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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 27
Frowning, Zechs retorted, "Heero, I'm not about to give you orders." "Of course not," Heero replied smoothly, surprising the older pilot. "I noticed that about you already. It's one of the reasons I can be here." "Thank you. I didn't get involved with your friends in order to tell them what to do; I'm glad you picked that up." He rubbed at his face with one gloved hand, more tired than he would admit to himself. "But as long as you asked... I think if we hit each one in turn, together, it would be the most efficient method." "That's acceptable," Heero agreed. He began the transforming sequence to convert Wing from bird mode. Alongside him, Tallgeese was also transforming back into regular battle mode. "By the way, when we return, I need to have a long talk with you about this whole thing." "Yes, then we all should meet together." Zechs maneuvered Tallgeese's Dober rifle into position, preparing to fire. "Ready?" "Let's do it," Heero replied tersely. Side by side, Wing Gundam aimed its huge buster rifle at the first battleship as the Tallgeese aimed its Dober rifle. They fired in the same moment, and the battleship blew up in a massive explosion. Seconds later, the two mobile suits fired at the second battleship, and destroyed it, too. Zechs collapsed back against the pilot's chair wearily. "Heero... I look forward to the day when we don't have to fight anymore. Do you know... I once feared that? The end of fighting?" Stunned, Heero gaped at the image of the handsome blond man on his screen as they turned their mobile suits around for the trip back to the base. "What? The end of fighting?" He couldn't imagine such a thing. Did Zechs really believe they could make a lasting peace? "The end of fighting..." Zechs's voice trailed off. //And the beginning of a real life with Duo,// he thought, allowing himself a moment to reflect. //Will he be able to let go of the God of Death someday? Will we still be together at the end of the war?// "I can't get my brain around that right now," Heero admitted. "All I know is that I must keep fighting." He waited a moment to see if Zechs was going to reply, but nothing was forthcoming from the pilot of Tallgeese. //What is he thinking? I need to ask him about the alliance...// He opened a channel to the base. "This is Heero. Targets destroyed. We're returning to base." To his surprise, there was clapping on the other end. The three remaining Gundams made fast work of the dozen or so Aries that were still trying to cause havoc. With the last one destroyed, they returned to the base exhausted, but eager to celebrate their decisive victory. In the hangar, the pilots quickly alighted from their Gundams. Duo stretched like a cat as he emerged from his cockpit and tore open a protein bar, stuffing it into his mouth. By the time he descended to the hangar floor, Trowa and Quatre were already in a tender embrace, looking into each other's eyes and speaking quietly. Duo sighed, missing his Zechs terribly at that moment. Quatre must have *sensed* that sigh, because he turned to face Duo and smiled. "We did it!" "Yeah, we sure did, buddy," Duo said, smiling right back. If Trowa hadn't been there, he would've ruffled Quatre's hair or punched him in the arm as a show of friendship, but instead he kept a few paces off from them, not wanting to interrupt. Duo was still unsure about Trowa. Though he'd heard plenty about him while staying with Quatre in Arabia, he had yet to make an effort to get acquainted with the pilot of Heavyarms. //Guess I've been a little preoccupied...// "You did good, Duo," Trowa said quietly, releasing his little lover and folding his arms over his chest. He moved to stand just behind Quatre's shoulder, which could have seemed a protective posture, but it would be more accurate to say that it was a more secure position, letting Quatre deal with the outgoing American pilot up front. "You didn't do so bad yourself," Duo said, taking note of the other boy's posture. //Hmm. What's up with him? He couldn't possibly think that I'm interested in Quatre... Though I do seem to have a thing for blonds.// His thoughts brought a little smile to his face, but he suppressed a laugh. Trowa was a serious customer and it wouldn't do to be laughing just now. "Thanks," Trowa murmured, then when Quatre pushed back at him a little teasingly with a hip, a small curve of a smile actually grew upon the reticent pilot's lips. "I'm glad I could help." "So, that means you're joining the alliance?" Duo asked, stepping a little closer to the pair, and showing he wasn't threatened at all... if that was Trowa's intention. Trowa didn't move a muscle, didn't blink one eyelid at the apparent challenge. He thought he could sense the sudden tension in his lover. //I've decided,] he realized, [so it's okay to tell them.// "Looks that way... yeah," Trowa said quietly after a pause. "Tro!" Quatre exclaimed, all smiles as he flung his arms around the taller boy for a quick, tight hug. "That's wonderful. Thank you! I knew you'd see the good in what we're trying to accomplish here." "Yeah, that's great. Welcome aboard," Duo grinned. //Looks like Quatre has it all now... the alliance and his man. Good for him. He deserves it.// "Quatre...!" Trowa murmured, embarrassed, his cheeks pinking from the physical display in public. "Ah, thanks," he murmured to Duo, then looked beyond them to see three of the Barclay Aries pilots - including Noin -approaching from the interior of the hangar. He noted that the one called Bronn was hanging back a little. Duo and Quatre turned to see what Trowa was looking at. "Oh, it's the ex-OZies," Duo said, rolling his eyes. He didn't really dislike them. Well, he did dislike Bronn, but Linden and Noin were very nice. Trowa raised an eyebrow at Duo's nickname for the Aries pilots, but Quatre just shrugged. "Welcome back," Noin said, walking up to the trio. "It was certainly a good feeling being on the same side as the Gundams for a change," she grinned. The memory of her most horrible experience with a Gundam flashed in her mind. The terrible attack on the barracks at Victoria Base by the pilot of Gundam 05. //I wonder where that one is? And do they even know him?// "It was a good feeling having all of us fight together," Quatre said, smiling. "Gundams and Aries... and the Tallgeese, of course." He glanced over at Duo at the mention of Zechs's mobile suit. //I really should talk to him about how they're doing...// "You Aries did a good job defending the base," Duo said, surprising himself by complimenting his former enemies. "But how'd it feel kicking OZ butt?" "Well, I'd say our new alliance did quite well," Noin said, avoiding the discomforting question. "And we have plenty to celebrate." Catching Quatre's eye, Trowa, sure that no one was looking, gave his little lover a wink. //And we just might start that tonight, kitten,// he thought, remembering the pleasure they shared the night before. "Tiger," Quatre mouthed the nickname without a sound, his eyes smiling. It seemed his lover had the same idea as he did about how to celebrate properly. //Another night in his arms... loving each other completely. Oh, Trowa, you've brought me heaven on Earth.// "Thanks," Bronn was murmuring grudgingly. "They might have been OZ," he added, arms crossed over his chest as he regarded the small, black-garbed pilot warily, "but they were hell-bent for leather, intent on wrecking this base. That puts them squarely on the other side, in my book." The radio transmissions from the "God of Death" had been unnerving to hear, though Bronn was glad he wasn't on the receiving end of all that ire. "The battle was exciting," Linden said, stepping toward Duo. He smiled at the other pilot, feeling even more attracted to him, knowing how fierce he was in battle. "That beam scythe you told me about was very impressive to watch." As the base's Aries weren't as busy as the Gundams had been, Linden hadn't been able to resist tapping into the images Tallgeese was recording and sending back to base from the battlefield. "Uh, thanks," Duo grinned. //Where the hell is Zechs?// he wondered. Noin noticed Duo glancing toward the hangar doors. //He's anxious to see Zechs,// she thought with a smile. "Zechs and Heero are on their way back to the base now. They should be here any moment." Duo nodded. "Quite a surprise that Heero showed up, huh?" he asked. "I would've lost that bet." "I would have, too," Trowa murmured. "When I left he was determined not to get involved. But he told me once he'd been trained to act on his emotions. I guess the Perfect Soldier has emotions after all." "Emotions, huh?" Duo asked with a snort. //Maybe the bad kind...// Though Duo had more experience with Heero than Quatre, the little blond didn't want to believe that the pilot of Wing Gundam was only a cold and calculating soldier. "Everyone has emotions, Duo," Quatre said, nodding at Trowa. "But some people are just more careful about expressing them." "What's that supposed to mean?" Duo asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "You saying that I'm too emotional?" Quatre chuckled. "Not at all. You're just... animated," he said with a grin. Duo tossed his head with a snort, sending his braid swinging behind him. He was about to reply when he heard the hangar doors opening. His heart pounded with excitement. "They're back!" The small grouping of pilots turned to face the entrance, feeling a rush of cold air before the heating system could kick in fully to compensate as the hangar doors slid open. They all stood silently, in something akin to awe, as the two suits arrived. Wing and Tallgeese were undoubtedly the fastest, and quite possibly the most powerful suits ever made. //You did it, Zechs. You broke away from OZ to join with the Gundams,// Noin thought as she watched the two machines take their niches in the hangar. //And you've finally stopped fighting the pilot of 01...// Quatre shivered, but not from the cool air. He felt exhilarated as he watched the last of their team arrive safely back at the base and knowing that everyone... including the elusive Heero Yuy... had stepped in to win this fight. //It's almost too good to be true. All of us here... fighting together. Thank you for this gift, Allah! Now, if only we could locate Wufei...// Trowa looked up at the awesome edifice of Wing Gundam. //Hope you're not mad, Heero,// he thought, remembering that he and Heero had been companions for well over a month. It was longer than he'd ever spent with a single person. While there was nothing more than simple companionship between them, Trowa still wondered whether the Perfect Soldier had expected some kind of loyalty from him, either for their continued independence or for their association together. //I trust Quatre... I believe in his cause. And I have fought as a member of a team before. It's a way I understand better than what we came to Earth for...//
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