26-Sept-2001
Title: Switch 4
Author: bonnejeanne (bonnejeanne@yahoo.com) and von (sablexo1@yahoo.com)
Category: weird
Rating: NC-17
Pairings: 2x1...?
Warnings: Het LEMON. AU (alternate universe just like the original GW only a few things have been... switched!) Bastard Dr J (Why do I keep doing this to the guy? I *like* him!) OOC? You decide.
Spoilers: Series
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing characters and universe are the property of the copyright owners. Our stuff is ours. No money being made here.
Feedback: Comments welcome, be they short or long.
NOTES: This is the fourth and final installment to a fic we wrote a while back as an answer to a fic challenge no one will own up to. The challenge was: what if Heero Yuy were really a girl. I've seen this done with Duo any munber of times, but so far not Heero.
The first three parts to this story are on GW Addiction ( http://www.gwaddiction.com/ )under the Bonne&Von section.
This is the last part of this story. The first story, Switch, was to have been a stand-alone, one shot, etc etc. Then I wrote part 2, and it was supposed to stop there. Then part 3 wandered along. This is IT.
All sections of this story rely heavily on the series and in some cases actual lines and scenes are quoted or paraphrased.
The words scrolled across the screen at a preset speed, allowing Yuy to read at a pace most people would have found uncomfortable or impossible. Sitting in the small dorm room, dressed in dark pants and a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, the teen-aged terrorist was back in her camouflage, her appearance that of an oddly attractive 15-year-old boy. The contents of the material on her laptop screen were not typical reading material for a normal 15-year-old boy, however.
//Sensitivity of conventional munitions to all environments is a critically important consideration in military operations and logistics. Guarding against catastrophic incidents throughout all phases of a munitions life cycle - developments, manufacturing, transportation, storage, and use or disposal - requires the expertise of the designers and constant vigilance by users. Logically, with implementation of more design features, less reliance need be placed on the human element required in following procedures and observing safeguards to achieve munitions survivability.// [1]
The screen shivered, and the words faded as another image imposed itself in a fast dissolve. The close-up of a mechanical prosthesis sharpened, as the artificial limb clacked together its three-pronged, grasping hook.
Yuy's back stiffened and her eyes opened a little wider. It had to be a mission, but normally those messages were simple text, anonymous, and the regular time for receiving them was hours away.
"Doctor J," she murmured aloud.
More images appeared on the screen, of a new type of OZ mobile suit, as the old man's voice outlined the information about the new suit, called the Taurus, and the reasons it represented an extraordinary threat to the peace and safety of the Colonies. Both the information, and the fact that the old scientist had chosen to present it personally in this manner added an unusual amount of importance to the mission being outlined.
The target was also unusually difficult - OZ was transporting all the prototypes and materials for the new mobile suits to a remote base in Siberia, presumably to protect the weapons from the relentless attacks of the Gundam Pilots. There were two routes for the transport plan, and one was assumed to be a decoy.
As had been the case in all previous missions, no mention was made of the existence of any operative other than Yuy herself, no specific instructions to cooperate with such unmentioned operatives was given, but the emphasis placed on accomplishing the objective, by 'any and all means deem suitable by the agent in the field' was another of the subtle references Yuy had begun to suspect were the old scientist's way of hinting that he was aware of the others and was giving oblique approval for cooperation.
As the images faded from the screen, the words resumed:
//...responsible for work on warheads design (including the fuzing system, explosive train) and weapon systems component integration...//
The next moment, the door to Yuy's room opened, throwing light from the hallway beyond onto the desk and the young student/terrorist who sat there.
Looking up with a habitual scowl, Yuy already knew who would be standing there, framed in the light - the only person with nerve or stupidity enough to open her door unannounced.
Duo Maxwell's mobile and attractive face held an uncharacteristically somber expression.
"I've come to say good-bye..."
"I've come to say good-bye," he said. Crossing his arms, Duo looked down, thinking. "I gotta really bad feeling about this. Looks like there's going to be two routes, by air and by land. I'm taking the land. You take air."
It was the only reasonable plan, given that Wing specialized in flight. Yuy acknowledged what she decided to think of as a request with a flicker of her eyes. She studied the violet-eyed pilot, realizing that his tone and demeanor were causing a cold chill to run up her spine. Damn Maxwell, what the hell was wrong with him. It was just a mission.
Duo took a deep breath, weighing his next two moves. Time was of the essence, but, finally, he decided, some things were more important. For the first time since the operation had begun, his thoughts were focused on something other than the Colonies.
Turning, he walked further into the room and closed the door behind him. Walking over to Heero, he grasped her shoulders and lifted her up to stand. For a moment, he looked into the Prussian blue depths and said nothing. Then, he leaned in and kissed her hard, wrapping his arms around her.
From the closing of the door, Yuy felt what was coming. Instead of throwing him across the room when he grasped her shoulders, she let herself relax, looking back into violet pools as he gazed into her eyes. She didn't understand what she saw there, but that incomprehension was almost comforting, something she associated with this boy, this young fellow terrorist who had somehow wormed his way under her defenses and into her life. When his mouth came down on hers, she answered it, parting her lips and sucking on his tongue hungrily.
What she should have done was send him on his way with a bruise or two for his trouble, and concentrate on preparing for the mission. But something inside her echoed the braided boy's ominous words. Suddenly she knew how she wanted to spend her last night on Earth.
Duo felt himself sink further into the kiss. It was supposed to be a brief thing, something for the both of them to carry into battle in case the worst happened. Feeling Heero respond fully set up an answering reaction in Duo's body and deeper, his soul. Suddenly, he was glad the door was closed, because he was fairly certain he wasn't going anywhere, anytime soon.
Sliding his hands into her hair, Duo tasted Heero, committing every breath to memory. His hands moved down over her back, then further to cup her rear. He pressed his body as tightly against hers as possible, a smile forming around the kiss as he felt her padding rub against his rapidly swelling member. Oh man, he thought, I've got it really bad when that doesn't disturb me.
Feeling the artificially flat chest pressing against his own, Duo moved his head back then down to trail kisses along Heero's neck. "I miss your breasts," he purred into Heero's ear. "They are a lot softer... and tastier."
Yuy scowled at the comment, even as her groin tightened painfully. She pushed his chest, forcing him away from her. Looking at him through the fringe of wild bangs, she reached up and quickly unbuttoned the white shirt, pulling it out of the pants. "Stop bitching and help," she growled.
Duo began assisting with the removal of the outer pads and bindings that transformed Heero from girl to boy, without debate. Shaking his head, he realized another disturbing thing. It didn't matter which sex Heero was, he, Duo would have fallen just as hard. Damn, he thought. Now you have really gone over the edge, Maxwell.
Unwrapping the binding around her chest, Duo's mouth curved slightly as the soft curves of Heero's breasts came into view. Well maybe not too far, he thought as his cock strained painfully against the material of his pants. Unable to help himself, Duo moved his hands over Heero's chest, squeezing her gently, but firmly.
The sensation of being freed from the confinement of the sheathe had once given her a sense of insecurity, as if she were loosing armor. Lately, however, it had become a sensual incitement. *His* hands, helping with that escape made it worse, and Yuy felt a rush of hot moisture between her legs. She arched into Duo's touch, as her own hands got busy with his clothing, tearing at the buttons and fastenings with impatient, demanding movements.
Duo felt his body flush as he became caught up in Heero's urgency. He helped her to quickly remove his clothes until they stood facing each other in the wash of the laptop computer light. Breathing hard, he picked her up before she could protest and carried her to the bed. Putting Heero down, he quickly moved over her, covering her body with his own and relishing the feeling of her soft curves against him.
Sliding a hand between her legs, Duo inserted fingers into the warmth of her body. He growled a little in his throat as he kissed her deeply and pleasured her body with his hand.
Maxwell... Yuy gasped as his fingers penetrated her, releasing the flood of warm liquid. He always went right for it, this street rat, treating her body like his own property, his own recreational device... and she admitted that this was one of the things that pleased her. There was no pretending. She growled back at him, and lifted her hips, thrusting her body against his hand. Reaching up, she caught hold of his braid with one fist and pulled it none too gently, reaching with her other hand for the weapon he kept between his legs. As always, it was ready for her, stiff and hard, hot in her hand, weeping a little. She gripped him tightly and felt tensions inside of her relax and skyrocket and the same time.
Duo groaned, his eyelids slipping down, as he felt her hand grasp him. The miracle to him was that she seemed ready for him without hesitation. There was an honesty in her touch and need that left no room for the kinds of games that people played with each other out of emotion. The removal of those barriers left only actions to be completed and full on desire.
Duo moved his hand inside, pumping Heero hard. He felt her fingers respond by grasping him tighter and Duo gasped. Removing his hand, he slid wet fingers around Heero's and guided himself into the warm tightness of her body. His hips thrust forward, feeling the wetness envelope him, signaling the beginning of the dance.
Biting back the cry that wanted to emerge, Yuy wrapped her legs around Duo's hips, her hands moving up to rub across his chest. She found his nipples with thumb and forefinger and pinched the erect nubs, enough to ache but not cause real pain. It was so easy to fall into the rhythm his body dictated, and it was always the right one. Her internal muscles tightened around him, milking him, as she reveled in the impact his body made against hers.
Duo clenched his teeth together as he felt the compound pleasure wash over his body, igniting it further. His hips rocked harder and faster, impacting Heero's body and moving them both against the bed. Reaching down, Duo slid his hands around her hips, positioning and angling her for maximum contact. No one had ever had such control of his body and mind before. He wanted her and his body seemed to need hers like he needed air to breathe. Closing his mouth over hers, Duo kissed Heero deeply, moving his tongue into her mouth the same rhythm as his thrusting hips.
Arching up to meet him, Yuy sucked his tongue as her body worked around his cock. Nothing mattered but feeling him release inside her. Only that sensation would signify Mission Complete.
Duo stiffened suddenly, then shuddered as he released deep inside Heero's body. He held onto her tightly, feeling the small, but significant shocks as his body gave in to the warmth surrounding it.
"Oh, Heero," he whispered against her ear, as his mouth sought hers for another kiss.
Yuy stretched against Duo's body, the expression on her face one of open satisfaction and almost feline pleasure. She submitted to the kiss, her hand finding his braid again as she wound the silken rope around her fist possessively. "Oh, what?" she said, when she could speak. Her mouth curved. "That was good, Maxwell." Her eyes wandered over his face. "Always good with you. Wonder why."
Duo looked down at her and chuckled. "Maybe your body just likes mine," Duo replied, knowing the old lines wouldn't work on Heero. Heero was otherworldly. Heero was outstandingly incomplete and complete at the same time. She was a walking paradox in every sense of the word and Duo discovered a new definition for hell. A world without Heero, he thought. That's hell.
Even as he thought the words, Duo felt the familiar litany creep back into place. You cannot afford attachments. This is war.
Yuy's mind was on his last comment. "Maybe," she said. Tilting her head, she brushed at his chestnut bangs, now damp with perspiration. "You distract me," she commented. "I don't need distractions. But..."
"But what?" Duo said, as his eyes moved over her face.
"But I don't give a shit anymore," Yuy said, a bit of emotion edging into her voice. "If I die... at least now I've lived. Isn't that what you would say, Maxwell?"
Duo felt a chill down his spine and his eyes dropped for a moment. The thought, his hidden fear, had been spoken. Looking back up into the deep blue eyes before him, he pushed the darkness back and nodded. "Yeah, Heero," he said, quietly. "That's exactly what I would say."
Reaching up, he brushed her cheek with his fingertips. "And, that is exactly what I'm saying now. I agree one hundred percent. I sure get distracted by you," he said with a small smile.
Yuy turned her face slightly into his touch, and then, hearing his last words, her mouth curved in a smile. Not a smirk, not a scowl, not one of the three or four predatory expressions she occasionally showed. A smile.
The expression on Duo's face changed from one tinged with sadness to one filled with wonder. He looked like a child discovering a treasure for the first time. Mentally, he took a snapshot of Heero's smile and etched in his heart.
"Heero," Duo said, softly. "Whatever happens. Don't die without me, ok?"
Yuy watched his face, seeing, as always, a number of things she didn't understand. Yet somehow even those things called to her, invoked feelings which Yuy was not supposed to have and was often unprepared for. She listened to his request, her smile shifting into a thoughtful contemplation.
After a moment, during which he could almost see her running it through the Yuy internal computer, weighing and calculating, she looked into his eyes with the same deadly seriousness with which she regarded any mission, and said, "Ryoukai."
Duo smiled and nodded. "And that means...." he asked.
Her head tilted. "Ninmu ryoukai," she repeated, "Mission Accepted."
"Oh," Duo said, then repeated the words. "Ninmu ryoukai." Sliding his hand along Heero's side, he moved over her and gave her another long, deep kiss.
"Hn."
This time, Yuy allowed herself to relax into the slow kiss. For once, she didn't push, pull, demand, or indicate impatience. She let herself go with it.
Duo felt her relax and slowly settled down against her on the bed. For once, he felt as though he understood what protecting someone was truly about. Moving back to break the kiss reluctantly, Duo said, "I want to stay here tonight. We can lock the door. There will be time for battle and missions soon enough."
Yuy watched Duo for a few moments, and then said, "Hai." Reaching up, she wound her arms around his neck and pulled him against her.
After sending the mission information to his agent, the mysterious scientist known as Doctor J sat back from his master console, absently checking to make sure his signal jamming was clean.
He knew that the other scientists, former colleagues from years ago and fellow conspirators now, were transmitting much the same information to their agents. He knew, for example, that Professor G had already sent the mission parameters to that little criminal he'd chosen as his pilot. He knew also that said little criminal was most likely now or soon going to be coordinating with his own operative. The two of them had been moving from place to place together, coordinating their covers as well as assisting each other on missions. The results had been quite effective, in fact remarkable, a fact which only served to annoy and irritate the "good doctor".
Though he had some measure of respect for his colleagues - he'd never have worked with them otherwise - he had more than a touch of arrogance, firmly believing his own technology and strategies to be demonstrably superior. G was certainly his closest rival, and the man's ability to produce the most amazing innovations in stealth technology had proved desirable in an ally, but annoying in a rival.
And at some point, somehow, his little sneak-thief agent had managed to get to Dr. J's perfect operative. He had no actual evidence, the little bitch was much too clever for that, but he knew it nonetheless. Felt it. Hell, he could almost smell it on her, though he'd not been in physical proximity to the one code-named Heero Yuy since her departure for Earth. He saw the subtle changes in her behavior, the fractional humanizing of her, and had no doubt whatsoever that somehow, Duo Maxwell had penetrated her most guarded secret and had done what any male equipped with a working set of balls would do.
It was unacceptable. It was time to test the little bitch. To see how far the disintegration of his careful conditioning had progressed. And if it had progressed too far... it might just be time to end the experiment.
Reaching up with one gloved hand, Lt. Raina Duchesse adjusted her mask, sitting in the cockpit of Tallgeese, preparing for drop.
"We've spotted him, ma'am," Noin's voice came over the intercom. "The flight model is heading for the refueling point, and our planes are on the ground."
Raina nodded shortly, as the bay doors opened and the huge mobile suit began falling through the clouds. "It'll be close, but I'll take him out midway," she said confidently. Long used to fighting uphill against the odds, the legendary Lighting Countess felt a sense of exhilaration to be finally meeting the enemy again. This time she would take him out and there would be no miraculous return.
Duo headed towards the coordinates with a deep scowl on his features. He could not shake the sinking feeling that this mission was going to end badly. As he checked sensors and controls, Prussian blue eyes looked back at him from a recent memory. He had held her in his arms, danced inside of her, felt her heat and the warmth created by their union. For a short while, they had pushed back the night and for yet another miraculous moment, Duo Maxwell had not felt alone in the world. As bad as the situation was, and as much as he had wanted revenge for the Colonies and their people in space, Duo had found something that he had wanted for himself. "Heero," he said into the cockpit of the great war machine, "Don't you dare forget your promise. Don't you die without me."
A signal beeped in the cockpit and Duo's frown deepened. "Here we go, old buddy," he said, feeling the sudden rush of adrenaline move through his veins.
Suddenly, the violet-eyed pilot chuckled to himself. She'd probably slug you for goin' all soft and emotional, he thought. And who the hell are you anyway, Heero Yuy?
Another alert caught Duo's attention and let him know that he was not alone in the area. Information from the Deathscythe's systems told him that another Gundam was some distance away. As he made his way to the target, a speeding supply train, Duo heard and saw enemy fire. The other Gundam faltered in his sights and fell across the tracks.
"No fuckin' way!" Duo swore, as Deathscythe headed for a hand-to-hand with the train.
The Leo Prototype was impressive, and the pilot was good. Yuy's eyes narrowed as the enemy pilot tossed away a perfectly good beam cannon with some nonsense about the two of them having no need for such weapons, attacking with the beam saber. Obligingly, Yuy hit the button releasing Wing's grip on her own gun, letting it fall. It wasn't any sense of misplaced chivalry or bushido... the voice coming over the comm from the enemy pilot, while resonant, was not that of a man. There's a bitch flying that suit? Yuy thought. Do I need a beam cannon to whip the mechanical pants off of her... fuck, no.
Trowa Barton raised weapons on Gundam HeavyArms and proceeded to take out mobile suits, equipment or anything that stood in his path. He had calculated correctly. Oz was prepared this time. As the carnage around him grew, the emerald-eyed pilot took aim and did his job. No more second chances, he thought, with the briefest of glances at the two Gundams nearby. One, he had seen before, but the new white suit was larger than any he'd ever seen or heard about. Clearly, the pilot inside was not of the Colonies. Trowa sent as much information to his unseen benefactors as he could manage without distracting him from the battle. A small frown creased his forehead as he caught sight of Wing's beam cannon dropping to the earth as the pilot turned to face the white mobile suit.
"Hn," he remarked. "I can't stay with you. I've got targets to take out," he continued, leaving the two to battle it out. Even though things seemed to go a bit smoother this time, Trowa still couldn't shake the feeling that something loomed just beyond.
In Oz's control center, Noin informed Col. Lady Une that even though Tallgeese was keeping the flight model busy, the other Gundams had done more that 50% damage to the Oz forces in both battle locations, and she prepared to call for reinforcements.
But Col. Lady Une had other plans.
"Gundam Pilots! Our space fortress Barge controls all the Alliance's orbiting gun emplacements! Surrender immediately, or we will fire on the Colonies!"
The words brought all battle to a standstill as shock moved through the Gundam pilots... and not a few of the Oz forces as well.
Raina hit the controls inside Tallgeese. "Colonel Une," she said distinctly. "Reconsider your actions! This is not what His Excellency wishes!"
Col. Lady Une muttered something that sounded like the B word and slammed her hand onto the button that cut the comm connection from Tallgeese.
At that moment, all the communications systems both at Oz's command center and in the mobile suit cockpits were jammed. After a moment, the picture cleared, revealing the face of an old man with long grey hair and goggle-like lenses for eyes.
"You've made your point, Oz," the old man said, his voice uncowed and tinged with irony. "In fact you've made *our* point, quite effectively, for who but tyrants would fire on innocent civilians! The actions of the Gundams were not sanctioned by the Colony citizens! You've won. We will surrender."
Une's eyes narrowed in an expression of triumphant smugness as a second wave of shock ran through the remainder of the listeners, including the pilots.
All but one. Upon hearing those words from Doctor J, the young pilot called Heero Yuy felt her face pull in a slight, grim smile. She knew the old man would never give *everything* up.
"I repeat, you've won. However, I will *not* surrender the Gundams to you," the old man added.
Duo listened and watched with an impending sense of dread. He made note of the old man and knew that he was one of the unseen scientists backing the pilots. As he heard the last words, Duo felt his body grow cold. Though he knew it was wrong to wish it, he hoped that the scientist was not the man Heero had spoken of.
Yuy's mind moved incredibly fast, calculating a dozen different things in seconds. The words were simple ones, and part of an agreed-upon code. But instead of obeying mindlessly, she ran through all aspects of what was happening. With the hostage action, Oz had not only imperiled the Colonies they were there to protect, but had almost assured themselves of being able to capture or kill the other four pilots.
Maxwell.
With one hand she tapped a few letters onto a keypad, sending the message on a tightband to a single recipient. In the commotion, he probably wouldn't even see it.
Then she opened the cockpit and stepped out, the small device in her hand held out, as cold as a midnight promise.
It might be a lame cover for a retreat, it might not save the Colonies in the end. It might fail utterly, but it was the only action that answered all the needs she found *had* to be met.
Without allowing room for fear or regret, she fastened on the memory of a warm kiss. At least I've lived, she thought. Lifting her chin, she pressed the button.
Duo swallowed hard as he watched the hatch open and Heero step out. Unaware, his fingers gripped the controls as the sudden flash of the explosion lit up his cockpit for what seemed to be an eternity. He saw the great machine fall to one knee as pieces of it rained down to earth. His eyes darted down, searching for a miracle.
Soon, Duo became aware of a great pain in his chest. He took a deep breath and then heard a sound shake Deathscythe's interior as he screamed. When his eyes opened, the landscape was clear, but below the horizon there was a deep crater and the shell of a Gundam. Duo's teeth ground together as he looked down at his shaking hands.
At the bottom of his screen, a short message, letters blinking, caught the corner of his eye.
*gomen nasai, Maxwell. don't waste it. until next time.*
Duo blinked as he read the message over and over. He wanted to kill something, but the words on the screen made him pause. Reaching up, he touched the screen and saved the message. A small grin lifted the corner of his mouth as he read the message again. "Until next time, baby," he said, and activated the Deathscythe's stealth mode. Mentally, he ticked off targets as he carefully turned the key that locked his heart.
He heard and acknowledged the call from the other Gundam pilot as his eyes stole once again to the charred earth. As he saw the Gundam HeavyArms come into view, Duo frowned again.
Trowa Barton watched in amazement as the Gundam blew up. The pilot had stepped up and done his job, it seemed to him, without a thought or question. His green eyes caught sight of a movement and followed what appeared to be a dark object from the cockpit hatch. It's the pilot, he thought as he watched the body land hard against the earth. "To be dissected by Oz is no place for you, my friend," he said, and moved his Gundam forward.
Raina had watched the proceedings with a sense of something gone terribly wrong. When the enemy suit had opened, and the pilot had come out into the light, she gasped. "It's a... child!" she exclaimed softly, feeling suddenly and incomprehensibly sickened by what she was doing and everything she'd come to stand for.
As the second Gundam moved forward, she took two steps back. Had Treize himself ordered her directly, she would not have engaged or hindered the Gundam pilot as he collected his fallen comrade.
Trowa scooped up his fellow pilot in HeavyArms' hand. Monitors showed him that the pilot was beyond all battles, but it didn't matter. He took a step backwards, keeping an eye on the big white suit in front of him. As he saw it move back, Trowa moved out of the area and back to where he could load the big machine up and leave. He only made a cursory glance at the young pilot inside HeavyArms' grip as he climbed down off the flatbed and into the cabin.
"What now?" Trowa said, as he drove through the night.
It was late when Trowa returned to the circus camp. He moved quietly and methodically, without emotion, just as his training had prepared him. Inside, he felt anything but the calm and cool young man he looked to be. The mission had gone badly. It had been both the worst possible outcome and the best, for it clearly demonstrated the intentions of the Colonies and their struggle to the OZ hierarchy. In the space of two minutes, with the simple push of a button, OZ saw the dedication to the cause of freedom and peace of the people of outer space when one of their own, Heero Yuy, paid the ultimate sacrifice and self detonated.
Trowa had been left with a renewed dedication and a sense of tragic loss, bewilderment and shock as well. The question that ran through his mind was, "If asked, could I have done it?" He climbed up on top of the flat bed and prepared himself for the grim task at hand. Still, he thought, this is better than leaving him to OZ.
He moved quickly to the limp form draped in the hand of his Mobile Suit HeavyArms. A cool breeze gently wafted the now dead soldier's hair as if to coax him awake. Trowa took a deep breath and did what he couldn't do before. He inspected the body for life signs. It wasn't because he held out hope, but because that too was a part of his training.
Lifting the slim wrist, Trowa pressed down firmly as his eyes swept over the still form of Heero Yuy. He swallowed hard as his own cold heart echoed in his chest and gave him the signal that he was still alive. Through the layers of his personal night, Trowa felt a streak of deep emotion as he looked into the eyes that stared fixedly into the sky as if searching for home... for outer space. Reaching up, he brushed back a strand of dark brown hair.
The skin was cold and Trowa covered Heero's eyes, gently closing them. This was going to be harder than he'd first thought. "Goodnight, Heero," he said, softly, then started as he felt a slight pressure against his fingertips.
Emerald eyes widened, then Trowa looked down to the wrist in his hand. "Probably just my own.." he muttered to himself and readjusted his hand. After a few seconds, Trowa looked up as he felt his heart begin to pump harder. Suddenly, he smiled and looked down at Heero. "You...You are quite the guy, Heero," he said, feeling the weak pulse from the former corpse grow gradually stronger in his hand.
Working quickly and efficiently, Trowa retrieved some items from the medical tent. He secured Heero to a backboard and worked with Mignon the elephant to assist with transportation.
After getting the fallen pilot into his trailer, he covered him with a blanket and checked his pulse again. Remarkably, the Gundam pilot was still holding on. Carefully, Trowa pushed the blanket back and began removing Heero's clothing. Wounds would have to be dressed and it was the best way to assess further damage. As he peeled away the green tank, Trowa frowned suddenly. He didn't expect to see wide wrap already covering the Perfect Soldier's ribs and chest. Nevertheless, he felt grateful for the small wonder. Certainly, the wrap had provided some protection for the chest cavity, but it did lead Trowa to wonder if Heero had sustained a previous injury. He reminded himself to be extra cautious.
Leaving the area for the time being, Trowa moved to remove Heero's socks and shoes. Once that was completed, he began to remove the spandex pants and stopped once again as his hands encountered a material that did not feel quite right. "What the...?" he began as he continued to draw the shorts away from Heero's body. Green eyes widened as portions of pale skin came into view.
Before him, Trowa soon saw the body of a slender female, bruised and cut, but definitely a girl. And she wore Heero's face.
It hurt. It hurt like hell.
Hell was about where Yuy expected to be, actually, if there was one. She didn't think of hell as a place of punishment, just, maybe, a place where soldiers went when they died. A quiet place to sit, where they wouldn't bother the souls of the more worthy.
But if this was hell, it hurt. Pain was nothing new, no, not at all. Pain had been around in every conceivable form for most of her short life. This... yeah, this was probably the worst so far. It was bad enough that some part of her knew she lived. After the short time in that cold and dark place, the wind rushing by... then had come the pain.
If alive... then it wasn't over yet. There were good things and bad things about that. A lot of bad things. She was tired. So tired. Tired of trying to understand what she was supposed to do with this life. But something pulled at her. Nagged at her. Something even the pain couldn't completely force away.
** "Any battle you walk away from gives you another round to make it right..." **
That voice... his voice... in her head...
** "The problem is, I kept thinking about it. I kept thinking about you. I still *am* thinking about you. So, strike me down, I'm having one of those 'feelings' that people have, for you. Don't you have those? Or did training take care of that as well?" **
Not completely...
It hurt. But his voice pulled at her.
** "Whatever happens. Don't die without me, ok?" **
Ninmu ryoukai, Maxwell... it meant only one thing. Instead of moving away from the pain, she had to move into it. Through it.
Silently, Yuy screamed.
After a while, the silent screaming stopped.
After a little longer, Yuy opened her eyes.
Duo sat in the darkness of the little room. As he gazed up at the night sky, with its blanket of stars, he was grateful that there was no moon. His hair tumbled down over his shoulders and back in a thick curtain. He had taken it down, wanting and needing to feel the weight of it against him, cloaking him, while he dealt with the incidents of the day on his own terms.
Quatre Winner and his group had been more than gracious in accepting him and providing shelter. The discussion that he and Quatre had had concerning the mission and the fact that they had been given identical orders was useful. When the talk had turned to Heero, Duo found that his chest ached and a profound sense of loss and anger rose behind his violet eyes. "Gomen," he heard in her voice and shut it down quickly. 'Not now,' he thought and moved through the rest of the day.
With the night had come reflection, and Duo leaned against the window and allowed what was there to come. The memory of his great discovery came to his mind and Duo felt a smile tug at the corners of his mouth. He remembered the shock of seeing the slender body of a girl standing before him where the form of a boy's body should have been. He felt his body react as memory after memory of being with Heero, making love and creating heat, washed through him. Duo closed his eyes and the sweet scent of the desert was replaced by the aroma of vanilla and sandalwood. His hands felt the soft skin over hard muscle and the sensation of being connected and one with Heero the last time was his once more. "gomen nasai, Maxwell," the message had read, "...don't waste it. until next time."
Duo felt the warmth gradually fade and a cool breeze against his bare skin caused him to shiver. He opened his eyes slowly and realized that his face was wet. Gathering his thick hair in his hands, he began meticulously reassembling it into his trademark braid. With that done, he carefully replaced the various lock picks and things he kept tucked away in his braid for emergencies. He then pulled on his pants and re-dressed himself, ignoring the fading half erection as the face of the old man, Heero's mentor flashed before him. "All right, Heero," Duo said softly. "I promise I won't waste it. I also promise to deliver that bastard to Shinigami. Sleep well, baby."
Moving to the small bed, Duo stretched out on top of it. Closing his eyes, he drifted down into a dreamless sleep.
Trowa waited until the young woman, Catherine, had left the room. His green eyes were locked onto Prussian blue ones. Sure, they were apparently working for the same side, but the playing field was different now. It was dangerous to make assumptions. Heero had his name, unwittingly supplied by Catherine, the civilian. He, on the other hand, held the Japanese pilot's secret. "Try not to move too much," he said, moving closer.
Yuy looked at the boy without speaking. She had never seen him before, nor the woman who had been there when she woke up. Without thinking, she pushed up to a sitting position and the sheet fell down to her waist, as pain from broken ribs tore through her chest. Her arm, shoulder and chest were bandaged but the bandages didn't cover everything. Gritting her teeth with a soft curse, she continued to sit, not bothering to cover her exposed body.
Trowa glanced away, towards the door then back. He locked it then turned back to Yuy. "You got banged up pretty bad," he said, moving closer.
Yuy listened to the voice, and looked into the other boy's green eyes. What she saw there would not have been seen in the eyes of just any person. She found herself connecting him with a red and white mobile suit armed with rockets and gatlings. 03.
"Why did you help me?" she asked, feeling an odd curiosity. She couldn't quite understand why she hadn't been left to die. "I wasn't supposed to make it."
The corner of Trowa's mouth lifted. "You didn't," he replied, sitting on the small bed. "And as for why I helped," he continued, "I couldn't leave a fellow Gundam pilot behind." He looked up at the bandaged pilot. "Of course, things have changed now."
Yuy lifted one eyebrow. "How? And where is this?"
"You're on the route of a traveling circus. It's where I hide out," Trowa explained. "OZ thinks you're dead. There have been no attacks against the colonies after the standoff and no missions either. I have to admit, I'm finding it difficult to know what to do next."
Taking in the information, Yuy realized she herself had no idea what to do next. There was too much still missing. "What is OZ doing? And how long have I been out of it?"
'And what about the others... Maxwell...'
Trowa took a deep breath. "You've been out for a month, now. OZ is basically dealing with what rebellion they can find on Earth and solidifying their positions. You're probably going to need a couple of weeks to finish healing. You can stay here for the time being."
A month. "Hn." After a moment, she added. "When they finish getting control of the Earth nations, they'll remember the Colonies."
"Yes, but the colonies are not in agreement with each other," Trowa said. He looked out of the window for a moment. "It looks as though I might have to follow your lead."
Yuy glanced sharply at the other boy. "You must like pain," she growled softly. "Or else you are stupider than you look."
Trowa blinked. Then he laughed out loud at Yuy's remark. He glanced back at her. "I can help you get dressed. Catherine has no clue. I'd like to keep it that way."
Both eyebrows went up at that. "Why, is she your girlfriend?"
"No," Trowa chuckled. "She just thinks I need a big sister to look out after me. And if she ever found out you're a girl, I'm sure she'd be even more curious than she already is. Of course, there would be a healthy stream of questions, she'd have to have answers to."
"So it's inconvenient for me to be female, is that it?" Yuy asked, her voice devoid of inflection. "I owe you my life, but I'd prefer not to have to repay the debt that way. I'm tired of pretending to be something I'm not. I'll put on clothes and cover up... but that's it. I'm not going to disguise my gender any more. You can leave me wherever is convenient for you. Thanks for your help."
Trowa looked at the girl for a long moment. There was a small smile that never left his face. She was different, to say the least. He shook his head. "No, my mistake," he said, moving closer. "I grew up with mercenaries. I have no problem with you being whatever you want and who you are. I was assuming, based on your disguise," he said. "I'm not leaving you anywhere. You still need some help. If you need anything at all, let me know. Deal?"
Yuy frowned slightly. "I did what I did because it was easier, and in some ways safer. You grew up with mercenaries? I don't know what that means. Where I grew up, it was better to be a boy. But I guess, since I'm already dead, it doesn't matter what I am any more. And someone..." Yuy closed her mouth over the rest.
Moving stiffly, she got her legs over the edge of the low cot. Bracing herself, she pushed up, attempting to gain her feet. For a few seconds she was able to make it, then pain sliced through from several directions, causing her to sink to the ground.
Trowa watched her move, realizing not for the first time, that yes, he was attracted to her. Not only did he admire her courage and determination, but Yuy was beautiful besides. Thinking that she was a boy, he had silently chided himself about having *those* feelings again. Knowing that she was a woman, he chided himself in much the same manner.
Emerald eyes widened as he saw her fall. Moving, he reached out and gathered her against him before she had completely made it to the floor. Holding her in his arms, Trowa felt his body react and this time, he didn't attempt to mask it by telling himself that she was a fellow soldier. "Are you alright?" he asked softly.
Her eyes were clear, showing that while her body might be unwilling, she wasn't fainting. She leaned against the boy's tall form and felt his strength as he caught and held her. Watching his face, she reached down and placed a hand over his crotch, feeling the bulge in it consideringly.
"If I were all right, I wouldn't be covered with bandages, would I?" she growled rhetorically. She continued to watch his eyes, and her hand continued to rest on his pants. "I need to know what to expect from you."
Trowa gasped slightly at the initial contact of Heero's hand on his crotch. He felt his breath deepen and chest rise rapidly as he listened to her words. Leaning his head down, he covered her mouth with his own, kissing her lips softly before sliding his tongue into her mouth.
Yuy accepted the invasion, finding it not unpleasant, yet totally devoid of the passion she'd felt before. When he lifted his mouth from hers, she stared back with the same exactly expression as before. "Is that how you want to square the debt?"
Trowa looked at her for a second, then laughed again. "You know, it doesn't matter if you're a woman or not," he said, "You're still Heero." Sitting back on the bed, Trowa pulled Heero against him. "No, I get the feeling that this debt will be squared in another way. What I'd really like to do is to pin you to this bed and fuck you hard, but I don't want to kill you in the process. Besides, you're already taken, right?
Yuy scowled. "What do you mean?" She had trouble understanding this concept as it might be applied to herself.
Trowa slid his fingers under her chin. "I mean, whoever your *someone* is, he or she is one lucky bastard," he said.
The scowl deepened. "I am not 'taken', I am not owned. I am not property. No one is 'lucky'. Certainly not Maxwell, his tastes are perverse. If you want to fuck, I don't care. But Maxwell said that males have 'feelings' and if you are going to have those, I would rather not deal with it. You seem to be better than most of them. I don't like owing people. But I *am* going to need your help." The scowl eased slightly.
Trowa listened and nodded at Heero's statements. "You have all the help I can give you," he said. "And Maxwell was right. We do have feelings, but I can take care of those on my own. I have been for years." He smiled, looking down at Heero through his bangs. "Maxwell, huh? Yeah, it figures," he said.
Yuy frowned slightly, resting patiently on Trowa's lap with no apparent unease. She found that saying Maxwell's name caused a strange ache inside, something that seemed to grow slowly, more persistent than the cracked ribs and other injuries. Suddenly she felt tired.
The Colonies were safe for the moment, but that would change. However, when it did, she had no idea what she could possibly do about it. Her Gundam was destroyed and she was 'dead'. Part of her argued that her obligation was over, but something in her stubborn inner self refused to accept that. What was it he said?
/Any battle you walk away from gives you another round to make it right.../
Time to make it right. Then maybe she would know what to do. Maybe she could discover where he was. He'd think she was dead. He'd think she hadn't kept her promise. Something else to make right.
"I need to know what's been happening," she said finally. "And I need a list... of everyone who was on that transport shuttle I blew up."
"Sure thing, Heero," Trowa responded.
Catherine Bloom stepped up onto the runner of the big carrier truck. Her eyes immediately fell on the young man behind the wheel and she smiled. Trowa had come to mean more to her than just any stranger who wandered into the circus. She considered him a brother. Recent events had revealed to her that he was more than just a passer by. He was a Gundam pilot and that only made him more precious to her. She thought it truly ironic and tragic that someone's bright idea to save the world had included him and his friend.
"You guys take care out there," she said, smiling as she saw Trowa frown slightly. She understood from her own experiences that the near grown had a few problems with parental figures. She shrugged it off as experience building. Maybe one day, they'd both come to appreciate it. "And you," she said, looking at the tousled haired youth sitting on the passenger side, "You're the one who put these ideas in his head. I won't go so easy on you next time."
Yuy looked at the young woman without acknowledging the implied threat.
Trowa gunned the engine, then put the truck in gear. Out of his periphery, he caught Catherine stepping down from the truck and moving to stand next to the manager. Taking a deep breath, he moved down the road.
After a short while, Trowa relaxed a bit. "Well. That was an exercise in futility," he remarked.
Yuy allowed herself a sidelong look at the other Gundam pilot. "You did plenty of damage," she remarked, looking out the window.
"That girl, she cried at me," Trowa said, "You wouldn't have let that stop you, right?"
Not hardly, Yuy thought. She refrained from making the comment. "Seems you have a... family. I've heard that's not such a bad thing."
Trowa let out and exasperated sigh. He couldn't deny that a part of him did long for a family, but that particular girl, Catherine, seemed to have the ability to get under his skin. "I guess, so," he conceded. "Still..." he began, then shook his head.
He lapsed into a small silence, then glanced over at Heero. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked, feeling more comfortable with a change of subject.
"I'm sure I have to," Yuy replied. "You don't have to come with me."
"No, I want to," Trowa replied. "Besides, there are no other missions and we need to do something until we can figure out what's going on in the world." Looking out of the window at the passing scenery, Trowa felt the corner of his mouth lift. "I wonder what that guy is doing?"
Yuy glanced at the tall boy again. "Who?"
"Um... Quatre," Trowa mused. "I was just thinking about him. Seems to have a good head on his shoulders. A little innocent and trusting, but he's okay."
"Hn," Yuy remarked. She hadn't had the impression that 04 was 'innocent', he seemed quite capable of destroying Alliance troops and installations with reasonable efficiency. She studied Trowa for a few moments.
"So you're a freak," she mentioned calmly.
"Hn?" Trowa said, sitting up a little in his seat. "How so?" he asked.
Yuy snorted softly and looked out the window. "You've got a soft spot. He's it. Nothing to be ashamed of. I hope it works out for you."
Trowa frowned deeply, feeling color rise to his face. It was not something he was used to and it made him uncomfortable. "I do..." he started, then sat still for a moment, considering her words. "Well, I hope yours works out too, Yuy," he said, finally.
"My what?"
Trowa shook his head. "You and Duo," he said. "You have a soft spot. He's it."
Yuy frowned. Soft... no... she didn't feel all girly and swirly when she thought about Maxwell. She felt... hot and mean and angry and... anxious. A weakness? Probably. Soft spot? Umm...
Giving up the argument before it began, she growled softly. "I doubt it will," she muttered. From there it was very easy to sink into a reverie of mental recall as she watched the scenery go by. Where was he... what was he doing... would she ever see him again? Not a foregone conclusion at this point in the game. However something stubborn inside refused to accept that entirely and fixated on the determination that she would find him someday, if only just to hear him shoot his loud mouth off one more time.
Trowa heard her words and applied them to himself. Yeah, he thought, for several very good reasons, not the least of which is that we're at war. That means we can die at any moment and thoughts like these are dangerous and distracting. He checked his mirrors again and sighed. It would still be nice to see him again.
He patted Heero's thigh. "Who knows?" he said to her. "There's no way to predict anything at this point. It could happen."
The words barely penetrated Yuy's mental preoccupation, as she lost herself for a moment in a memory of violet eyes.
It seemed, in the final analysis, like the only thing to be done. Quatre Reberba Winner's convictions were contagious, and Duo had seen for himself the kind of cooperation he knew was needed to bring the Colonies out of the influence of Oz and into a place of understanding, where a true struggle for freedom might be possible. It was time to go home.
Of course, it couldn't end up being quite that easy.
The Oz forces pounded Sandrock and Deathscythe, and the shuttles that were so close, seemed to get further and further away. Surrounded and attacked from all sides, it seemed the two of them were going to end this gesture without succeeding in what they tried to do.
An explosion knocked Deathscythe off its feet and Duo was slammed against the console.
Then he heard Quatre's voice calling to him, and saw something impossible on his screen. From broadcasts of news events across the globe, a white and red Gundam fired its rockets and guns, defying the opposing Oz forces. And elsewhere...
A blue and white Gundam transformed from flight mode to standing, firing its beam cannon. It was Wing.
Duo blinked, hardly believing what his senses were telling him. "Heero," he whispered inside the cockpit, suddenly feeling a rush of adrenaline. Feeling the explosions rock the great Deathscythe, Duo clenched his teeth together and with superhuman effort raised the machine to its feet.
Without wasting a moment, Duo moved the Scythe around and took out three of the nearest targets effortlessly.
At the same time, another Gundam approached, spraying the area with flames and taking out the Oz fighters giving Sandrock and Deathscythe the most immediate trouble.
"Good," Wufei said, seeing Deathscythe rise and begin to battle. "You'd feel pretty stupid if you got this far and had to quit now. Just remember, what we're doing is the right thing!"
Covered by Quatre's mobile suit, they made it to the shuttles somehow...
"To outer space, every one of us!"
Time and events later, on a colony in space...
Duo pulled himself to his knees. He felt every single kick and punch the OZ soldiers had applied to his body for his big mouth and wise cracks. Still, it had been worth it.
Sighing heavily, he felt a grin stretch his mouth. "Well, here we are. End of the line. Don't think old OZ is gonna want to keep a beat up Gundam pilot around now. Maybe for some kinda display after they off me." Reaching his arms up, he removed one of the lock picks and went to work.
"It was good to see Heero alive, though," he mused as the arm manacles swung open. "Kick their butts, baby," he said, softly, as he slid back to the floor, tired from his exertions.
He didn't have much chance to enjoy the comforts of his cozy cell for very long, however. A series of explosions shook the walls and floor, and the door opened, revealing an odd silhouette that seemed too big and humped on one side. The next moment, the body of the Oz guard was thrown into the cell and the slight figure straightened, pointing a gun at the lone occupant. The light from the hallway revealed a familiar set of features shadowed by a wild mop of dark brown hair.
"Get up, Maxwell," Yuy said.
Duo looked up. "Hi Heero," he said, easily as he worked his way to his feet. "Ok, I guess I can die now. At least one wish got granted. So, you're comin' to kill me. Hey, I'm honored. Go right ahead and shoot me."
"Is that what you want?" Yuy growled ironically. Didn't it figure? After all the time, the asshole wants to die?
Violet eyes widened in disbelief. "Hey, you were really gonna shoot me!" he said incredulously.
"Not unless you can't walk out of here," she replied. "Think fast." She threw the gun at him and checked the hall to make sure they didn't have company yet.
Duo caught the gun as a matter of reflex. He moved as quickly as he could to the door.
"You look like shit," Yuy remarked, noting the limp and other injuries.
"You look great," Duo countered. "Between the two of us, I guess we make one okay person, eh?" he added, noting the curves of her body where angles had been before. Unable to help himself, Duo smiled.
Yuy scowled at him, but in the indigo eyes, there was some unidentifiable emotion. "More of your lame humor. Swell. Come on, and don't trip us both, okay?" she said, settling an arm around his waist and taking a lot of his weight easily. Guiding him down the hall, she attempted to avoid feeling the warmth and nearness of his body - it was no time to get distracted with an entire Oz base breathing down their necks.
Duo gave up trying to block out his reaction to Heero. The moment he caught wind of her scent, he was nearly gone. Instead, he focused on the strength of her arm, the feel of her against him. A few more steps and we're outta here, he thought to himself. Then... reward.
Several explosions, some running and dodging, and a few properly imprinted mobile dolls later, they were off the base on a stolen shuttle. Once an evasion course was locked in, taking a round about route to the colony Yuy was hiding on, she unstrapped and began working over his injuries with the shuttle's first aid kit.
"Seems Oz hasn't done any history homework lately," she muttered, disinfecting a large number of scrapes and cuts. "No adherence to the Geneva Convention."
"Ow, ow and ow!" Duo protested as he allowed himself to be taken care of. "Oh we had Geneva Convention all right. They were just using my body for the roadmap." Reaching out, he took Heero's wrists in his hands and pulled her close. "OZ sucks. Don't wanna talk about them. How the fuck are you?"
Yuy considered breaking his hold and throwing him across the shuttle, but decided in his present condition this would cause more delays than she was prepared to deal with. Instead she simply leaned again his side, slanting a look down at him. "Back up to 90%," she said, answering him literally. "Took too long though."
Duo's eyes widened. "Took too long?!" he echoed. "What the hell is that?! You blew up! Without a word, you just blow up! Right in front of me! Ninety percent?! You're gonna have to revise that a little down by the time I'm done with you! You worried me!" he said in a rush.
"A threat?" she said, nudging him in a strategic bruise.
Duo growled and pulled Heero into his lap. Without a word, he kissed her deeply, as his frustration and worry released itself. A short time later, he moved back breathing hard. "Not a threat," he said, softly. "A promise. Don't you know I didn't want to live without you?"
Breathing deeply, Yuy regarded him. She blinked. "That's stupid," she said. You have to defend the Colonies."
"Fuck the Colonies!" Duo replied. "You're worth more to me than any twelve Colonies or Earth for that matter. Add this to your database. I love you. That counts more than anything in the world."
Scowling deeply, she looked down at him, resting easily on his lap. "I should have shot you," she growled. "More stupid Maxwell BS. Don't threaten me, I could knot you like a balloon animal."
Then she grabbed his face in both hands and kissed him until he couldn't breathe.
Leaning back against the seat, Duo attempted to catch his breath. Even through the bruises and scrapes, his body was sending signals letting him know exactly what it craved. "Knot me like a balloon animal?" he repeated. "Where the hell did you get that one?"
Peering down she replied with no trace of humor, "The circus. That's where I was when I was recovering."
Thinking that he might not heard right, Duo repeated. "The circus? You were with the circus. How did that happen?"
"03," she replied. "That was his cover on Earth. We stayed with them until he blew his own cover. Some kind of macho trip, like yours."
Duo frowned. "03 huh? The clown with the most obvious Gundam in the universe, with the bullet fetish. He's a dead man," Duo seethed.
Yuy raised her eyebrows. "He saved my life," she said calmly.
"Oh yeah? That's good. What did he ask in return?" Maxwell queried.
"You are implying we fucked?"
"I'm..." Duo began, "Well, yes, that's what I was implying all right!"
She leaned down until they were nose to nose. "None of your damn business."
Duo's eyes widened again as he felt his face flush. "I... but... well..." he sputtered for a moment or two, then scowled and looked away. "Fine! That's just swell! It's not like I didn't have offers myself ya know! There were a couple of very nice looking women at Quatre's place who were quite willing to show me a nice time!" he added.
Yuy took advantage of the fact that his face was turned to lick his neck. "Hn," she remarked.
Duo closed his eyes briefly, enjoying the sensation. Then, he scowled. "Hey, that's not fair. Course, I turned them down," he said. "All right to be fair, I wasn't interested. You're a hard act to follow, Heero."
She smiled a small smile and licked his neck again. "So are you, I suppose. Since no one has followed, I can't be sure. You shouldn't have jumped to conclusions, asshole."
"But... but I thought," Duo said, turning to face her. Finally, his shoulders slumped a little. "Yeah... you're right," he said, his expression one of relief and calm. "I missed you."
She watched his face, feeling something warm a place inside her that had been empty since that fiasco mission. A place she had not realized existed. "Thanks," she said quietly. "For staying alive."
Reaching up, Duo slid his fingers into Heero's dark hair. "Thank you too," he said. "For not staying dead."
"I had no choice," she said in a low growl. "Ninmu kanryou."
Duo grinned. He traced Heero's lower lip with his thumb. "I know," he said, "You did good, Yuy." Looking down her body, Duo smiled again. "No more disguise?"
"It doesn't fit any more," she said simply. "Hn. Duchesse is a woman. Can you believe that?"
Duo chuckled. "I work it in," he said, then looked back up at Heero. "Course, I have no interest in Duchesse either. I figure they're all pretty whacked on that side."
"Both sides are whacked," Yuy assessed. "And it's not over yet. Dr. J is on the Moon."
"Hn" Duo replied to that bit of information. "Good, I know where to pop him, now." he said.
"You aren't going anywhere in your condition," Yuy growled. "Besides, my number's ahead of yours."
Duo shrugged. "Whoever gets to him first," he said. "And my *condition* is just fine, thank you very much. I am a Gundam pilot you know."
"So they said on the TV," Yuy replied dryly. "You'd be better off staying out of sight for a while, Public Enemy Number One."
Duo winced. "I guess you're right," he conceded, not like it one bit. "But you be careful out there. I wanna see us make it out of this alive."
"You think too far ahead," Yuy growled. She settled against him. "Get some rest. When you wake up I have a few things I want to do before I leave."
Leaning over, Duo kissed Heero deeply. "Ok," he said, "I have a few things I wanna do too. One or two of 'em is you."
"The sooner you go to sleep, the sooner I can wake you up and get some exercise," she muttered, sliding a hand down to rest over his lap possessively.
"Yes, ma'am," Duo replied instantly, settling down and closing his eyes.
It was a room on a colony somewhere. Small, Spartan, and when Heero left for the Moon, there would be no indication that anyone else had ever been there. Yuy manhandled Duo into visiting a medic, then hauled him with little ceremony back to the small cubical and its one virtue: privacy.
She made him eat, she even made him sleep a little more. When he woke clear-eyed, and cranky enough to start giving her hell, she simply began taking her few clothes off.
Duo paused in mid-rant as he watched large portions of smooth skin revealed to his world-weary eyes. He blinked as his body suddenly did a quick reversal and all thoughts of aches and irritations vanished. "Ok, that's not exactly fair," he said, unable to focus on anything else in the cubical but Heero.
Yuy shrugged, stalking closer and moving him backwards by simply looking into his eyes with an uncovered and very feral stare. He didn't even realize he was backing until he bumped the flat cot that passed for a bed with the back of his thighs.
Duo's eyes were wide and a slow smile spread across his face. He sat suddenly and hard on the bed and reached out quickly, pulling Heero against him and between his legs. Sliding his hand around the back of her neck, he brought his mouth to hers in a fierce kiss.
Yuy's arms slid around his torso as she opened her mouth to receive the kiss. She accepted his tongue thrusting possessively into her mouth, sucking it deeper, pressing her fingers into his back as if pleased by the feel of skin and muscle. Her lower body rubbed against his, trapping the firming flesh of his cock between them. Eventually, she turned the kiss on him, thrusting her own tongue into his mouth with just as much heat and passion as he. Her hips circled a little, causing her belly to massage his heated manhood deliciously.
Duo moaned, feeling the heat radiate from his body and from hers. The intense friction of their bodies moving against each other was only matched by the intensity of his heart beating in his chest. Allowing his hands free reign, Duo slid them over Heero's back, pressing her and squeezing into her flesh with silent apologies for the possible bruises they would cause later. Breaking the kiss, he looked at her, eyes memorizing every inch of Heero's face, hungrily. "You're gonna kill me," he whispered against her cheek.
Curling her fingers around the thick chestnut braid that hung down his back, she tugged it gently. "Hai," she said, and scowled. "Me and no one else. Remember that, Maxwell. You let anyone else kill you, I will *not* be... pleased."
Duo chuckled suddenly, strong hands holding on to the beautiful Gundam pilot for dear life. "I go it," he said, stretching out backwards against the bed and carrying her with him. "Now, let's kill each other," he said, looking up into her deep blue eyes.
Without answering. she bent her head and kissed his neck, licking and nibbling her way along the column of his throat and down to his chest. Bracing her hands on his shoulders, she licked the nipple on one side of his chest, then suckled the other. Kneeling between his legs, she kissed her way down his stomach, laving the skin and following the slight ridges of his abdominal muscles, until her chin bumped his upthrust cock. With a pleased smile, she curled her fingers around the shaft and began licking it like a stick of candy.
Duo gasped as he felt Heero's chin, then the delicious wetness of her tongue against his aching flesh. His eyes closed lazily for a moment as waves of pleasure moved across his body. Sliding his fingers into the thick mass of hair atop Heero's head, Duo felt his body move as he gave himself over to his lover.
Licking along the underside of his shaft, she circled the ridge at the top with the probing tip of her tongue, then began to swallow the swollen flesh slow inch by inch. Yuy was losing herself in this activity, finding that it satisfied her, calmed and excited her at the same time in some way that no other similar experience of another human's body had ever done. In the quiet space inside, she knew that she would soon be leaving. The doctors had to be found, and if they were acting as traitors to the colonies, they would have to be eliminated. Then Oz stopped. The whole impossible effort of a war against oppression, counting only herself and possibly four other pilots on the defending side, stretched before her with no possibility of escape. But for now, there was this. For now, there was him. And he was truly hers, as she was his in some strange way she finally stopped trying to understand.
Swallowing him, she began moving her head up and down around his cock, feeling his body respond beneath her.
Duo felt the perspiration on his body form and cool by turns. His hips rocked in time with Heero as he felt needed and wanted in a way that he had with no one else. He gave up trying to define things where she was concerned, because there weren't words that could ever live up to his need and desire for her. The closest he could come was that Heero was like air and you need air to breathe. Swallowing hard, he glanced down the length of his body and the picture was almost enough to send him over the edge. "Damn woman," he growled between clenched teeth. "I'm gonna... you..." he attempted, but ended up leaning his head back hard against the cot.
The timbre of his voice fired her senses and she fell on him even more fervently, increasing the pace and suction, slipping her other hand beneath his balls to rock them in her palm, brushing her thumb over the round objects in the pouch of soft skin. There would be payback - she knew him well enough to know he would give her hell for making him give it up first, but she had no intention of relinquishing the taste of his thick fluid and the shuddering of his body - it was her due and she demanded it.
Duo's hands gripped the bedsheets as he felt the final assault on his senses complete. Growling, he felt his body shudder and release deep inside Heero's mouth. His chest rose and fell with each breath and the force of each release as he lay back, looking up at the ceiling of the room.
The surge of hot, salty liquid into her mouth and down her throat was swallowed with hungry pleasure. It wasn't the taste, it was what it represented - his climax, his surrender to pleasure. It sent her into an intoxication she could hardly control, she who knew how to kill more ways than she could count, to be able to bring him to this, give him this. Something that wasn't pain and death and destruction, but hinted at something like joy...
Lifting her head at last, she licked an errant drop from the corner of her mouth, and rubbed her cheek against the diminishing flesh tenderly. Then she climbed up and over him, straddling his stomach to lay her head against the joining of his neck and shoulder, a secret, almost innocent smile curving her lips ever so slightly as she settled against him.
Duo wrapped his arms around Heero, closing his eyes for a long moment as his body quieted. "You know I'm gonna get you for that, right?" he said, in a matter of fact tone.
Drinking in the husky, raspy tone of his voice, she nodded on his shoulder. "Um hmm," she answered, and her tone was simply pleased. Closing her eyes, she tightened her hands on his body and allowed herself the indulgence to imagine how he might take his revenge. A low sound, half growl, half purr answered her mental images.
Duo smiled. "Well, good," he said, "Then you'll be prepared." Squeezing her against him, Duo felt suspended. He knew what was right outside the door and what he'd soon be facing, but this was their precious time. He had a few things he needed Heero to know.
"Heero," he said, after a moment. "I know this thing isn't over yet, but it will be. I don't know how, but I can feel it. What happened before... it won't happen again the same way." Bending his head, he kissed Heero's forehead. "Next time, whatever happens, we're leaving together."
Yuy lifted her head and looked down at him, filling her memory with his face - elfin, at times devilish, at times open, always beautiful. Finding a determination that could somehow cohabit with her ingrained, even conditioned, yet somehow pure sense of duty, she answered the only way should could.
"When it is all over," she said. "I'll find you. You find me. About the rest, I don't care."
Looking into Heero's eyes, Duo smiled. He nodded in total agreement and understanding. Curving his hand around her face, he leaned down and kissed her slowly and with growing passion. "I guess, this is what they mean by love," he said, quietly. "Together when it's all done and not caring about the rest."
Lifting her head from the kiss, her lips slightly swollen, she tilted to one side. "If you say so," she answered with that odd sense of passivity that seemed to somehow exist in tandem with her iron will. "If it's not, I'm not interested in whatever they do mean. This works best."
"Hai," Duo replied. "This works."
Leaning forward, she kissed the tip of his nose, just to see what expression he would react with.
Duo blinked, his eyes attempting to follow the action of Heero's lips belatedly. He shook his head a little, then chuckled.
The sound caused her lips to curve as she looked down at him. She tried to gauge whether his body was too exhausted to continue very soon, and if she should let him sleep.
Duo moved, reversing their positions on the bed. Looking down at Heero, he grinned and kissed her bare shoulder, reverently. "Remember that payback?" he said, bending to kiss the middle of her chest.
She peered up from under the dark fringe of her unruly swirl of hair. "Hn?" she murmured, squirming slightly as his lips brushed her skin.
Duo's smile widened as his violet eyes sparkled with mischievous fire. Moving his head, he brushed his tongue against Heero's breast, licking and sucking the firm flesh into his mouth. Bringing his other hand up, he caressed Heero's other breast, moving his head to repeat his actions on her other nipple. She tasted good, familiar. Closing his eyes, he feasted, feeling his cock spring back to life.
Yuy squirmed a bit more, her back arching to press up into his touch. She'd never trusted anyone enough to simply 'lay back and enjoy it', but somehow right now she didn't feel the urge to fight or struggle against what was happening, just a restless sense of skittishness. His mouth felt good, his hands felt good, and he was doing things to her that she'd only brushed the edge of in her previous experiences.
Inhaling her scent deeply, Duo moved down Heero's body, trailing kisses over her flat stomach as he moved lower. Licking his lips like a wild cat, Duo slid his hands underneath Heero's thighs and settled between her legs. Moving forward, he licked at the soft flesh of her inner thighs, then parted her gently and tasted her warm, moist flesh.
Yuy jumped as she felt the warm liquid touch of his tongue against her most sensitive flesh. He'd enough experience to know what he was doing, and she had none of this particular type of stimulation. Her fingers dug into the thin mattress, and her hips flexed and tightened. She pushed up, then down, then grabbed his face and dragged it up from her, eyes widening at the glisten of moisture on his cheek and chin.
Duo looked into Heero's eyes as he panted, slightly. Suddenly, he licked his lips with an expression of obvious enjoyment. Moving up, he captured Heero's mouth with his own and kissed her deeply, messily.
Yuy opened her mouth to the kiss and tasted something different on his lips and tongue. It was musky, a little sweet, not salty. She had an instinctive reaction of being repelled, not in disgust, but as the same poles of two magnets with like charges repel each other. His heat, his kiss, relaxed her and she accepted it. It was strange, but if he liked it, she would not let her inexperience cause her to reject his kiss. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she lifted her hips and rubbed against him, seeking his firming flesh between them.
Duo felt Heero shift against him and moved to meet her. Reaching down, he guided himself into her. Pressing forward, he felt her warm and very wet flesh accept him until he was all of the way in. Looking down at Heero, Duo moved his head back and smiled. "I like that," he said, quietly.
Yuy's eyes were closed, her lids dropping as she felt his hard flesh push inside her body, felt the stretch, felt herself settle, and her muscles instinctively tighten as if to grip him and keep him with her forever. She blinked, not quite hearing the words, too lost in her own sense of an aching, even a howling need suddenly fulfilled, the completeness, the perfection of experiencing him inside of her, her legs tightening around his possessively. "Hn," she managed. Fuck me till I can't walk, Maxwell, she muttered silently, her eyes transmitting the emotion if not the exact wording.
Duo's eyes widened with approval at the expression in Heero's eyes. He chuckled again, sliding his hands around her hips. Pulling back, he then thrust deeply inside of her. Holding on to her securely, he began rocking against Heero, feeling her body impact his as they moved together.
Gripping his back, one hand fastening on the thick braid, she arched her back and lifted her body to meet him, feeling the power of each impact with undisguised pleasure. Her eyes closed to slits, watching him while at the same time giving herself over to the wonderful pounding of his body against hers, into her. Her hips tightened with each thrust, and the flexing of muscles caused a wild combustion to begin, stoked by each successive meeting of their bodies. A low growl turned into a wild cry that repeated, spiraling upwards as her body reached for something only Duo could give.
Duo moved faster and harder into Heero's body, spurred on by her cries. He felt his own body begin to ache and throb as he kept up the intoxicating rhythm. Not wanting to stop and knowing that he would never be able to do so, he surrendered his soul to the woman in his arms. "Oh, Heero," he managed, feeling his passion pick up the fevered pace.
Suddenly Yuy's fingers dug into his back and her body shuddered hard with a series of rippling contractions, her cries going dead silent as she was pulled under the end of the wave of pleasure that overwhelmed her senses. She could do nothing but hold onto him as the tide crested over her and dragged her under, shaking her body and soul.
Duo breathed hard as he felt Heero's body around him. Thrusting into her, he released his essence and his soul to her. His arms tightened around Heero's slight form as his lips sought her own. Kissing Heero deeply, Duo felt his body suddenly settle against hers. "Forever," he growled against her ear, squeezing Heero tightly again.
Clinging to the anchor of his body, Yuy felt the shudders ease. He had done it again, and as before, it felt right somehow. His softly growled word in her ear seemed ridiculous. Yuy knew there was no such thing as 'forever'. But Maxwell was a law unto himself. She had allowed him past her guard and he'd found the way to get under her skin and into her soul, which was especially funny since Yuy knew such a thing didn't exist to begin with. She stretched her neck a little to push her nose into his hair, breathing deeply of the scent. Then she rested against him, her lips brushing his ear. "Hn," she murmured. "If you say so, Duo Maxwell. Ninmu ryokai."
[1] http://www.nato.int/related/nimic/
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