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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 35 "Actually, Quatre," Federi was saying, "dueling is a perfectly acceptable form of male bonding in aristocratic circles, no matter what the weapons of choice." "Male bonding?" Noin asked with a laugh. "Is that what you call it? It's more a system of finding out whom the dominant male is, Quatre. Who's the 'top dog.' It's really quite boring." "Is that right?" Quatre asked. "Thank you, Ms. Noin. I had no idea." He thought her take on aristocratic dueling was quite interesting... considering her background. She was a soldier and an aristocrat. //Maybe it's the maleness of it that doesn't agree with her?// "So men are like dogs?" Duo turned to ask Noin. "Interesting concept. I guess that would mean we also like to mark our territory?" //Like my Wolf marked me...// he thought, feeling a tingle shoot through him. "I... I didn't mean to imply..." Noin started to say. "No, that's all right. We'll forgive you," Duo said, quite amused by her backpedaling. He reached his hand out to her, patting her arm, and then winked as he said, "We won't bite." She burst into laughter at that. "All right. You are quite a tease, Duo Maxwell. I don't know how Zechs puts up with it." Zechs, who by now was feeling considerably more relaxed, merely smiled pleasantly. "I'm learning," was all he would say, a twinkle to his blue topaz eyes. "Hey!" Duo said in happy protest at his lover's teasing remark. "There's another issue," Heero mentioned. When the others looked at him again, wondering, he continued. "Who's in charge here, anyway? Zechs?" "Yeah," Trowa picked up on the thread. "How does the chain of command work here in this new alliance?" Federi and Noin automatically looked to Zechs, who was frowning. "I should not be in a position of ultimate command," he stated firmly, straightening. "I will not accept that position. GAIA is about supporting the Gundam's mission to free the colonies and ultimately the Earth from domination by military force in any form. If we ourselves revert to a military force in the same style as OZ, we are in danger of being misunderstood. The Earthsphere will believe we are trying to take over from OZ, which is not what we want to be doing. There should be a committee of leadership with a chairman, not a commander-in-chief calling the shots." "Then I nominate Quatre!" Duo exclaimed, slapping his hand on the table for added impact. He was pleased Zechs was bowing out of the race for chair. Not that Zechs wasn't already a brilliant leader, but that he was correct in assuming it wasn't appropriate for him to lead the Gundams. And besides, Duo really didn't want that "pulling rank" thing getting in the way of their relationship again. The little Arabian leaned back in his chair. He hadn't expected the nomination or his friend's strong support. "Thank you, Duo," he said, shaking his head in surprise. "I'll admit this alliance has been a dream of mine..." He looked over at his Trowa and grinned. //You've been a dream of mine, too...// "But I never really considered leading the alliance." "A committee chairman mainly leads the meetings, keeps things running smoothly, right?" Heero murmured, looking the little blond pilot over. It was clear that although Quatre wasn't the strongest pilot, he had enough fire to him to stand up to people. "He has to keep positive, help to ease tensions, and keep the group focused." He hadn't seen much of him, but in their meetings so far, Quatre had been the one who was the most concerned about the group as a whole. "I second that nomination. I think you'd be perfect, Quatre." Zechs smiled, pleased that for once, Duo and Heero agreed on something. "Any other nominations?" Everyone looked around at everyone else. The Gundam pilots didn't know Federi too well, though the man was certainly pleasant enough and competent. Besides, Zechs seemed to indicate that it should be a Gundam pilot... and it was a relief to know that someone like Zechs considered the very young pilots as equals enough to consider them for leadership of their alliance. Another option might be Heero... though it was clear his social skills weren't a strong point. When there were no other nominations forthcoming, Zechs turned his smile to the little Arabian. "Quatre, do you accept the chairmanship of the GAIA leadership committee - that would be all of us here?" An excited gasp escaped Quatre's lips. He hadn't realized just how much his peers respected him. "Well, this is a surprise. But yes, I'd like that very much. I'd be honored to chair the GAIA leadership committee." He smiled at all of them and nodded his thanks, a bit overwhelmed by this unanimous approval. "Thank you all for your confidence in me." "You got it, buddy! Congratulations!" Duo exclaimed, and then got up from his chair and jogged around to the other side of the table to muss-up his friend's hair in what Federi would surely label as another example of "male bonding." "Does this mean I'll have to call you Mr. Winner now?" he asked, laughing. "No, of course not, Duo," Quatre said, shaking his head and laughing right along with him. "I don't want any of you treating me differently." "You're going to have to keep all of us in line," Heero murmured dryly. "I don't envy you the job." "Congratulations... Quatre," Trowa said quietly. He'd almost said "kitten". That would be for later. "Thank you, Quatre," Zechs added to that. "I don't know that we have any other business right now... anyone?" "There's just one thing," Heero said impassively. "Wufei. Somehow we have to contact him to let him know what is going on here. He has a right to know... and we can trust him not to betray us to OZ." Noin shot Zechs a hard look. "That's the boy who attacked the Lake Victoria base." The tone of her voice was all too clear. She didn't want anything to do with the pilot of Gundam 05. In her eyes, he was a coward for attacking her cadets while they slept and he'd humiliated her just when her superior and dearest friend, Zechs, was visiting the base. "He's a Gundam pilot," Trowa stated as if that absolved him of all sins. "And he's not a bad guy." Zechs replied quietly, "He attacked the cadets' barracks, killing Noin's students rather than destroy the new Taurus models on the base. That's a bit arrogant even for one of you." Trowa looked thoughtful. He was the only one of them who'd actually spent any time with the Chinese pilot. "I dunno... he's been taken down a notch. He fought a duel of swords with Treize... and lost." "Treize spared him," Zechs pointed out. //Typical Treize - honor in the midst of war.// "We don't have to bring him here," Heero said. "But he has the right to have the choice to join up with us." Quatre had silently taken in the exchange around the table. Emotions were strong both for and against Wufei. This would be his first action as the new chair of GAIA and he wanted to be fair. "I'm sorry, Ms. Noin, but I agree with Trowa and Heero. We should contact Wufei. I envisioned that this alliance would include *all* the Gundam pilots, not just the ones we like," he said with a small smile, hoping to ease tensions a bit. "If Wufei chooses to join us, then we will address the incident at Lake Victoria. It sounds like Wufei may have some explaining to do... I hope this is acceptable to everyone, especially to you, Ms. Noin." Lucrezia Noin took in a deep breath and exhaled. The surprise attack of the base had left her feeling vulnerable and suffering from nightmares. She'd also taken to fantasizing about taking her revenge against the pilot of 05. But now it would seem that wasn't going to happen. "I don't feel it's right for me to object. He is a Gundam pilot and I understand why you want to include him. But if he does join the alliance I would appreciate a discussion on the events at Lake Victoria." "We need all the help we can get," Zechs reminded her gently. "What Chang Wufei has done was certainly no worse than... other unfortunate decisions made in this war." He'd come close to mentioning New Edwards, but now was not the time to remind anyone of that, particularly after the earlier tension over Treize's involvement. "Trowa, you seem to know him a little better than the others. Do you have anything to add to what you've told us?" Trowa stirred, frowning slightly. "Well, he did say that he felt he had no right to fight with Nataku - that's what he calls his Gundam. I think the defeat in the duel made him think he was too weak to be fighting." He shrugged. "He didn't talk much. He was pretty subdued." "A little perspective on matters can have a great impact," Heero muttered. "It would be wise to reserve judgment for now." Noin sighed. //Of course they'd see it that way. They didn't have their students butchered...// She did not offer up any other comments to the room. "Well, then that about wraps things up," Duo said, trying to sound cheerful under the circumstances. He was still standing behind Quatre and from that vantage point could see Noin was unhappy with the group's decision. //Gee, whatever Wufei did must have been pretty bad for her to be feeling this way... But this is war...// "Tomorrow," Federi spoke up, "perhaps we could meet with everyone else here at the base, tell them what's going on?" The expression on Noin's face concerned him, and he worried that the rest of the ex-OZ personnel might feel the same way toward Gundam pilots in general. It could be a tricky transition. "Yes, everyone needs to be informed as soon as possible," Quatre said adamantly. "If you could please make the arrangements for the meeting, Federi..." He nodded to the older man, and then turned to Zechs. "Should we anticipate any problems with your base personnel? I don't want to presume they'll be entirely comfortable with our plans." Zechs considered the question thoughtfully. //Their loyalty is to me; if I ask them to accept the leadership of the Gundam pilots as well, will they do it? I'd like to think so.// Aloud he said after a pause, "I do not anticipate any problems. Those who have been here for a while might be a little concerned, but everyone has been told of the alliance with the Gundams, and this shouldn't come as any surprise. While I realize many have a personal loyalty to me, I believe they will trust my judgment enough to accept the rest. Of course we will not be telling them about Treize's involvement." "I'll work with them, too," Federi added. He was feeling more relaxed every moment, and he could now see why Zechs and Noin trusted and accepted the Gundam pilots so well. These kids were good! There were a couple more comments, then Quatre called the meeting to a close... finishing with the toast that had been aborted, with now-cold coffee. Everyone laughed at that, and the group broke up for the evening, tensions released and a much clearer picture of the future in all their minds. "Duo," Heero murmured to the Deathscythe pilot as Duo turned to go back toward Zechs's side of the table, "could we talk for a few minutes? I wanted to ask you about a couple things." The boy with the long braid stopped in his tracks. "Huh?" he asked as he turned back to look with curious eyes on Heero. He wanted to talk to Heero, too, but right now he was hoping for some serious cuddling with his man. //Can't pass up this opportunity though... It's not everyday Heero Yuy wants to talk to me.// "Uh, sure, that'd be great, Heero. I've got some questions for you, too." Duo gazed over his shoulder at Zechs, giving him one of his best 'puppy' looks. "Catch up with you in a few?" Both Federi and Noin were hovering off Zechs's elbow, hoping to catch their former superior for a few minutes. Zechs smiled in Duo's direction, giving him a little wave, warmth in his eyes. "Come on," Heero muttered, jerking his head toward the door. "Let's go out to the hangar. It's pretty quiet there now." //And if you need to take a swing at me, you'll have elbow room,// he added to himself wryly. Duo looked up from the base of Deathscythe where he was perched, to see Heero hovering over him. "Have a seat, I won't bite," he said with a wide grin. //It's high time I tried being friends with him again,// he thought, still hoping to right whatever he had done to gain the other boy's ire. Or was it ire? Maybe it was just Heero's focus on his mission that kept him from liking Duo who often seemed more carefree than their role as freedom fighters should allow. Duo for his part found the pilot of Wing Gundam a bit of a curiosity and actually admired him... a little. "Hn," Heero muttered and went to perch on Deathscythe's other foot. "So," he began by way of starting the conversation, something he plainly wasn't used to - conversation. "You and Zechs. He told me you two are together." He folded up one leg, hugging his knee, looking over at his fellow pilot with his usual non-expression. "Is that what he said?" Duo asked with a satisfied grin. He liked the sound of that... Zechs saying they were 'together.' And he liked this conversation with Heero already... the boy sat down when requested and was talking about one of Duo's favorite subjects... Zechs! "Yeah, pretty amazing, huh? Who would've guessed I'd end up with an ex-OZ colonel...." He shook his head, scratching it and looking as though he was trying to answer one of the great mysteries of the universe. "I have to admit, I'm a lucky guy." //He looks... happy. Hmm...// "It seems so," Heero agreed tentatively. "So... you really didn't know who he was when you first met... and he didn't know who you were? You're sure?" Duo blinked. "Sure I'm sure," he said, a bit more defensively than he would've liked. Heero's question... concern?... brought back an uncomfortable feeling to Duo. Had Zechs known he was a Gundam pilot? The odds of them meeting by chance on the GlobalNet were phenomenal... The boy took a slightly shaky breath to clear his head. //Why am I debating this again? Zechs told me he didn't know and that's that...// "We met online completely by chance... I didn't know who he was and he didn't know who I was." "Then you met in person at a cafe," Heero mused, going over his conversation the night before with Zechs. "Interesting... but, Duo, I just want to know... at any time, did he take advantage of you? In any way?" //Sexually *or* otherwise... I have to be sure Duo hasn't been blinded by his feelings for the man...// "No, of course not!" Duo shouted, sliding off the base of Deathsycthe and standing to face the other boy with his hands clenched. "Zechs was a gentleman the entire time we were in Cairo. He taught me..." He couldn't finish. What he and Zechs had shared was just too beautiful to waste on Heero Yuy, especially if the boy was going to make rape accusations. //God, if Zechs heard this he'd flip out! He's still trying to heal...// "Look Yuy, I don't want you making any accusations about Zechs and me," he said, pointing a finger at Heero. "Just don't!" "Take it easy," Heero quickly countered, holding a hand up to ward off the wrath of the God of Death. "That's what I wanted to hear, that he was a gentleman. Having met him in person at last, I believe it. I just wanted to hear it from you, Duo." He looked over the indignant expression of the other boy, wondering why he set Duo off so much, so often. "I'm not your enemy, Duo, and I support your relationship with Zechs. If what you two have strengthens your resolve to fight for peace, then it's a good thing. I see that in Trowa and Quatre, too, though I think Trowa's a little too protective. I don't see that happening with you and Zechs. You seem pretty... equal. As far as I can tell." The tenseness in Duo's posture slowly subsided as Heero talked. //He supports our relationship? Like it's any of his business... but I think I'm glad he does.// "Okay," Duo said, nodding. "Sorry about that. I guess I got a little defensive because of how things ended in Cairo..." He looked away then, letting his eyes slide down the length of the hangar until they settled on the Tallgeese. The white suit was just as impressive stationary as it was in motion. //Maybe now that the battle's over and the alliance is formed Zechs will be healed enough to...// He stopped that hopeful train of thought when he looked back, and found Heero's deep Prussian blue eyes still fixed intensely on him. He grinned, trying to reassure his friend and diffuse the tension he'd created. "Thanks, Heero. Thanks for caring enough to ask." Sitting back down on his Gundam, Duo crossed his legs "Indian"-style and relaxed back into his usual happy-go-lucky self. "And thanks for saying you think Zechs and I are equals. It took him a while to get used to the idea of me being a Gundam pilot, but now I think he's okay with it." //How it ended?// Heero didn't know what that meant, but sensed it was a sore subject. Was that why Duo had gotten so defensive? //At least they're all right now... aren't they?// "You're welcome," he replied. "The only other thing I wanted to ask you was if you're really okay with this thing with Treize." Heero broke the gaze then, looking down at his shoe. "It shocked me when I found out, but the recordings convinced me to accept it. If he is sincerely remorseful for his part in New Edwards, then we have to give him this chance to help change things. I'm not sure we can turn this war around without inside help at Romefeller." "I'm not happy about Treize," Duo admitted, remembering the New Edwards incident and also his unease when Zechs asked him to eavesdrop on a conversation with Treize. "Zechs seems to think he can help us, and so far I guess he has... But I'm surprised you think we need his help, too." "It's the thing about the gift horse, I suppose," Heero replied, glancing in Duo's direction again. "It's priceless help. Treize has already bought us time we would not have had in which we can really get this alliance off the ground. We cannot turn down this chance, not if we can upgrade our mobile suits to handle Romefeller's mobile dolls. We need it. Sometimes you have to take unusual risks in a war to get results... and accept help in very strange places." //Man, he's really committed himself to this alliance,// Duo thought as he was listening. But Heero's words seemed strange considering how critical he had been of the fledging alliance just hours before. //I guess it's true... he just needed more information.// "Treize is a definite risk," Duo said, finally. "I accept that, but I don't have to like it." //Maybe if I met the guy...// The thought gave him shivers. Treize Khushrenada was definitely not on the top of his list of people he wanted to meet. Duo turned his focus back to Heero, once again. "Hey, there's something I'd like to ask you," he said, trying to formulate the question in his mind. "You fought Zechs twice. What was that like? And I don't mean what was his fighting style like 'coz I saw that today..." He leaned toward Heero, as if implying the next thing he would say was the most important thing in the world. "Tell me... what was it really like having Zechs Merquise as your enemy?" Heero stared at Duo for a moment, processing, then took a deep breath. "The first time we encountered one another was in the upper atmosphere as I was coming to Earth. I handled his shuttle's complement of two Leos handily... in fact, I laughed, thinking I was pretty hot stuff. Then Zechs, in the third Leo, did something completely unexpected. Not only did he wing me, but he stopped me altogether by having the Leo grab and cling to the Gundam while he parachuted out. That's what sent my Gundam into the ocean in the first place. I didn't think any OZ soldier could get in a shot like that, and then to pull a stunt like that. Just goes to show - you can't get complacent, because you never know when you're going to run into a Zechs Merquise." He shook his head, remembering. "He was their best all right." The young pilot of Deathscythe listened carefully to Heero's description of his first encounter with Zechs, imagining the dashing Lightning Count making his strike... using unorthodox methods to gain his victory over the new threat and then gallantly parachute away to safety. The boy's heart beat faster at the image. His lover was brave and very clever in battle. //Stunning... I wish I'd seen him then.// It was obvious Heero respected Zechs, and Duo could well understand why. How could any of them fight an enemy like that and not be impressed? It took him a moment to come down from the fantasy image to realize that Heero had stopped talking. "Oh... wow," he said, dreamily. "So, that's how your Gundam ended up in the Japan Sea? No wonder you were so annoyed when I met you," he said, chuckling. Then he quickly started in with his next question, not letting the other boy respond. "And what was he like in Siberia? Zechs had his Tallgeese then, didn't he?" "He certainly did," Heero responded, glad that Duo didn't choose to poke fun at him for losing his Gundam so quickly like that. It wasn't something he was proud of, failing before he even got to Earth. "He didn't even wait until I figured out who he was from his fighting - he announced himself straight off. Not his name, of course. I recognized his voice..." "Oh, that voice..." Duo said with a sigh, his eyes drifting off to look at nothing in particular as he remembered the velvet tones. "Sometimes just listening to him... the way he talks to me..." He lifted his shoulder to rub his cheek sensually, forgetting he had company.... //Oh, he has changed...// Heero thought, widening his eyes slightly. "Um, Duo... back to my story?" //At least he looks happy...// Snapping out of his trance, Duo returned his attention to Heero. "Right, your story. Sorry, I got a little carried away..." he said with a smirk. //Zechs is so very... distracting.// "Yeah," Heero murmured wryly. "Well, you wanted to know about fighting Zechs. It was... rough. For a huge mobile suit, that Tallgeese moves very fast... which means its pilot has incredible reflexes. I was scrambling the entire time, keeping from letting him get the upper hand. However, he did anyway... He seemed bent on facing me one-on-one, set to get revenge because I'd killed a couple of his men. "But the odd thing is that once he'd had me beaten or at least handicapped, he didn't press his advantage. He wanted a fair fight. That's very unusual. My guess is that he was thrilling in the challenge of the fight regardless of the war. It truly was a duel, which meant that a certain code of behavior came into play. It was almost like a fencing match." "A duel?" Duo asked. "Of course... He's a prince." Zechs had told him about fighting just for the sake of fighting. Being glad of the Gundams initially because they gave him a new reason to battle. "I imagine he would be a fierce enemy. And you held your own against him... somehow," he said, nodding at Heero, giving the boy credit for going up against a warrior such as Zechs Merquise. "He admires us, you know. He's told me that several times. He admires us Gundam pilots." "Well, then, I imagine that mutual respect is one thing that makes this alliance even possible," Heero replied thoughtfully. "He understands our goals, perhaps, because he himself has had great losses in his life like most of us have." He snorted. "I don't imagine Treize Khushrenada relates to that particularly well. But it seems that Zechs does." He looked at the other pilot for a moment, thinking he was beginning to see what Zechs meant to Duo. "He's a good man," he added, his voice a little gentler. "And I think we're going to be very glad to have him fighting with us instead of against us from now on." "Hey, I was already glad this morning! Whew! What a fighter!" Duo said, waving his arm dramatically toward the hangar doors that kept out the great cold of the ice continent beyond. "And you had some big adjustment... Now I see why you were so shocked when you found me and Quatre here... Heh, that must've started your mind working." He chuckled, imagining Heero trying to wrap his serious little mind around that problem. //We're all having to make adjustments... and very quickly.// "My mind is always working, Duo," Heero said cryptically and for a delighted moment, Duo thought the other pilot was actually teasing, but then he decided he meant it. "But I've learned to reserve judgment until I've gathered all the facts. That's what I've tried to do, anyway." "Just the facts, ma'am," Duo snorted, slapping his hand on his thigh. "Heero, you're something else! But I like you," he said, nodding and grinning. "I really do." Heero raised one eyebrow in surprise, but responded, "Thanks. You're not so bad yourself." //Most of the time, or at least when you're not blabbing your brains out... or being totally embarrassing, or making sure everyone in sight notices you, or...// "Wow, cool," Duo said, smiling brightly. "Thanks for saying that Heero, and thanks for..." He was about to say for caring, but he thought that would embarrass his friend. "You're a good guy. Too serious, but a good guy." The Wing pilot nodded tightly. "Thanks." He glanced away as if he was thinking of something else to say, but then looked back, still peering over his folded-up knee. "Zechs is probably wondering where you got to, I imagine." //Nice to have someone who cares about things like that... I suppose.// "Yeah, the silence is probably getting to him by now," Duo laughed at his self-derisive joke. "I'd better go find him." He scooted off his Gundam, brushing invisible dust from his blue jeans and then turning a little grin to Heero. //Now why can't we be like this all the time?// "It was good chatting." "Hn," was Heero's only response as he unfolded and got down off the Gundam's foot. //They're both lucky guys...//
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