Title: Start Me Up -- 5/?
Author: tkmaxwell777
Category: Shonen Ai/Yaoi/Shoujo Ai/Yuri
Pairings: 1+2, H+R, 6+13, 11+13, 9xS, 6x5 implied
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Angst, Humor, Lemon-Lime, Sap
Archived: Yep! Thanks Lev :) Lev's Lair and TK's Violet Haven
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or its characters. I do own a slightly overworked computer, but it wouldn't be much use to the original creators... my ramblings only make sense to the hentai-minded. ;)
Relena watched Hilde approach the racecar and thought about how intense and full of life the dark-haired girl had always been. She could remember when they'd met over five years ago. Relena had come to the track with her father, only to be engaged in crew talk by the gregarious girl. She'd found Hilde to be so refreshingly genuine when compared to the other girls she'd known from school. Her only problem had been that she was unable to discuss such things as 'gearshifts' and 'alternators' because she had no working knowledge of them. Her mother had been determined that Relena be a 'proper young lady', which didn't include learning about motors. It was a miracle Relena had been allowed to go to the races at all, but her father had insisted, somehow knowing what his daughter needed.
Relena hadn't been very friendly at first, because she hadn't wanted to show her ignorance around the other girl and the rest of the crew, but that had only made Hilde more determined. Relena had found herself curious about the things Hilde knew, and finally had overcome her fear of feeling foolish; Hilde had never let on that she even noticed when Relena looked at her in confusion. She would simply explain whatever she had been talking about as if anyone she'd been talking to would have needed to know; it had changed the way Relena responded to other people, and was most responsible for her ability to talk to others with respect and understanding now.
Their friendship had only deepened when Hilde's father had died unexpectedly from a heart condition a year after Relena and Hilde had met. Jerry had been one of the lead mechanics for the team for years, a gentle soul who had loved Hilde with all he was. Hilde had been devastated, having lost her mother only a couple years prior. Relena had stood by her, even defying her mother's wishes that she quit spending all of her time with 'that mechanic's daughter'. She had refused to abandon the one person who had taught her the meaning of friendship. It was the last time her mother had tried to interfere in that matter. Relena began spending even more time at the track whenever the team was around, finding a peace there she had never known before -- a peace that was there for her when she needed it most.
Two years ago, Relena's parents died in a charter plane crash on their way back from a pleasure trip. Although the blonde had only been seventeen at the time, she'd taken over the racing team and fought for control of her father's corporation, filing for emancipation immediately. Her older brother hadn't opposed her in either undertaking, claiming he didn't want anything to do with the inheritance. Of course, that had meant that she was left to deal with everything on her own, but Relena had met the challenge, and made Peacecraft Limited one of the largest trading companies in the business. Her father would have been proud.
Relena looked over at Treize's area, feeling the old bitterness surface as her eyes landed on 'Zechs', but she pushed it away, determined to not feel badly towards the brother who hadn't been there for her. The past was the past, and at least Milliardo had pursued his own life, even if it hadn't been one that included her and their family name. When he'd shown up on the racing circuit using a different name, she'd decided then to leave him alone. Few knew his true identity, since he'd changed so much. She pretended she didn't even know; it was better this way -- for both of them.
She forced her attention back to Hilde, and smiled again, as her driver ran a loving hand over the racer. The crew stood close by, ready to move the car as soon as Hilde was done with the send off that had become tradition ever since the girl had begun driving for them. Their former driver had quit mid-season last year, and Relena had sent out a general call for tryouts. Hilde had been in disguise, racing the car anonymously in order to gain approval from her peers without her identity being known. Everyone had been shocked when she'd taken off her helmet and pulled the body padding from her racing suit, but no one could refute that she was the driver they'd needed. She'd won her fair share of races, and Relena couldn't have been more pleased that the other girl was fulfilling the dream her father had envisioned for her, even though she had been female. Relena felt tears threaten as Hilde did what always touched her the most; it was done in memory of Hilde's father.
"Firefly, it's time to illuminate the track," Hilde said with a bittersweet smile. "Let's shine so brightly that they'll never forget that our light comes from the love we hold in our hearts." With a determined tilt of her chin, Hilde then kissed her fingertips and laid them on the roof above the driver's side, something her father had done every race before the car left the pit area.
Relena and Hilde watched as the crew came forward to move the car into position. Relena could sense the melancholy stealing over the other girl and placed a comforting arm around her. "He would be so proud of you," she said softly.
Hilde looked over at her with indigo eyes full of unshed tears that refused to fall. "You always say that."
Relena smiled, letting her tears fall for her instead. "I always mean it."
Hilde felt her emotions swell inside her chest. Relena had such a good heart. It really was no mystery why Hilde felt more for the blonde than mere friendship. She'd never let Relena know of her feelings, afraid the other girl would be shocked and appalled at the very idea, not because she didn't accept those kind of relationships, but because affection from another woman was aimed at her by someone so close to her. Hilde knew that just because someone tolerated it from someone else didn't mean they wanted to be the object of such feelings. She longed to show Relena just how much she meant to her, but feared that kind of confession would only destroy what they had already, and she couldn't bear the thought of that. So she contented herself with being as close as she could to the blonde without crossing the line, letting all of her feelings be focused on loving Relena as a friend.
"Cheer for me?" Hilde asked, another tradition that had developed between them.
Relena hugged her. "Louder than anyone else."
With a bright smile, Hilde pulled away and walked over to grab her helmet and gloves.
Relena watched, her heart wanting to burst from the emotions she had for the other girl. Hilde had repaid Relena's comfort when the blonde had lost her parents. Milliardo had as good as abandoned her, unable to cope with his own grief, but Hilde had been there for her, befriending her like no one else ever had. Relena had found solace in that; she always set aside time in her schedule for each race even now, just to be with Hilde. Her light blue eyes wandered over Hilde's body appreciatively, thinking how her friend had matured into a beautiful young woman. It was a wonder Hilde wasn't already involved with several handsome men.
Relena turned away, slightly disturbed by that thought for some reason, and found herself looking toward the Winner pit area. She smiled as she thought about the driver for Quatre's team. She had been surprised when she'd met Heero Yuy. He was so closed off, yet completely perfunctory. His personality was completely opposite from Hilde's, but he somehow reminded Relena of the other girl. That thought confused her as well, because she had found herself attracted to Heero. How could she be if he reminded her of her best friend? She puzzled over that for a moment before coming up with the only logical answer; they both were lithe, dark-haired, blue-eyed... and beautiful. Relena sighed at the other errant thought. Since when did she place her best friend in the same category as handsome young men? And since when did she think young men were 'beautiful'? With a shake of her head, she made a mental note to get Hilde to wear dresses more often, or at least skirts. With a snicker, she made her way to her position for the race.
"I do believe I'm jealous," Treize announced as he and his blonde driver walked towards their pit area.
Zechs shook his head. "It wasn't like that, Treize. He's not interesting in screwing me... just beating me."
"Mmm. Well, sometimes those go hand in hand," the other man replied with a darkly sensual tone.
Zechs sighed. "True, but not in this case. Besides, he's too intense for something so... meaningless."
"Hmm, maybe," Treize said as they reached their racer. "But wouldn't it be something to have all that intensity directed on you that way?"
Zechs thought about Wufei, and how the Chinese boy could be so focused while they made love... and shuddered. "Perhaps."
"Ogling the new drivers again?" came a female's voice as she walked over to the two men.
"My dear, Lady," Treize replied, feigning innocence, "you know I am completely devoted to you."
Anne narrowed her eyes. "Treize, I quit believing in fairy tales a long time ago. The only reason why I'm still with you is because I'm too jaded to go anywhere else."
Zechs frowned. He hated hearing Anne talk like that. The woman was beautiful... too beautiful for Treize, in his opinion. He didn't believe for a moment that she was with Treize for any other reason but love, despite her words. He also knew that her love was dying more and more every day because of Treize's betrayal. Zechs felt at least partially responsible for it, but didn't know what to do to end what was happening. For some reason, Anne was still kind to him, and sometimes he felt as though she was the only person who could ever understand him.
"You are looking lovely today, Anne," Zechs said, his voice sincere with appreciation, ice blue eyes melting for a moment. She had her hair down, and it always made her seem more feminine.
Lady Anne Une-Kushrenada's brown eyes softened as she gazed at the blonde. She knew Zechs was sleeping with her husband, but she also knew that the blonde regretted how it made her feel. Zechs had fallen prey to Treize's charms just as she had. She knew he wanted out of the 'relationship' now that he had proven himself as a driver with his skill alone. She also knew he didn't know how to accomplish that task.
"You get prettier each time I see you, Merquise. I swear the women are going to become insanely jealous."
Zechs smiled, wishing once again that he could ease her pain. "Only you can get away with calling me 'pretty' and remain on my good side, Lady."
"Well, Zechs, I think you need to finish suiting up. The car's already in position," Treize cut in, a little annoyed at the friendly manner with which his wife and lover seemed to speak with one another. He had no doubts that Anne suspected something, but he could not understand why it only made her treat the blonde with affection. It was like she did it just to show Treize that she was better than him.
Zechs winked at Anne. "That means it's time for Epyon to strike."
"Good luck, Lightning Count," Anne said with an answering smile as Zechs put on his silver helmet.
Zechs then slid inside the car. Closing his eyes for a moment, he reached inside, finding the place within that held so many shattered shards of his life. He used to pull those pieces close, letting them cut into his soul all over again to build the anger and pain that helped him stay focused during the race; but not anymore. Now, he would recall the image of Wufei's face, pleasure softening every feature, passion filling dark obsidian eyes, voice raised in ecstasy. Pulling those memories close to his heart, he let the intensity he felt during their lovemaking fill him and overwhelm everything else... and then he was ready.
Noin pulled Sally into the shadows of the pit area, pressing the blonde against the wall with her body. The other woman moaned as Noin ran one of her hands down a breast, moving to unzip the front of Sally's jumpsuit. With practiced ease, Noin maneuvered her hands inside, one rubbing over a hardening nipple, the other reaching the blonde's silk underwear. "Do you want me to win this one, Sal?"
Sally leaned forward, pressing herself against Noin's hands as their lips met. They always did this teasing ritual right before Noin left the pit. She hissed as familiar fingers slipped inside, stroking her curls slowly, sensually. While she still had the power of speech, she replied breathlessly, "I always want you to win, but if you come back safely, I'll be just as happy."
Noin slid her hand down further, rubbing Sally's sex. The other woman was hot and wet, and Noin relentlessly stroked her pleasure center. As she trailed kisses down Sally's neck, she felt Sally begin to move her hips, striving for completion. Noin took her lips again as she increased her pace. It was only a matter of seconds before Sally was thrusting against her, her climax flowing through her like a river.
Noin rubbed her nose against Sally's as she zipped her suit back up. She saw the smirk she wanted to see on the blonde's face and promised as she always did, "I will."
"If you win, I'll let you top tonight," Sally added as she slapped Noin's ass before the dark-haired woman pulled away. It always helped the other woman's competitive edge when she was aroused without finding release. Sally didn't understand it, but she was willing to oblige her lover if that's what the woman needed.
Noin reached to get her helmet then turned back around. "Now there's a reason to make Stallion run hard."
Sally grinned. "I swear, sometimes I wonder if you don't have a cowboy fetish."
Noin swayed her hips as she walked away, calling over her shoulder, "No. If I did, I'd wear spurs!"
"Just remember," Sally yelled after her, "You may ride him during the race, but if you lose, you'll be riding me tonight!" She watched with satisfaction as her lover's lovely figure moved seductively through the crowd of pit crew and mechanics. "Just come back safely, cowgirl," she whispered, her gray eyes shining with affection. She then made her way to the restroom to make herself... more comfortable.
Heero slid into Wing, his adrenaline pumping. He'd tried to calm himself for the past half hour, but his emotions were all in turmoil... and he didn't like it. Taking a deep breath, he began checking over his controls. Everything was as it should be. His seat was aligned perfectly. His restraints were all in place. With a final check of his mirrors, he tried to relax, repeating his silent mantra that had served him so well in the past. In the cockpit, he was in control. In the cockpit, he was in charge of his destiny.
In the cockpit, he was free.
"Okay, I just need to stay focused. Need to keep my mind on what I have to do." He was still tense, and he realized he was talking to himself. Next thing he'd be doing was talking to the damn car.
He began silently going over his mental checklist again when his hand brushed against something stuck between his seat and gearshift. He grabbed at it, pulling free what turned out to be an envelope. Frowning, he opened it to see Duo's handwriting, and began reading it out loud.
"Heero, my brother used to get really nervous right before the start of a race. He would sit in the car and go over everything until he'd almost be hyperventilating. We devised a little game that helped him stay calm. I don't know if you would even want to try it, but I thought I'd at least offer. It's called "I'm prettier than". All you have to do is think about all the people you've seen today that you're 'prettier than'. When you hear, 'Ladies and gentleman, start your engines', you stop counting. Whatever number you come up with is the number of shots you get to drink when the race is over. Like I said, you'll probably think it's stupid, but it's kind of fun and helps your confidence thinking about just how good looking you are before you take off... and it makes you remember that although winning the race is the goal, nothing is more important than you getting through it. So, be careful, try to have fun, and kick some major ass out there! I'll be cheering for Wing... and you.
Your Chief Mechanic, Duo."
Heero sighed. The braided baka just wouldn't give up, would he? "I swear, Wing, he's going to be the death of my sanity yet." With a frustrated look around the car, not even noticing that he had spoken TO the car, he decided to give the boy's 'game' a try. As tense as he was, nothing could hurt at this point.
"I'm prettier than..." his mind supplied images and he smirked, "Hilde. Definitely prettier than Hilde." He felt something inside release at just saying that. "I'm prettier than... Zechs." He wanted to laugh, the satisfaction filling him from those words. "I'm prettier than... Howard."
"You think so?" came Howard's voice over the radio, startling Heero so much he jumped.
" ...Howard... how long have you been listening?"
Howard's laughter came over the connection. "Long enough. Please, continue. Duo forgot to mention that he has to buy those drinks. I want to see him broke before the night's over, so I'm keeping count for you."
Heero smirked in spite of himself and answered with, "I'm prettier than... Treize."
Duo put on his headset. His violet eyes widened as he heard "I'm prettier than... Wufei" come across the airwaves. His grin spread across his face as he realized that Heero had read the letter he'd left for him before the fight -- that he'd forgotten to remove before the race -- and was playing Solo's favorite game. He sat there, listening as the Japanese driver named off several of their crew. He didn't say anything, not wanting to ruin the moment; Heero was actually chuckling as he named off a couple more of their less-than -attractive competition, Howard muttering agreements now and then, apparently keeping track of the number. Hearing the familiar names being listed made Duo remember the last time he and Solo had done this, and he felt the tears fill his eyes.
"Welcome to Daytona!" the announcer said, bringing everyone to attention. "Please rise for the presentation of the flag by the United States-Alliance Air Force Color Guard."
Duo took off his cap, his eyes focusing on the Stars and Stripes that still represented the United States of America. As the national anthem played, he sung along. When the announcement was made that they would be honoring a former racecar driver who had died at Daytona several decades ago, he felt his heart constrict. He'd received the list right before they'd left for Florida. This time, they would be standing on lap three for Dale Earnhardt. The last race of the season here, they would be standing for lap seven... for Solo Maxwell.
"Now, to begin the race, please welcome Nobel Peace Prize Winner and former President of the World Council for Unification, Marshall Noventa."
Duo looked at the man standing on the podium and smiled. Duo's eyes searched the crowd around the platform... and saw her. Standing close by, Sylvia was still as lovely as ever; in fact, she was even lovelier than before. Duo felt that ache settle in his heart again. Solo would have loved to see the woman she had become. His brother had known how to choose a pretty face; the girl he was looking at had surprised Solo by being much more than that.
"Ladies and gentlemen... start your engines!"
Duo held his breath as Heero started Wing; the engine roared to life effortlessly. Duo then turned to Trowa and Wufei, who came up beside him, and smiled. The racecars begin to move, following the pace car out. Duo closed his eyes and said a silent prayer.
'God, please keep him safe. I named the car 'Angel' for a reason. Please let Angel-Wing protect him the way Falcon couldn't Solo. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen." He made the sign of the cross unconsciously, kissing his fingers before pressing them against the material covering the actual golden cross he wore underneath his race suit. With that done, he focused his attention onto the racers. After three laps, the pace car broke off, the starter satisfied with the alignment.
As the green glad flew, the announcer uttered the words that had become famous to all racing fans worldwide. "Boogety, boogety, boogety!"
Daytona was under way.
End Part 5
(:./tk/start5)
