"Conversations"

Written By: Artemis

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing and its characters are copyright to Sunrise, Bandai, Sotsu Agency, and associated parties. I make no money with this fic.

Rating: NC 17

Warnings: yaoi lemon

Pairings: 6x2, implied 3x4

Summary: A televid call connects Treize and Relena in the Sank Kingdom, to the GAIA pilots aboard the Peacemillion in orbit, for some personal conversations.

"Conversations "

2)
After wandering the Peacemillion for a good thirty minutes, it was inevitable that the three Gundam pilots made their way to the main docking bay where their Gundams were stored. Each boy went to his own suit, admiring it and looking up at it as though it was an extension of himself.

The Gundams were space-worthy now... ready to do battle in outer space... but no one was anxious for a fight. If their new alliance had taught them anything it was that peace didn't have to be bloody. Brief missions to speak with the colonists were scheduled for the coming days and all signs pointed to their success.

Duo was especially glad that Deathscythe had followed him to space. Not that he felt defenseless without it, but he had recently discovered that he liked having the familiar around him. Deathscythe had been with him in the worst of times and it was only right that it shared the best of times, too. Before Zechs, Duo had lived day-to-day never knowing where he'd be sleeping or even if he'd get a hot meal. Now he had a lover who meant more to him than life itself, and who had pledged himself to him. It seemed more than a boy could dream for... and yet it was real.

"I'll see you later," Heero said, calling over to Duo and Quatre. His eyes met Quatre's briefly and then the dark-haired boy nodded and pushed off, floating up and disappearing into his Gundam's cockpit.

"Okay!" Duo said and waved, thinking for the hundredth time that he was glad to be back in low gravity again. Though his life as a Sweeper hadn't been great, he had enjoyed the feeling of "freedom" that near-weightlessness gave him.

As he walked over to Quatre, Duo couldn't help but notice that his friend's attention was glued to Wing Gundam. "Something caught your interest?" he asked, amused at Quatre's gaping mouth.

"Huh?" Quatre asked, still gazing up. [His eyes are so blue....]

"Hey!" Duo said as he sidled up to his friend, slugging him in the arm. [Is he mooning over Heero now? Oh, man... I don't even wanna know.]

"Oh, it's nothing, Duo," Quatre said at last, giving his head a little shake and then looking at his best friend.

"It was nice hanging out. I think Heero enjoyed it, too," Duo said, pleased that his friendship with Heero was restored.

"Yeah, it was fun. Thanks for showing us where the best snack machines are," Quatre said with a little giggle.

"No problem. I think I'll swing by there on my way back to my room. Zechs should've had plenty of time to himself by now," Duo said, chuckling.

"So even Zechs gets tired of all the chatter?" the blond boy asked, joking, but Duo only frowned. "Oh, come on, Duo!" he said, tugging on the sleeve of his friend's black jacket. "I'm only kidding! Zechs loves you... and word is he can't get enough of you."

Duo's smile returned... the pout had been only to tease Quatre. "You're not kidding he can't get enough!" Duo crowed triumphantly. He would've loved to go on, since he and Quatre shared intimate details of their love life with each other, but with Trowa away, Duo didn't think it was right. He knew his friend was missing his lover and there was no telling how much longer that separation would last with Trowa being undercover in OZ here in space.

"I think you should ask Heero to dinner tonight," Duo said, tossing his head toward Wing Gundam. "He'd just as soon eat alone, but he needs the companionship."

"Well, maybe I could ask him to join me and Miss Noin..."

"No, no, no," Duo said, shaking his head and waving his hands. "Leave the ladies out of it. Sometimes guys just need to be with guys. Ask Howard, too, if you want. He's always good for a story or two."

"What about you, Duo? Why don't you join us?"

"Ah, I think I've got plans for the evening." After he'd said that he saw the change in Quatre's face. The look that told him he was missing Trowa again. "Oh, I'm sure we'll just be reading poetry or something boring like that," he said with a wink. It wasn't entirely a lie. Zechs did sometimes read excerpts of novels to him.

Quatre smiled. "You reading poetry? Now that I'd like to see."

"Hey, I can be a romantic kind of guy!"

"Sure," Quatre said, suppressing a giggle. "I think I'll hang around here a bit longer. Maybe I'll see you later?"

"Yeah, sure," Duo said, turning on his heels and giving a wave.

He stuck to his plan and headed back to the room he shared with Zechs via his favorite snack machine. After tucking two chocolate bars and a box of licorice in his pockets he pushed off and floated the rest of the way, humming and whistling much of the time. There was nothing sweeter than knowing that gorgeous blond man was waiting for his return.

Just as Duo rounded the corner and came up to the door to their room, the chocolate bars fell from his pocket. He stopped his humming and bent to pick them up, then opened the door to their shared quarters. He was just about to shout his standard greeting, 'honey, I'm home!' when he heard voices. Moving much more slowly and quietly than usual, Duo scanned the room with wide eyes. There, at the computer monitor, sat Zechs with his back to him. He was taking a call.

[Could it be an important call from Treize?] Duo wondered when his lover didn't hear him enter. Then he heard the distinct tone of a girl's voice. [Relena?] That piqued his curiosity and he crept a little closer. If Zechs was talking to Relena then this was a very important call.

Zechs's pale eyes glinted. "A lifetime ago, that was for me, Relena," he replied, nodding. "I am no longer that cocksure young pilot. Blood stains my hands, but I am slowly cleansing myself of that stain. I fight now, not for revenge, but for peace."

[It is Relena!] Duo thought, his eyes widening. To be sure he didn't disturb Zechs, Duo moved away to the far wall and leaned against it. He had a feeling this would be a long call.

"I understand, Brother," Relena murmured, her eyes wide, remembering the proud little soldier who had saved her that day. She'd been appalled by his supreme confidence and smug superiority. "Oh, Milliardo, is it really true what Mr. Treize says? That you killed the general who murdered our family?"

[Geez, why she'd have to bring that up? That girl has no sense,] Duo thought as he crossed his arms in frustration over his chest.

Abashed, Zechs ducked his head as a wave of strong emotion shuddered through him at the reminder from his little sister's lips. "Yes," he replied, his voice haunted. "But you have no idea how I've changed."

"I'm glad you killed him," the girl said a little severely.

"You should not be," he retorted, stabbing her again with his gaze, his eyes fiery. "That is no answer, revenge. The sweetness lasts but a short time. I am appalled to hear you speak so, Relena. Perhaps Treize has not had a good influence on you after all."

[Way to go, Zechs!] Duo crowed internally.

"Oh, no, Milliardo, I didn't mean..." Relena was surprised at herself. [He expects what Treize does - and I am not getting very far by holding onto this hatred in my own heart. I think I can learn a lot from my brother...] "Please, Treize *has* been a good influence. He's taught me so much about balance. While I believe strongly that negotiation is the only true way to find peace, I know sometimes there can be cause for more... radical measures. Hopefully neither of us, Brother, will ever have to use those measures again."

"That's better," Zechs murmured, subsiding. "Then perhaps you *are* learning how to be a Princess of Sank." He snorted wryly. "It is sad, is it not, dear little sister, how the children of King Peacecraft are not able to learn how to follow our father except through the intervention of others."

"Milliardo?" [He... he called me 'dear'??]

Again he bowed his head. "Treize is teaching you. And I am taught by one who has given my life hope when I had none whatsoever. Revenge had already turned to bitterness and disillusionment within me. I was slowly dying inside, and because I believed I'd ruined my soul too much to be the Peacecraft heir, I had not even my homeland to turn to. Or... you."

[Huh?] Duo wondered, scratching his head. [Could he be talking about me?]

[Who is it?] Relena was wondering, her eyes wide as she stared at her amazing brother. [Treize said he had a lover...] "You felt you'd... ruined your soul? Oh, Milliardo, that's not true..."

"You cannot know!" Zechs snapped, then sighed. "Dear sister, you have no idea. That entity - Milliardo Peacecraft - had long been silent and dormant within me, shoved deep inside by the soldier I'd become. Only one man has enabled me to find him again." He took a deep breath. "You do not know the many dark memories I've had to bear." [So many have died... Walker... Otto...]

[He's right, I don't know... oh, my poor brother...] Relena felt an ache in her heart, seeing the pain in her own sibling. "I'm glad you've found... someone, Milliardo. It seems this... relationship has been good for you, or so Treize assures me."

"Treize said that?" Zechs asked, surprised. [Huh, and he was just challenging me over it...]

"Yes," Relena replied firmly. "No one knows you like Treize does, it seems. I'm glad you have him for a friend."

[Treize, yeah, right. Like he really knows *my* Zechs!] Duo thought, lifting his chin defiantly. He felt assured that he was the only one who truly knew Zechs, just as Zechs was the only one who truly knew him.

Zechs just nodded. [I would have loved to have kept Relena from all of this... but she's a Peacecraft, too. We Peacecrafts are just unable to stay in the background, it seems...]

"Your... partner," Relena ventured gently. "It sounds like, um, he's been very good for you. Can you tell me what he's like?"

Duo gulped. Now he felt like he shouldn't be here. [Maybe I should go?] he wondered, but his curiosity kept his feet firmly planted.

[She knows it's a 'he',] Zechs noted immediately. [Treize told her that much, I remember. I can see she wants to accept that... about me.] "Yes," he began, relaxing a little. "He's energetic, positive, bold and audacious..." Zechs couldn't help smiling, thinking of his robust little partner. "And he has a sweet side, though I'm possibly the only person who gets to see it."

The Gundam pilot's jaw dropped open on hearing the gushing description of himself. [Wow! Oh, Zechs...] Duo thought with a sigh and leaned more heavily against the wall, his legs quivering with delight.

[It's so good to see him smile!] Relena was thinking as her brother was speaking. She wondered if Milliardo didn't want to reveal the man's name, so she didn't ask. "You love him," she declared, smiling as well. "I can see it in your eyes, Milliardo. I'm very happy for you. It seems he has done you a great deal of good."

Zechs nodded. [Maybe she won't ask who it is... it might be better if she doesn't know it's someone her own age...] "He has," he replied simply.

Relena chuckled. "I told Miss Noin that I could see her and you together," she commented with a wink. "Guess I was all wrong about that!"

[Damn straight you were wrong!] Duo thought defensively as he stood more upright again.

"Noin and I are very good friends," Zechs explained. "I know she cares deeply for me, but there's never been anything... romantic between us."

[Darn... well, it's important he's happy,] Relena thought, then added, "So will you be coming home after the war, Brother? Mr. Treize tells me the Earthsphere could be past any further danger of war in a few months."

[She's so naive still...] "Relena, I cannot think about that yet," he answered firmly. "My work now, whether in negotiating with colonies or in fighting OZ, comes first and I cannot allow myself to contemplate the future. Even so, my purpose for my work has changed, and I now do what I do for the sake of the peace to come. So I hope for peace, dear sister, but I do not plan for it, not yet. And only when my hands are free of the stains can I come home. Please... understand this."

The man's plea touched Duo deeply and he reached out his hand to Zechs even though they were several meters apart. [He still feels unworthy...] The knowledge of that fact made Duo's heart ache for his prince. [He is determined to set things right and I admire that. I just wish there was more I could do for him...]

Relena felt her eyes fill with tears. [That's so sad; my brother does not believe he can come home while he still functions as a soldier. And it's plain he still considers himself to be that. I wonder if his lover is a soldier, too...]

"Milliardo, I will try," she replied at last, blinking back her tears. "And I will pray that the peace you are now working so hard for does come to pass. The Sank Kingdom needs you..."

"Then don't say things like that, Relena!" Zechs exclaimed, his hand coming up in a sharp gesture of denial. "Do not speak of Sank to me... not now." He straightened, his composure swiftly returning. "We are soon going on a mission to visit one of the last colonies to accept OZ's control. I am hopeful they will even join us, being decent people who wish only to achieve independence for the colonies. I must focus and concentrate on them now."

"Yes, of course," Relena murmured contritely. [He will be King of Sank one day, no doubt about it. Milliardo, you wear a crown now, and don't even realize it. I only hope I can do as much good on Earth as you are doing in space... and if love has helped you to become the man I see before me, then I need to thank whomever has warmed your soldier's heart to care for the colonies so...]

"Your work with Treize is going well, then?" Zechs asked, hoping to draw the conversation to a close; he wanted to see if Duo was finished visiting with the other pilots yet.

[Poor Zechs,] Duo thought. [I can't imagine what this is doing to him... seeing his sister like this... not being able to be with her and guide her. And to have to rely on Treize of all people!] Of course, Duo's distrust of Treize was not shared by Zechs, but still the little Gundam pilot's feelings persisted. Perhaps one day, after he had finally met Treize in person, he would change his mind, but the thought made him shiver.

Relena straightened automatically. "Oh, yes, I believe so, Brother. We have been studying a great deal of history, political theory, and sociology, and he says my manners are... improved." She let loose a tiny giggle. "I believe that I still worry him on that matter, but I don't suppose he's going to be able to train my tendency to be headstrong out of me completely."

Zechs gave her a tight little smile. "You are my sibling indeed. I suffer from the same ailment."

[Heh, I'll say,] Duo thought with a little snort.

"Mr. Treize says you have more manners than me," Relena replied with a smirk.

"He's being kind," Zechs responded with a little incline of his head. Then he looked at his sister more closely, his closest blood relative. "Relena, I am confident that you will use Treize's guidance to bring hope to many, and that our nation will once again lead other nations in a common hope for true peace in the Earthsphere. I promise you I will do everything in my power to make peace in outer space a reality. Once we have that peace... then, my dear little sister, you and I may speak once again of the future of our nation. Until then... be the strong Peacecraft Daughter you are, Relena, and make the spirits of our lost family members proud."

Duo sagged against the wall, lowering his head. [He has the burden of a nation on his shoulders. My sweet, Zechs, you worry so much...]

[I will NOT cry!] Relena told herself sternly, though her brother's powerful words moved her deeply. "Oh, Milliardo, I hope I can meet that expectation! We have a wonderful legacy to draw upon. I pray I may be worthy of our name."

"You will be fine," he murmured, then remembered about her interest in the reticent Heero Yuy. "By the way, I note you haven't asked about your friend, Relena..."

She gasped and leaned forward as if straining. "You mean Heero?" Hastily Relena subsided, knowing how she must look like a love-sick, foolish girl. "Yes, I understand Heero Yuy is there in space with the rest of GAIA. He is well, I trust?" [I *won't* ask to talk to him, I won't!]

[Oh, listen to that,] Duo thought as he looked up again. [She's trying to act all nonchalant like she doesn't give a damn!]

"Yes," Zechs replied, noting with amusement her efforts not to gush over the boy who'd so caught her interest. "Heero is a very intense young man, highly skilled in computer systems - he's been invaluable to us in that area. He's been on one or two missions himself here in space, mostly to contact his former associates in the L1 colony cluster networks of former rebels against the Alliance."

Relena's eyes were wide, revealing her fascination. "All the Gundam pilots are there now, aren't they? Mr. Treize has told me so little..."

[Heero's told me about her intense curiosity,] Zechs noted, holding in a smile. Though a moment ago he'd been anxious to end the conversation, he found that he didn't mind the chat. Especially if he got to tell her about Duo after all. [This should be interesting...] "No, actually the pilot of the Gundam Shenlong, Chang Wufei, never joined GAIA."

[We're better off without him,] Duo thought bitterly, remembering the unpleasantness surrounding Wufei's arrival at Antarctica.

"Yes, that's right," Relena sighed. "Mr. Treize speaks of that one often. But, there are others?"

[Here we go...] "Certainly," Zechs explained. "Trowa Barton is undercover with OZ at present, but he is a soldier of GAIA, as is his own lover, Quatre Winner. Both are Gundam pilots."

"Oh, I see!" [Awfully young to be lovers... perhaps they're older?] "And that's all?"

"Not at all," Zechs countered, smiling easily. "I believe you're acquainted with the pilot of the Gundam Deathscythe, Duo Maxwell."

"Duo?" Relena frowned, puzzled. "I don't know anyone named Duo."

[What?! How could she forget me?!] Duo wondered with much surprise. [Heero always says I'm too noticeable... I guess this proves him wrong.]

"No? He seems to think you do," Zechs replied, amused. "In fact, I believe he tried to save your life once by shooting Heero in the arm. That's the story I was told."

"Him??" Relena exclaimed, her eyes widening. "I know he rescued Heero later from an Alliance hospital and they were at the same school together when..." She stopped, her mind racing. "He's a Gundam pilot, too? I never knew his name. But... but... well, I know this applies to Heero, too, but aren't they just... kids?"

[Heh, that was a pretty spectacular rescue if I do say so myself,] Duo thought smugly. [But the kid remark...]

[I haven't been this amused in a long time,] Zechs thought, stifling a chuckle. "You think Heero Yuy is a kid? And you're the same age as they are. So you're a 'kid', too?"

"No, I mean yes, I mean..." Relena made a frown which turned into a pout. "I like to think that the experiences of life I've encountered in these last few months have caused me to grow up... a little."

"My point exactly," Zechs returned. He leaned forward, warming to the subject. "Heero, of course, has encountered things you can barely dream about. I can no longer think of him as merely a boy. And as for Duo..."

Duo's ears perked up, hearing his name spoken so sweetly. He straightened, pushing away from the wall a little. [Yeah? Go on...]

To Relena's wonder, her brother's statement changed. It seemed to gentle, warm... "Duo hasn't been a kid in several important ways for a long time, Relena. Sure, he's young and energetic and lively, but he's also very adult... and as a soldier, he's entrusted with a powerful weapon, the Gundam. He's also seen a great deal of life and has been on his own for a long time."

[And to think at one point I thought he didn't respect me... what, was I nuts?] Duo wondered as he grinned happily.

"Oh," Relena murmured when Zechs paused. "Well, he was pretty expert at handling that gun, all right, and he was amazing getting Heero out of that hospital. I guess..." She paused, frowning again.

"You guess what?" Zechs prompted her. The gun was an unwelcome reminder that Duo had nearly killed *him* with it, but Zechs felt he was pretty much over that fear. A soldier had a need for a sidearm, and Zechs would not want Duo going on missions without some protection.

Relena sighed and shrugged. "I guess I still don't know what that means - Gundam pilot. It sounds like you're all a special breed of person or something."

"You're?" Zechs straightened, looking intently at his sister.

"Well, Treize seems to put you in the same category, so to speak, as those... pilots," Relena explained, sighing again. "He says you're pretty extraordinary yourself. I don't know why, but it fascinates me. I've been around Heero the most... he's just the most incredible person I've ever known, I guess."

A smile graced the Prince of Sank's handsome features as he glanced away, reflecting on her words. "I think that about Duo. I've never known anyone like him. I was so disillusioned, Relena, until I met him. Finally, with Duo at my side, I can truly embrace peace as a goal to work for... a peace in which we can live our lives."

The boy with the long braid took a half step forward. Now he desperately wanted to be in Zechs's arms, but he wouldn't interrupt this conversation.

Zechs looked up to see his sister staring at him in shock. Then he realized what he'd revealed. [So be it. Of course she should know. And I want her to. I want everyone to know.] "Yes," he confirmed, nodding. "Duo Maxwell is my lover."

tbc!

Chapter 3

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