into five other chibi-Duos (I guess pepper makes 'im multiply, like water made Gremlins multiply in that movie). The five chibi-Duos that come out are mean and set out to destroy the, um, domestic bliss of Trowa and the original chibi-Duo. That night, as Trowa and chibi-Duo are asleep, five suddenly large and mean Duos (led by the leader-Duo with a black stripe in his bangs) kidnap the original chibi-Duo, throw him in the garbage, and then try to sneak into Trowa's bed. As the leader-Duo tries to kiss Trowa, a bright light is shone on them from the now-big original chibi-Duo, and the mean Duos shrink back to chibi size. The now-big original Duo kisses Trowa and they take off their shirts, when the leader-chibi-Duo with the stripey hair escapes and turns on the light, turning original Duo chibi once again. Chibi-Duo cries. He does that a lot.
Um. Weird. Very weird, even by my standards.
Title: Over the Rainbow
Size: B5
Published: 6/23/96
Pages: 46
Novel: No
Rating: Shounen-ai
This is the third book in the Duo as a Gremlin series. Chibi-Duo helps Trowa with his homework while the mean chibi-Duos growl and snarl at the two from their hamster-cage prison. One day, Trowa decides to take chibi-Duo to school with him, but while they are at lunch, a jealous Wu Fei pounces and steals chibi-Duo from Trowa. Chibi-Duo cries, and he is taken back to Wu Fei's stereotypically Chinese home, where he is then given to a smaller, carbon copy of Wu Fei (I read on another web site that it is Wu Fei's son?). Little Wu Fei takes a liking to chibi-Duo and listens to him prattle on about his beloved Trowa. Little Wu Fei wants to set chibi-Duo free, but big Wu Fei refuses. Trowa goes to the Wu Feis' residence and demands his chibi-Duo back, but chibi-Duo has already escaped and is running around the streets lost and crying. He is chased by a cat and falls down in front of a cookie lying in an alley. He eats the cookie, and his eyes get spinny and dizzy. (Have I lost you yet?) Trowa runs through the alley calling for chibi-Duo and comes across a crowd of his classmates surrounding a doorstep. There, he sees a full-sized Duo sitting on the steps and crying as usual. Trowa takes Duo into his arms and comforts him, and ultimately takes him back home safe for smoochy goodness.
Title: Tritch-Tratch Polka
Size: B5
Published: 12/28/96
Pages: 50
Novel: No
Rating: Shounen-ai
Ooh, it's more chibi-Duo goodness! But at least this one makes a bit more sense given the medieval setting. Well, it kind-of makes sense, anyway. Trowa is putting away his flute when a bird drops a fairy Duo as it tries to eat him. Trowa chases away the bird, and the fairy Duo follows Trowa around to bring him luck. The fairy queen (Sally, perhaps?) comes to Trowa one day, and fairy Duo gets jealous. And guess what? Fairy Duo cries! After going around town doing stuff (I haven't figured out what it is they're exactly doing), Trowa plays his flute for the fairy queen, and he and fairy Duo live happily ever after.
TENNENSOZAI (SHO AZUMA)
Title: Koi wa Maiorita
Size: B5
Published: 12/7/97
Pages: 30
Novel: No
Rating: Het?
I don't have a very good sense of the plot. I just know that it involves a very young-looking Trowa and a female Duo in a fuku. I guess if you're into that stuff...
Title: Heavensent Heart
Size: B5
Published: 6/27/99
Pages: 26
Novel: No
Rating: Het?
Status: No longer in my collection.
Ditto this. I don't know if I'm completely comfortable with Duo in a fuku. Nor am I comfortable with him being female.
Title: Kumori no Chihare
Size: B5
Published: 2/23/98
Pages: 26
Novel: No
Rating: Soft Yaoi
Finally, a Tennensozai doujinshi that I actually like! This one has no pics of Duo in a fuku, nor do they make him a girl. This one involves Trowa and Duo having some fun in the bedroom. At some point, they break out the calligraphy pens and end up drawing on each other. By the end, they're taking a shower together to wash off all the ink.
TULIP HOUSE
Title: Kimi ni Todokanai
Size: B5
Published: 1/15/96
Pages: 48
Novel: No
Rating: Soft Yaoi
This is one of the few doujinshi I've seen where the characters seem to switch off as seme and uke, although Trowa is definitively the seme for the majority of it. This story gives an alternate spin on the scene in the series where Duo encounters Trowa at the circus again, only to find that Trowa has lost his memories. In this tale, Duo remains on Earth to try to get through to Trowa once again. After weaseling his way past a truly overprotective and weepy Catherine, Duo corners Trowa alone in his trailer. Trowa at first shivers uncontrollably, but then proceeds to force himself onto Duo and do naughty things to him. After Duo climaxes, he opens his eyes to find Trowa staring at him in shock and crying. Duo comforts Trowa, who very likely has regained his memories if I'm interpreting it correctly, and draws him close for another round of snogging and nekkid time.
The art in this is a bit iffy. Some pictures are very nicely rendered, while others are just plain strange looking. A lot are somewhat on the disproportionate side. But the storyline was easy to follow, and the plot was cute.
YUUBOKUMIN KENZAN
Title: Kara Kara
Size: B5
Published: 11/4/96
Pages: 98
Novel: 24 pages
Rating: Soft Yaoi, bordering on Hard
This is a small collection of 3x2 stories, mostly involving Duo in bondage. One story shows Heero walking in on Trowa as he forces himself upon Duo, who is tied up. In another tale, Duo wakes up to find his arms bound to the bars on the inside of the lion's cage at the circus. While a small-sized lion looks on, Trowa has sex with Duo. The last tale involves Trowa bandaging up an injured Duo. After Duo mentions Heero's name, Trowa snaps and forces himself upon Duo. He then pushes him away after he's given him some good oral pleasures. Later, Trowa feels badly about what he's done, and hugs Duo apologetically.
This was apparently done by two artists, one of which I really don't care for. However, the story with the lions was an interesting one. Excellent smut/bondage premise. I wish I'd thought of it myself.
Title: dabl/off
Size: B5
Published: 5/6/01
Pages: 100
Novel: No
Rating: Soft Yaoi
Other Pairing: 3x3!
This is definitely among my favorite doujinshi, but it is also one of the most confusing. Trowa and Duo are living together in contented bliss, but Trowa keeps getting visual and sensory flashes of a doppelganger, an evil Trowa intent on killing him. After a scathing argument, Trowa makes love to Duo, but when he opens his eyes, the evil Trowa is smirking down at him and trying to choke him. He eventually 'wakes up' to the sound of Duo's voice, and Trowa holds his fingers to his throat as he tries to catch his breath. In the end, the two Trowas fight, and the evil Trowa ends up getting shot. It is this Trowa that Duo walks in on, and he is devastated as the evil Trowa dies in his arms. The last scene shows Trowa some months later, his hair grown long and dyed, wearing glasses, happening upon Duo at evil Trowa's grave. As Duo turns, Trowa walks away, dropping a bouquet of flowers in his wake.
I have not yet determined whether the second Trowa is an actual twin or just a figment of Trowa's subconscious. While the plot sounds strange, it's actually quite artistically rendered. The art is gritty, with simple, undetailed, almost rough lines. At first I didn't like it, but it does grow on you after a while, and the dark style fits well with the plotline.
