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"Regained "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, masturbation, angst, violence,
language Pairings: 6x2, 3x4, mention of 13+11, R+1 Summary: Sequel to Interfacing: Lost. GAIA, the
new alliance, fights its first battle in Antarctica; Duo and Zechs
begin to rebuild their relationship "Regained" Chapter 13
"Miss Relena," Pargan interrupted her reverie over the intercom. "Could you come here, please? You have a call." "I'll be right there," Relena sighed, rising from her seat. //This better be Noin...// In the cockpit, she sat down in the co-pilot's seat and put on the headset that Pargan handed her. "Yes, who is this?" Relena asked, not deigning to introduce herself first. "Hmmm," came a deep, male voice that sounded vaguely familiar. "Interesting. That's not a proper greeting according to the training you've received, Miss Dorlan. I know you've been taught better." //I note he's not introducing himself, either - who is he?// "This is Relena Peacecraft of the Sank Kingdom," she snapped. "Who is this, please?" In Luxembourg, Treize Khushrenada grinned to himself, remembering the little light-brown-haired spitfire he'd met in Moscow - Zechs's sister, the princess of Sank. "That's so much better!" he chuckled. "Never forget your manners, my dear." "I am not your 'dear', and you haven't exactly introduced yourself, good sir," Relena replied, blushing. "You have me at a disadvantage as you obviously know who I am." "Ah, yes, sorry about that..." Treize took a long, delicious swallow of a new red wine pressing he had decided to sample. //Hmmm, needs four months in the barrel, I think...// "I am not at liberty to tell you my name at the moment, Miss Peacecraft. I can only tell you that I am a friend of peace." //Cryptic fellow... but he sounds like an aristocrat,// Relena noted, irritated. "What is that supposed to mean?" Treize straightened, choosing to get down to business. "It means, Princess, that you must listen to the very good advice that I am about to give you - if you love peace as much as I do." The girl paled. Pargan, listening beside her on his own headset, merely widened his eyes. He had no idea either who it was, though he could start guessing. "I do love peace," Relena replied soberly. "Very well, what is your advice?" //Intelligent girl,// Treize mused. //Good genes in that bloodline. Pity she'll be the only one to pass them along...// "You are heading for Barclay Base on Antarctica, yes?" Relena felt faint, her heart skipping a beat. It was the lick of danger touching her young life again, the same as when she first met Heero Yuy, though this was somehow darker and sinister... but only because it held so much power, not because it endangered her person. "Yes," she replied tersely. "How did you know?" "That was not a guess, in case you were wondering," Treize noted smoothly. He held up the next glass of wine, inspecting its color intently. "I have many eyes and ears... but that's another matter. Princess, I have heard that you are traveling to meet a Gundam pilot of your acquaintance named Heero Yuy. While your intentions are honorable, you must not approach that base under any circumstances. Doing so will endanger those who gather there to form a new alliance to work for peace. And that, my dear Princess, I cannot allow you to do." He brought the glass down to his nose and inhaled deeply of the bouquet. "New alliance?" Relena gasped, surprised. //Heero is joining an alliance to work for peace? He's not fighting anymore? Oh, but I must see him, I must know that he is alive!!// "Why... why can't I go? I would like to meet with them and lend them my support if they are allying against..." She stopped short of admitting what she knew, about the real power in the world. "Romefeller?" Treize offered helpfully, grinning. "It's all right, you can admit treason over this very private and secure line..." "What?" Relena scowled, folding her arms over her chest petulantly. "I owe that body no allegiance!" "No?" Treize chuckled, enjoying teasing Zechs's sister perversely. That he was dabbling quite heavily in treason himself only made the game all the sweeter. "Forgive me, I misspoke, Princess. At any rate, OZ is looking quite extensively for an individual known as Zechs Merquise in the region of the world in which you are flying. He is critical to the future peace of this planet, as are all who are gathering there to join him. If you go there, you will be ensuring his death." Relena thought the man on the other end was either mad, overly confident, or simply correct. If the latter, she had better heed his words. //I could lead OZ right to Heero...// "You're saying I'll lead OZ to the base, aren't you?" she replied worriedly. "That, Princess, is exactly my point. Very astute assessment. Your training is finally showing." Treize took a sip from the glass and swished the sample of wine around in his mouth. //Hmmm, notes of vanilla, blackberry, and, ah, yes, rose...// "Thank you," Relena replied, feeling very strange about this odd conversation. "But I must see Heero Yuy! I have a very important letter to deliver to him from the widow of Marshall Noventa." Hastily Treize put his hand over the receiver and coughed, spitting the wine hastily into a receptacle at hand. //First Zechs hounds me about Noventa and the others, now his sister... damn...// It took him a full ten seconds to compose himself. "Is there, ah, Princess, any reason why you can't read the letter to him over the radio?" he hastily said when he could speak again. "Why, um..." Relena sat stunned. Not see Heero? //The man says I'll be endangering him. I'll be leading OZ to find the new peacemakers. If this Colonel Zechs is there... is he leading this new alliance? Has he left OZ? Or is this OZ in another disguise?// "Is Heero in danger?" "I assure you, dear girl, that Heero Yuy is only in danger if you go there. And you put your own life at considerable risk as well. OZ is likely monitoring your plane's position as we speak." Treize patted at his forehead with a handkerchief. //I must be losing my touch. This New Edwards thing is getting to me more and more...// Relena turned to her companion. "Pargan, could it be true? What do you think?" By now, the old Sank retainer had a fair idea who had enough power to intercept their plane by radio. Nodding slowly, Pargan replied, "I believe it's entirely likely we're being monitored. Yes." Then he turned to the girl more fully. "Miss Relena, if you would allow me to speak to this gentleman in private, I believe I can determine the course we need to take. Do you trust me?" The girl sagged in relief. "Pargan, I realize well that I have little experience with such matters. By all means, talk to him and see what we should do. Yes, I trust you. But I must somehow get the message in this letter to Heero, you do understand that, don't you?" "Yes, of course, Miss Relena. Excuse me..." Pargan put a handout for her headset. Sighing, the girl handed it over then went to return to the body of the plane proper. Once Relena was gone and the door to the pilot's cabin shut again, Pargan took a deep breath and reported, "She's returned to her seat." "Thank you - Pargan, isn't it?" Treize murmured, all business now. "Yes..." "This is Treize Khushrenada." "Oh, dear God," the old man sighed. "I thought so. You'd better do some explaining." "Of course, Pargan," Treize replied. He was leaning forward in his chair, no longer lounging at ease. "I'll be quick. I assume you know who Zechs Merquise really is?" Pargan felt his heart skip a beat at the name. "I... can guess, sir." "Very well," Treize continued smoothly. "He and four Gundam pilots are at Barclay Base right now, hopefully to forge an alliance to oppose Romefeller's new militarization efforts. My... opposition to those efforts is a secret, of course, and I will continue to foil those efforts in private as long as I can. Publically, I must appear to support the Foundation. It's a waiting game for me, Pargan, one that it is currently my role to play now. Eventually I'll be forced to resign from OZ and either martyred or kept under house arrest. But until then, I must help Zechs any way I can." //My God, I think he's sincere,// the old man thought, stunned. "Yes, sir, I quite understand. I am relieved to hear you are helping... Zechs." "Thank you," Treize replied, relaxing a bit. The old retainer always was a very sensible person, he remembered. "Zechs is also adamant about keeping his true identity a secret. He does not want any of his actions with this new alliance to cause Romefeller to turn against the Sank Kingdom. Relena must not know about him. It will be better this way for now." "I... see your point, sir," Pargan murmured, disappointed. He'd been wondering when Prince Milliardo would claim the throne, now that the kingdom had been liberated. //There are still fights to fight... and he's a soldier now.// "You wish me to protect the Princess by keeping her brother's identity and whereabouts secret." "That's the picture, my good man," Treize sighed. "It must be so right now. So... you will turn your plane around? I will arrange for Relena to talk to Heero Yuy." Pargan checked their course. "Forgive me if I must do this my way, sir. Our screens are clear and we're still in Nairobi airspace. I will be happy to turn the plane around as soon as Miss Relena has delivered her message." //Think I'm that gullible, do you?// //Hmmm, no one wants to trust me,// Treize mused, sighing. //I suppose that's to be expected.// "Very well. Stand by, please, while I make the connection." Pargan smiled. Then he called Relena to return to the front. The connection was closed, the computer set to standby. Zechs stood up slowly and finally glanced over at Duo, whom he realized had been staring at him for some time. He came around from behind the desk to approach him. "Are you all right?" he asked, looking concerned. "Who me?" Duo asked, pointing to himself and trying to act nonchalant about the whole thing. He was feeling a bit off... as if he couldn't be sure he knew Zechs at all. The man's friendship with Treize was hard to understand, being privy to this conversation had been awkward to say the least, and then there had been that odd remark about an obsession with Heero. //I just need time to think. No sense in making a big deal about any of this now,// Duo thought, and then managed a little grin. "Sure I'm all right. Why wouldn't I be?" Zechs stood in front of Duo's chair and reached out his hands to him. "I know how you feel about Treize..." "Oh, that," Duo said. The offer of Zechs's hands was readily accepted as he stood and took them into his own. "Well, I'm not going to pretend I wasn't uncomfortable listening to that call." //Or the fact that you're friends with that monster.// "I'm sorry about that," Zechs murmured as he drew Duo's arms around his waist and then circled Duo's shoulders with his, pulling him close. "And there is something I need to say that came up in that conversation, Duo... but I want you close first..." "Mmmm," Duo sighed as his hands went around the slender waist. //This is good. He's coming to me... wanting to be close,// he thought happily. "Is it something about your name... Milliardo?" he asked with a little smile. "Should I call you that now?" "No!" Zechs said a little too sharply, then he shook his head and gave him an apologetic smile. "Sorry, no, I really do not care to use that name for a long time, perhaps never. Treize uses it to tease me, I think... I've never been able to get him to stop. That person - Milliardo Peacecraft -is someone who may one day return in the far-off future when peace is once more at hand. Then I can perhaps go home to Sank and take that name up again. I don't know... but that's not what I wanted to talk to you about." His expression darkened a little even as his embrace tightened. The extreme response startled Duo, but the continued embrace was a comfort. "Okay, okay... I'll keep calling you Zechs," he said, in understanding. "I didn't know Treize was the only one who called you that. And I certainly don't want to be like him," he snorted. "Good," Zechs murmured. Then he felt a wave of need, thrilling to have his Dancer back so close to him. //Don't think about it,// he told himself, ignoring the fluttering in his stomach. //He's unsettled, having to listen to Treize. You have got to reassure him... and you need it, too...// With a deep sigh, he picked Duo up and set him on top of the credenza to bring them closer to an equal height, setting himself between the startled boy's legs. "Dancer, Treize says things just to tease me," Zechs murmured, looking into widened eyes. "However I *am* obsessed with a Gundam pilot... and his name is Duo Maxwell. I assure you... you're definitely the only one." "Zechs," Duo said, blinking and a little breathless from the maneuver. "You're the only one, too." //Can he really be obsessed with me?// he wondered. But with the tall blond between his legs, Duo's libido was stirring big time and his thoughts were quickly going south. //Nothing sexual, remember! Think unsexy thoughts... think unsexy thoughts.// "Hey, I completely understand. Like you said, Treize likes to tease you," he said, brushing it off as if the remark had not hurt him. But he knew that even teasing remarks could be partially true. //Completely understand?// Zechs thought, taken aback. Duo's words were not heart-felt; even the "you're the only one" was tossed off without his usual fervor. //That stung him, did it?// Zechs, one arm around his lover still, brought a hand up to clasp the boy's chin, directing the casual gaze to meet his. "I didn't give you enough attention this morning, I see," he breathed a bit huskily. "We were rather rudely interrupted, if you recall." Zechs inclined his head a little, the platinum tendrils nearly brushing against Duo's face. //Interrupted from what? There's a ban on sex... remember?// Duo griped mentally as he gazed up into those eyes like pools of blue ice. "Yeah," he snorted, trying not to think about how close Zechs's face was to his. "I couldn't even think straight with that siren going off." "No sirens now," Zechs murmured, his mouth curving into an amused smile. "And we don't even have to think right now if we don't want." He leaned in closer and brushed his nose against Duo's cheek in a little caress, still holding his chin. "Do you know how good it feels just to be close to you like this? To smell your scent and touch your skin... listen to your breathing..." //I need him... need to get past my fears... need to be close, to love him... it... it's okay, he trusts me and I won't ever hurt him...// //Is he seducing me?// Duo wondered, his face going warm with the caress to his cheek. His ear tickled at the contact of nose and warm, breathy words on his cheek. It made him giggle, and his mind flashed on him and Zechs tumbling in bed... laughing as they made love. //I want that back. But I don't understand what *this* is. I thought he didn't want anything sexual between us...// "Zechs," Duo said finally, very softly, anxiously... trembling. "Please, I want you, but this is confusing me." //He's... he's trembling!// Zechs straightened, stunned, releasing him immediately. "Duo! I... I don't understand... I didn't mean..." His heart started to pound, the fear response surging back up. "Oh, God, Duo, I'm sorry... I didn't mean to be confusing..." He ached to touch him again. "I just wanted to be close to you... I thought... I thought you wanted that? I..." Then he shut up. //There's no way I'm going to be able to make love to him again unless I work up to it... like this. How can he bear that? I guess it's unreasonable... shit, I should be telling him this... but how can I?// "Yes, I want that! I want you, Zechs! Close to me, talking to me like that, and touching me," Duo said, his voice raised and his heart pounding. //I just scared him off again. What kind of fool am I?// "But you're giving me a hard-on! And what am I supposed to do about that? Certainly not act on it... You said you didn't want anything sexual between us." He pounded his fists on his thighs then and set his jaw in frustration. With moist eyes he added tightly, "I'm really trying to do this your way." //Shit... if he's so turned on just by touching me... now what?// Zechs leaned his weight back on one foot, crossing his arms over his chest a bit defensively. "And my way isn't working at all for you," he replied in a low voice. "I need the closeness, the touching, everything I was doing just to work up to kissing you, to resume some kind of intimacies with you... but you can't handle that. It's all or nothing... hands off so we don't get aroused or fuck like animals..." Zechs turned away, head bowed, feeling a tight hurt in his chest. //I was expecting too much... he's too young to be able to handle a little sexual tension... I should just stay away from him for a while... don't know what I was thinking anyway... we've got a war to wage...// "Then I guess it's hands off. I won't try that again." That stung badly. Duo felt a strong mix of hurt and anger from Zechs's words. Unfortunately he acted on those feelings without thought. "Is that what we were doing in Cairo? Fucking like animals?" Duo asked fiercely. "Well, hey, here's a news flash for you... I can live without you touching me," he said, jumping down from the credenza and walking over to the door. //No, I can't actually, but it looks like I'll have to now...// "Duo, wait!" Zechs called out abruptly. "Please, don't leave," he added firmly. //Or else I'll likely never hold you in my arms again.// The younger man halted in his tracks. A shiver shot up his spine as he slowly turned back to face the other man. "Yes?" Duo asked, a bit impatiently, but thankfully refrained from adding any snide remarks. Unfolding his arms, Zechs took a step closer. "You're absolutely right, Duo," he said in a subdued voice. "That's not what we were doing in Cairo. And I apologize for my tone... and lack of faith. But you're also wrong... and so am I." He took a deep breath, his ice blue eyes concernedly searching the other's for some hope. "You cannot live without touching me... and I cannot live without touching you." Duo gasped. He'd expected to be told to keep his distance. That they were back to square one... or none. Instead Zechs was opening up to him, truly admitting his obsession. But as yet, Duo was frozen, mouth gaping. Bowing his head, Zechs plunged on, unwilling to see what he half-expected would be more rejection in those cobalt orbs. "Even more, Duo, I want you... I want to make love with you again. We can be... somewhat sexual. I just don't think I can be ready for intercourse... but I want more with you, more like what we had... I love you... I want to show you how much. I need the intimacy... even if it leads to sex." Feeling drained all of a sudden, he turned his head to the side, expecting more justly deserved contempt. With each sentence Zechs spoke, Duo found himself moving closer. Step by step until he was less than an arm's length away. "Zechs, I was about to walk out that door," he said, as if that hadn't been obvious enough at the time. He was a little dumbfounded at how they could be arguing one moment and then Zechs could be finding reasons for him to stay the next. //Well, it's obvious he's more mature than I am,// he thought. His mind was swirling from the about face. Just yesterday Zechs had been more than clear that Duo was to keep careful tabs on his sexuality. //Now he's saying everything but intercourse. Maybe I should've complained sooner?// he thought, half joking to himself. The older pilot glanced over, surprised to see Duo so near. "I... I couldn't let you..." He ached to just take the boy in his arms and kiss him, but he had to hear first Duo's conclusion. //He still could walk out...// "I'm sorry I let my sexual frustration get in the way of that very sweet moment," Duo said, now stepping to within a few inches of Zechs. He looked up at him, still not touching. "I got confused when I thought your rules had changed. Please believe me when I say I'm not trying to force you into anything you're not ready for. But I'm obsessed with a pilot, too," he smiled, saying that last part a little breathlessly. "I love you, Zechs... desperately," he said, and took the man's hands possessively in his own. "Thank you for stopping me from walking out that door. I was already regretting it." At the word "desperately", Zechs's eyes widened with shock and a thrill. //He's obsessed... with *me*?// Gazing at him intently, Zechs squeezed Duo's hands once then pulled out of the grasp in order to fold his long arms around his little lover, drawing him firmly against his body. "The rules," he began to explain in his low, husky voice, a little deeper for the emotion he was feeling, "are flexible. They will change as I become more comfortable with intimacy again, more relaxed about touching you... loving you. I promise I will communicate those changes more clearly from now on." He felt a slight tremor within Duo, but then he himself was trembling a little. "Thank you," Duo said with a deep sigh. "That sounds more than fair." He wrapped his arms around the man's middle, hugging Zechs tightly. "I don't want us to argue... I love you too much," he said, rubbing his cheek against the broad chest. Relief flushing through him, Zechs relaxed finally. "God, you feel so right in my arms, Duo... you belong here." He sighed and rested his head on top of Duo's. "I can't imagine anyone here but you..." "And I always want to be here for you, Zechs," Duo said, purring in the embrace. "It's very clear we need each other." They stood pressed together for a long minute, then a soft beeping started up from the computer on the desk. Sighing, Zechs released his lover. "That would be Treize, I'm hoping - he will have arranged the contact with Relena." But he added a quick little kiss to Duo's forehead and murmured close to his face, "I want more of this with you later..." The needy request stirred Duo's groin. "You got it!" he said, smiling brightly. Smiling at him, Zechs went to answer the call.
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