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"That Which Mends"Written By: SkyLark Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, or its characters. I just love playing with them. Pairings: 2x1x2, past 2xOC, 5xOC, 3x4 Warnings: Angst, Violence, Sap, Lemons/Limes, AU Archives: http://www.gundam-wing-diaries.150m.com/gw/SkyLark/gwSkyLark.htm
and http://www.mizunoamy.bravepages.com/skylark/skylarkfics.html Summary: Heero is a straight A student studying Psychology and finds his world turned upside down when he attends a Frat party.
"That Which Mends" [Listen up, listen up, -Lyrics to 'This Is Gonna Hurt' performed by Sixx A.M.] Chapter 14
[Flashback]
"You have two guns pointed at your head. My advice would be that you lower that knife and you'll actually get out of this in one piece," Wufei suggested, his tone flat and insistent as he glared at the tall man in his sights. His finger gently applying pressure on his pistol's trigger, he warned, "This is the one and only time the offer will be on the table."
Flanked by giant ship cargo freights that rose five stories high, Agents Wolf and Fire remained statues as they bore down on their target as a light drizzle began to fall from the pitch dark heavens.
Knowing that the rest of their team was surging through the massive carriers to recover the girls that they had come to rescue, their own primary concern was saving Trowa from the ring leader's clutches.
Only pulling Trowa back harder against his chest and holding his blade firmly against his prey's throat, the threatening brute growled under his breath. Doing his best to swallow, Agent Night continued to struggle to stay conscious.
That last hit of drugs that had been forced into his bloodstream was compromising his ability to get himself out of his predicament and he feared what might happen if he made a wrong move... not only for his own sake, but more for his friends.
Overhead, the towering lights that were spread out shone down brightly on the standoff as the steadying rain made a constant drumming patter against the steel shipping containers. Still, no one on either side of the confrontation so much as batted an eye.
Anna never broke her focus from her mark on the towering giant's forehead as she hissed, " We're not going to wait all night for you to make up your mind, asshole." She pulled back further on her trigger as far as she could before a bullet would fly from her barrel to make her intent crystal clear. "Drop the knife," she ordered.
Chuckling deeply, the perpetrator replied, "I'm dead either way, be it here or by the chair. I have nothing to lose." Barton bit his lip and closed his eyes, already anticipating where his captor was going.
Well aware of the same, Chang whispered urgently, "Anna?"
"Yea. I got him," the redhead replied just as quietly, perfectly keen as to what her team leader was asking of her and what needed to happen if they were going to get Trowa out alive.
Suddenly raising both hands in the air over his head, Wufei caught the ringleader by surprise as he coaxed, "The last thing you want is a dead agent on your hands to add onto your list of charges. If you cooperate with us by letting out friend go and passing on what you know about the other rings you're in association with, we'll keep you from ever seeing a trial with the death penalty on the table."
Gesturing to Downs, who hadn't budged an inch from her concentrated aim on her mark, Agent Wolf stated, "But my partner here is going to take you out, if you make any move other than dropping that knife in the next thirty seconds."
"More or less," Anna sneered, her right eye narrowing until it closed for her lock in her aim on the glistening skin of their enemy's brow.
Barton squeezed his eyes closed all the tighter as his breath came out in pants from his growing anticipation of whatever was about to go down. If only he could get his bearings, maybe he could...
Two shots rang out, causing him to gasp as his emerald
eyes snapped wide open.
His turtleneck and bulletproof vest that he wore on
top were drenched and sticking to him like a second skin and his vision
was limited in the thickening rain and darkness. Two things that were
not helping the situation. Between two carriers a few feet away, Downs grunted
in her effort to help Barton onto his feet. "Jesus, I forgot
that you're heavier than you look," she huffed out in a nervous
laugh. Removing her flashlight from her belt, she turned it on to
appraise the narrow cut along the trembling agent's throat. His head swaying in his attempt to clear it, Trowa succeeded in narrowing his blurred image down to one crisp outline of... "A-Anna," he breathed in disbelief, only then feeling the loop around his neck and bringing a hand to it to realize that it wasn't the knife that had been digging against it. "Yea," the weapons expert smiled warmly. Cupping
the side of her friend's face, she winked and rested their foreheads
together as she told him, "Your mission's over, babe. We're getting
you home to Quatre tonight."
Just as she knocked into his side and sent him spiraling,
she felt something red hot pierce through her vest at her shoulder
and her world faded away to black. There was no time for him to do little more than duck
his head to narrowly miss the next shot taken at him. Growling in
rage, he stepped out into the open and beneath the closest street
lamp to challenge his assailant amidst whizzing pops that sailed past
his head at either side. All the while, the Preventer was aware of the approaching
voices and further gunfire that was closing in on him, the echo from
their distance thinning out at their proximity. Panting, he turned
his whole body around as he aimed his newly acquired pistol from his
first downed opponent and carefully crept his way towards Anna. Slowly staring down at the weapon in his hands, the
Preventer team leader's hand shook at his find. It was a lookout's
pistol. He had just fired a gun that had been armed with bullets intended
to slice through protective gear... and he had just shot Long square
in the chest.
Numb from head-to-toe, Chang removed was running without
even being aware that he had done so until he was at Meiran's free
side and aiding Quatre in putting pressure on the hole that had hit
directly in the center of her chest cavity. She was unconscious, but
breathing... but only barely right then while her counterparts worked
to keep her stable.
There was no movement behind her closed eyelids to give
him any indication that she had heard him.
With a trembling hand, he grabbed the com at his belt
and held down the transmitter button on its side. Bringing the receiver
to his mouth he shouted into it, "Two agents down! We need a
med evac now!" Heero was back in his private office, paging through the images of black cars that his one and only transgression had compiled when there was a knock on his door as the braided agent himself peeked inside. "Hey, 'Ro," he greeted with that alluring smile, approaching the desk to take the lone chair before it.
"Maxwell," the counselor replied, setting down the short stack of photos he had just grabbed. Meeting the violet eyes on him, he smirked, "I take it you're not here for a session."
Snorting, Agent Scythe smirked back, "Hell no. Don't go holding your breath waiting for that to ever happen." Of course, his one-time lover had expected as much based on the good humor grin that stretched across his heart-shaped face.
The officer chewed on the inside of his cheek to gather his thoughts. "I just wanted to thank you again for... you know, not telling Zechs and his barrel of monkeys the truth about why you're here," he murmured at last. "It means a lot to all of us."
Genuinely grateful for the sentiment, Yuy gave him a small grin. "You're welcome," he replied. Paging through the pictures in his grasp once more, he shrugged, "It was just the right thing to do." Duo snickered, "Yea, I kinda figured you'd say something like that. But you deserved to know that it's a way bigger deal to me 'n our friends than you're downgrading it to be. I mean, it's not like you've known all of us all that long to have volunteered to-"
He stopped himself short when the scholar froze in wide-eyed shock when he reached the snapshot that he was now staring intensely at. On his feet, Agent Scythe asked, "That's it?"
Oh, the car in the capture was it alright. Heero recognized it in an instant.
Everything from the sleek, gleaming body to the tinted windows and thick wheels was exactly as he remembered from his encounter with the vehicle that had him looking over his shoulder ever since. Harmless as it was, printed off on a piece of matte paper, it still managed to send a shiver down his spine.
Swallowing hard, the counselor felt his head nod ever so slightly.
Maxwell reached a hand out as a silent request for the picture that was gladly handed over so that he could scan his violet eyes over the car that had become a vital key to the Preventers current case. "And we have the plates," he murmured with a dark, upward turn of his lips.
One second after he disappeared, his braided head popped back in and he announced, "By the way, your desk is getting set up with the rest of ours. If you're feeling social, you're more than welcome to hang out here with us." Winking, he ducked back out of the office.
Coming out of his stupor, Heero's prussian eyes blinked as he looked to the doorway. He stood up to head out and onto the floor. Packed in between Duo and Quatre's desks was the fresh addition complete with a flat screen monitor and computer that one of the IT clerks had just finished firing up while the agents went about their assignments as though nothing had changed for them.
The haphazard honeycomb layout of the work stations was still intact, it was only larger with a sixth space put into the mix. Rounding the elevator column, Anna appeared with a potted
Bonsai tree complete with a bright red ribbon tied around the base
of its trunk that she set down on the counselor's desk.
Slowly lowering the plant, Heero scanned the five faces that were silently waiting for some response from him. With a small but very true smile spreading across his face he said sincerely, "Thank you."
Five wide smiles were returned.
* * * *
(Flashback)
There was a heavy weight in the air of the federal building's seventh floor when the facilities team came to remove Meiran Long's desk. For over an hour the surviving Preventers hung around the rec area, occasionally peering over at the two neat rows of perfectly spaced out work stations that were now off balance in their uneven number.
Only recently released from the hospital, Anna wiped away a stray tear and grumbled, "I can't stand it like this anymore." Spinning her wheelchair towards her desk, she peered over her shoulder to ask Duo, "Give me a hand?"
"Anna!" Wufei gasped when he also realized what she was about to do. Rushing in, he took hold of the corner instead, urging, "You're still recovering. Don't hurt yourself." The redhead bit her lip when their gazes locked. Sighing, she nodded and pushed herself back into her chair and wheeled herself back.
Chang took her place and along with Duo, he pushed Fire and Scythe's stations in so that they were touching. Stepping back, they had a good look at the room they had to spare and smirked to each other just as Quatre and Trowa moved in to shove their desks together until they were in one clustered, overlapping semicircle.
When they were finished bringing every last inch to touch that they could, the team fell back to assess their creation and couldn't help but smile. It was much more fitting of them- being the tight unit that they were. No one was off on their own in their united front.
Lady Une emerged from her office at the end of the commotion of shifting desks. Her brown eyes growing at the new work area that greeted her, she felt a sting begin to come over them as the touching camaraderie that was plainly displayed before her.
Nodding, she gave her stamp of approval by commented softly, "I like it better this way."
(End Flashback)
* * * *
Heero was still privately reveling in the kind gesture his new friends had shown him when he and the Preventers had closed up their floor at the end of their day. He was the last to leave along with the Commander when they stepped out of the elevator after finalizing the last details of his 'employment'.
"Your uniform should be in before the end of the week," Lady Une informed as they headed down the long stretch towards the lobby.
She was sure to make sure that the other divisions' agents that were heading out along with them were able to hear the conversation. Several heads did turn back as subtly as possible and it was almost as though every ear around had perked up to not miss a single word. Yuy was particularly pleased in knowing that it was only a matter of time before the news got back to Zechs and the whole FBI team.
Keeping up with their ploy, the scholar faced the officer and said, "Sounds good. I appreciate your giving me this opportunity, Commander. The other Preventers have been very accommodating in bringing me in."
They passed through the opening lobby doors and were just about to their exit when Middie giggled, "Ah, yes, about that... I would just like to go on record as saying that I am in no ways responsible for what is about to happen to you."
Prussian blue eyes widening, Heero frowned, "Wait, what? What's about to happen to me?" No sooner had he set a foot outside did Lady Une and everyone around them suddenly bolt out of the way just as Trowa and Duo jumped out of nowhere to douse the unsuspecting psych major with a bucket full of cold water from each of them as they yelled, "Surprise!" Howling with laughter, Wufei, Anna and Quatre likewise seemed to materialize from thin air to rain confetti, streamers and glitter that stuck like glue to his wet person.
Arms hanging in the air, Heero blew a spray of water that he had half-swallowed in his surprise and glared at the snickering agents as he remained a colorful, shimmering figure. On their way to their cars, the other federal representatives snorted and rolled their eyes in bewilderment over the assault.
"What... is... this?" the counselor growled as he gave his arms a good shake to remove as much of his coating as possible.
Duo stepped up to wrap an arm around his lover's shoulders as he smirked, "Newby initiation. It's a tradition of ours that everyone around here's come to expect from us." His eyes growing anew, Yuy's shoulders sagged as his glare faded away. Slapping his back, Maxwell kicked up a puff of glitter into the air. "You wanted to make this look as official as possible, so you're getting the whole shebang, pal." he whispered into the bewildered young man's ear. For the sake of the onlookers, he cheered, "Welcome to the team!" Applauding, the rest of the team closed in and patted his back or shook a shoulder.
With a deep chuckle, Heero sighed and shook his head in amusement. "Thanks... I guess." Their heads falling back, his friends resumed their fitful laughter.
In the end, he only had himself to blame for not seeing something like this coming. And if he was to truly be honest with himself... there was a little part of him that even liked being included in something... anything for a change.
TBC |
