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"The Gobanme Star"Written By: t-shirt 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: AU/Galactic Adventure, Lemons (non graphic), some bad language, somewhat fem Quatre, yuckables ^-^, fuzzies and fluff abound lol, some angst, clueless Relena in the begging Beta'd by Mechante Fille Pairings: Eventual quintette w/(1x2)x5),3x4 dominance
though it begins briefly with 1x4, 2x5 Summary: Five young men learn through their trials
and adventures that they are not only bound together in every possible
way but the key to order and prosperity in the universe. Enjoy! ^-^ "The Gobanme Star"
Ch 7 Later Hiiro sat by Quatre’s bedside as the blond boy slept, wondering how Duo was feeling and if he were really alright. Wufei had kept him up to date with their lover’s recovery but he still couldn’t help but want to see him. He knew that was a pointless gesture at this point. He’d betrayed him in a way he wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to forgive him for. Not Duo. Not for this, anyone else, maybe, but not him. He was the most capable, self-assured person Hiiro had ever met and he’d treated him like a child, incapable of making his own decisions. He’d been a fool and he had no idea how or even if he’d ever be able to make it up to him. He lifted his head when Trowa returned with the coffee he’d gone to get them and sat back down in his chair to silently stare at the blond boy as well. They sat quietly for a while before Hiiro finally said what was on his mind. ‘You would have died with him.’ ‘I would have died without him,’ Trowa countered, not taking his eyes from the blond boy’s form. ‘But you let him come anyway, even though there was no reason for him to be there.’ ‘He had a reason,’ Trowa replied. ‘You could have not gone.’ ‘This city could be dead.’ They returned to the solace of the silence as Hiiro contemplated his words. That’s what this had all been about, hadn’t it? The people, the families and the children and Father Maxwell and his horde. He thought back over the past couple of days. What had Duo said? ‘I want you to live.’ Had he meant more than a heartbeat and blood running through his veins? He’d faced death more times in the past two days than he had in his entire life. Duo obviously had no problem putting him in harm’s way so what had he meant? His mind flashed on the faces of dozens of happy children as they mobbed a laughing, violet eyed boy. The warm eyes of an old priest as he bid his son welcome home, the fire and passion in Duo’s eyes as he lay beneath him. The contentment on the boy’s face as he and Wufei held him in the afterglow. The drugs. Had they been a test of his endurance? His tolerance instead of his reaction? Duo knew as much about his physical and mental capabilities as he did himself less then twelve hours after they’d met. Had it been a test to see if he was worthy of bringing here? To his home? Free to walk among his people? To aid in their salvation? But that’s not why he’d gone. He’d gone because of Duo. He’d braved the bowels of hell to keep one violet eyed boy safe, but Duo, he’d gone for the greater good. He’d gone to save his city and his children. He’d been ready to die for them a dozen times over in the past two days. Hiiro closed his eyes and wondered when he’d become so wretchedly unworthy of his position in life. How could he in good conscience call himself a ruler? Duo was more of a prince than he’d ever been and he’d been born a poor orphan child with no name. When he reopened his eyes they were filled with a new purpose. His dream of freedom and adventure had turned to dust under the harsh light of reality. He was a prince and heir to the crown of Old Earth. True freedom comes only to those who know who they really are. His path was finally clear. He stood and walked over to Quatre’s bedside, laying his hand on his head to gently stroke his hair. The blond boy moaned softly then opened his eyes sleepily and smiled at him. He smiled back, then leaned down and kissed him softly. ‘Share that with Duo for me,’ he told him then smiled again as Quatre furrowed his brow curiously. ‘I have something I need to take care of,’ he explained as he kissed his forehead then turned away. He stopped for a moment to nod to Trowa and the tall boy favored him with a smile as he nodded back before he walked out of the room. Father Maxwell didn’t look all that surprised to see him as he invited him in for tea. They spent a good part of the day talking about the war and Hiiro’s family’s role in it. It turned out his mother had gone to personally plead with the leaders of the Tridar system not to refine the new ore and had been ambushed. His father had gone after her only to find that she’d been imprisoned and tortured to death. He’d gone mad when he learned of it and taken out half a colony before they managed to stop him by blowing the whole thing up. It was a miracle he’d survived. The man responsible was called Tuberov and still ran the multi-million dollar company. He was well known in the political arena as well and was currently running for a fifth seat on the Alturian Council. He’d made a fortune off his ore mining and advanced the weapons trade a hundred years beyond its time with his discovery. Hiiro was well aware of the types of military power that had come of it. He’d seen the results on many planets that were now ruled by the military forces currently residing on their shores. How could he have not seen it before? The oppression, the downright enslavement of countless nations due to one man’s greed. How could he have been so damn blind? He spent the next couple of days wandering the city. It was easy enough to keep tabs on the others and their recovery. With Quatre to help they were expected to be fully healed within a few days which left Hiiro with time to just walk and think and observe the city he’d helped save. No. Duo had saved them. He’d saved them all. All Hiiro had done was get in the way and almost cause Quatre and Trowa to loose their lives. Why? Because his intentions were narrow minded and selfish. All he’d thought about at the time was Duo and his safe return. He wondered at his own foolishness as he watched a young girl lead her small puppy across a field of bluish black grass, she laughed and skipped along, completely unaware of the drama that had almost taken her life. Duo truly was these people’s hero. The girl spotted him and skipped over with a bright smile, bending down to scratch the puppy behind the ear as she asked, ‘Are you lost?’ Hiiro thought about that one as he smiled down at her. ‘I’ve been lost all my life,’ he replied, looking back up at the scarlet sky. ‘That’s so sad,’ she frowned. ‘Here,’ she offered, holding out a small yellow flower. ‘I’ll give you this flower. I have to take Mary home now,’ she added, patting the small dog again as she led it away and laughed at its playful romping. Hiiro watched her go, a million scenes of his own home running through his mind. Things he’d dismissed as unimportant or common place. Things like this small yellow flower. He looked at the delicacy in his hand, so fragile and bright. Perfect in its simplicity then noticed for the first time the billions of its mates in the dark grass. They lingered just under the bluish black tips of the grass, keeping their silent watch over the meadow. Their beautifully bright petals shining just below the shadowy surface, there for anyone who cared to look hard enough to see. On the third day Wufei looked up from the book he’d been reading aloud to Duo to see Hiiro gently pushing the door open. Duo regarded him passively as he smiled and stepped into the room. Hiiro considered them for a moment then decided to come right to the point. ‘I’m going to Altron,’ he told them. Wufei raised a brow and removed the thin rimmed glasses he’d been wearing from his nose. Duo’s expression didn’t change. Hiiro walked over to his bedside, glad to see he was almost as good as new. They were to be released later that day. The prince reached out and laid a small, yellow flower on Duo’s stomach, then leaned in to kiss him. Duo sat perfectly still until the moment Hiiro’s lips were about to touch him then pulled back slightly. Hiiro only paused a moment to grin at his stubbornness then closed the gap and kissed him anyway. When he pulled back he looked into Duo’s defiant violet eyes and made sure his own were open and easy to read so Duo could see the truth of his words when he said softly, ‘I trust you.’ The braided boy’s eyes narrowed slightly as he considered the remark then Hiiro pulled away and turned to Wufei. ‘Be good to him,’ he mock scolded as he smiled. Wufei returned the smile and added a soft chuckle as he shook his head then Hiiro turned to leave. His hand was on the door when Duo’s voice broke the silence. ‘When do we leave?’ Hiiro stopped and turned back to him, his heart beginning to thunder in his chest as a huge smile split his face. ’08:00,’ he replied, walking back over to stand by Duo’s bedside. The long haired boy sniffed at the flower in his hand then peered up at the goofy grin on Hiiro’s face and rolled his eyes, trying to hide the smile that refused to be tamed on his own lips. Finally he gave in and chuckled slipping his legs from beneath the blanket. Hiiro’s mouth began to water as he realized the boy was wearing one of those hospital gowns that are specifically designed for easy access to the body and absolutely nothing else. ‘I knew that gaping fish thing would come in handy one of these days,’ Duo grinned, pulling him down for a long, deep kiss. The braided boy had pulled him half in the bed before he pulled back and breathed, ‘Fei?’ The Chinese boy had been sitting in his chair watching the pair, doing his best to throttle his own need as it rose up in response to the image. ‘Hmm?’ he moaned softly, swallowing the lump in his throat. ‘Lock the door,’ Duo whispered as he pulled Hiiro in for another slow kiss while Wufei grinned and bolted for the door. ** ‘Duo!’ Howard growled, hurrying to keep up with the braided boy’s long strides as he walked across the space port launch bay. ‘You can’t do this, damn it! The Kalic launch hasn’t been used since...’ ‘You worry too much, old man,’ Duo told him then turned, grabbed his head, kissed him square on the mouth and left him standing in the middle of the bay blinking owlishly as he leapt up the landing ramp to join his friends on ship. ‘Ta!’ he smiled at the stunned man as he waved and closed the ship. ‘What in the hell is the Kalic launch?’ Wufei asked as the longhaired boy moved swiftly down the hall. They all filed into the main cabin, Quatre bringing up the rear. ‘The only way off this rock at the moment,’ Duo replied. ‘The main hangars won’t be fully operational for another week or so.’ ‘So, what? The sling shots are out?’ Quatre asked as he sat down and started to strap in. ‘Yep,’ the braided boy confirmed. ‘Oh, gods,’ Wufei groaned, plopping down in one of the seats. ‘Boosters then,’ Hiiro interjected. ‘Too much fossil fuel is kind of a bad idea around here,’ Duo grimaced. ‘Don’t sweat it!’ he said, grinning alarmingly as he intoned, ‘Trust me.’ They all sighed heavily and rolled their eyes. The other three boys finished strapping in while Hiiro and Duo went to the cockpit. ‘So what’s this Kalic launch?’ Hiiro repeated Wufei’s question from earlier as he slid into the pilot’s chair. ‘Something you’re not ready for,’ Duo replied ‘Get up.’ The prince paused a moment and looked up at him, uncertain of his true intentions but saw he was quite serious so he got back up and moved to the copilot’s seat. ‘That bad, huh?’ ‘Not something you wanna try blind, no,’ Duo chuckled. ‘Oh, come on!’ he whined when he saw the fear start to leak into Hiiro’s dark blue eyes. ‘You want off this rock, this is how it’s done. Besides,’ he added, grinning with that insane little glimmer in the corner of his eye. ‘It’s as easy as popping a cork.’ Hiiro suddenly felt like he’d just been buzzed by a jet airplane as the ship rumbled to life and began to lift off. It became clear very quickly that the longhaired boy was more than a little familiar with the landscape as he took them smoothly around the violent eruptions all around them. Hiiro smiled and shook his head as Duo hummed some old rock song as he made his adjustments and keyed in new course headings and calculations. The holographic terrain monitor on the copilot’s side showed the prince what was both above and below the ground for a mile or so in front of them. He wondered where they were going and how they were supposed to reach break away speed without boosters until he saw something odd in the terrain. Ahead about half a mile was a huge volcano at least a mile across at the peak but what was really amazing was that the shaft seemed to go down into the planet’s crust then arch in a perfect sweep until it connected with another mountain some five miles away and resurfaced. This second peak was in active eruption, spewing lava and toxic flames violently into the sky. Hiiro’s eyes began to widen slowly as Duo calculated a course heading straight for the mouth of the first volcano. ‘Duo?’ the prince said uncertainly. He couldn’t be serious? They’d melt in the magma! ‘Hm?’ Duo replied, keying up the song he’d been humming on the ship’s speakers. ‘What is that?’ Hiiro asked nervously as they crested the edge of the great shaft. ‘Hiiro Yui,’ Duo ginned. ‘Meet Kalic,’ he said as he dropped the ship into a nose dive straight into the mouth of the mountain. Hiiro’s eyes bugged out as he left his stomach behind. ‘WHAT THE FUCK!?’ was yelled in a slight Chinese accent from the main cabin as Duo lit up the ship with the flick of a button. Once the prince had regained his balance a little he realized the shimmering all over the outside of the ship was the same kind of heat shield Duo and Trowa had used under the mountain but it didn’t do much to stabilize the massive disk as Duo maneuvered it through the tight twists and turns of the underground caves. ‘Jesus!’ Hiiro barked as a huge glowing boulder twice the size of the ship tumbled in front of them, narrowly missing taking them down with it. ‘Shit! watch it!’ he warned unnecessarily as a mile long flame lit up the massive cavern they were flying through, then gasped, ‘Ahh! Shit, what the hell is that?!’ ‘Pretty, ain’t it?’ Duo ground out, steering the ship straight for the wall of falling magma. Hiiro glanced at him and realized just how hard he was concentrating on what he was doing as the sweat began to fall from his brow. The prince was suddenly aware of his own white knuckled grip on the arm rests of his chair and decided it was about time he got his act together and started acting like a copilot instead of a gaping fish trophy. ‘What can I do?’ he asked, checking his panel over again. ‘Pray,’ Duo retorted. ‘Duo?’ Hiiro said warningly as they approached the titanic lava fall. ‘Yeah?’ ‘Duo?!’ he said a little more frantically as the braided boy increased the power level of the shield. ‘Holy shit! No way!’ Hiiro barked as they collided with the fall of molten rock. The ship was instantly submerged in the sticky, glowing mass for the span of about three seconds then they burst from the opposite side spraying molten rock in all directions. ‘Yo, babe,’ Dou barked as Hiiro hyperventilated in his chair. ‘You’re up. Reroute life support to the main engines.’ Hiiro was already moving before he finished what he was saying. ‘Get us as much power as ya can, Kal’ll push us to break away but we gotta maintain it long enough to kiss the sky,’ he panted. It had become a real wrestling match to keep the ship from slamming into the narrowing passages. ‘Shit,’ he grunted, flipping more switches. ‘What?’ Hiiro asked, still working on the bypass. ‘We need thirty seconds on the shield and we’ve only got twenty five,’ Duo grumbled, still looking for a way to remedy the problem. Five seconds later the shield glowered more brightly and Duo grinned as he glanced over at Hiiro. ‘Weapons aren’t gonna help if we’re slag,’ the blue eyed prince smiled as he finished patching the weapons power into the shield. ‘Damn you’re sexy when you’re being clever,’ Duo grinned, chuckling at the slight blush that rose to his cheeks. ‘Tuck’em under and hold onto your panties, girls! It’s gonna be a hell’ov’a ride!’ Duo suddenly bellowed as he dove into another tunnel. A moment later they slammed into a massive river of lava that was moving towards the surface at an astonishing rate. Hiiro felt his ears pop ten seconds into the ride as the pressure built up in the ship in spite of the shield. Duo had both hands on the controls and one foot on the dash as he fought to hold the beast steady. The next twenty seconds turned out to be the longest of Hiiro’s young life. They were buried in the belly of an active volcano with nothing more than a thin barrier of energy between them and Satan’s own blood. He felt the mounting pressure and saw the excruciating amount of control on Duo’s face at they neared the point of departure. His heart hammered frantically. It was like being in the womb of the universe at the birth of creation. ‘Hiiro?’ Duo ground out as the ship shook ever harder. ‘Yeah,’ Hiiro panted not able to take his eyes from what lay in front of him. In less than five seconds they were going to break free. ‘I think I’m in love with you.’ Hiiro’s mouth dropped open as his head snapped around to look at the braided boy in complete and utter shock. He had no time for the declaration to sink in, however, as the next moment… ‘YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAA!’ suddenly ripped from Duo’s throat as the very planet itself spat them out and sent them rocketing skyward. The force of the explosion took them almost out of the atmosphere where the power Hiiro had rerouted kicked in and nudged them over the edge and into the perfect calm and serenity of space. Everything was quiet for a moment. The stars hung in the inky blackness just as they always had. The auto pilot kicked in and turned the ship toward Altron as it had been instructed to do. ‘What the hell was that?!’ Wufei suddenly barked from the cockpit door. ‘What did you just do?’ he asked, narrowing his eyes as if he were scolding a five year old that he’d just caught wallowing in the mud. Hiiro turned to Duo. A moment later they were out of their chairs, their bodies colliding as they wrapped tightly around each other and kissed each other frantically. Wufei raised one brow and stepped out of the way as Hiiro jerked his lover up so that his legs were around his hips and started toward their cabin. The Chinese boy watched as they disappeared into the privacy of the room then smiled and shook his head helplessly before he dropped into the pilot’s seat to do the in-flight checks. He was still sitting there watching the night sky slip by sometime later when Quatre slipped into the cockpit, offered him a hot cup of black Ulshian tea and took the copilot’s seat. ‘Thanks.’ He hadn’t been aware Duo stocked the rare and delicately flavored blend. It was his favorite. He took a sip and smiled as he realized Duo knew he’d be on Earth; of course he’d stocked it. It was the Chinese boy’s favorite. The boy never missed a beat. ‘Any idea why we’re going to Alton?’ Quatre asked, drinking from his steaming mug. ‘Not a clue,’ Wufei chuckled. ‘They’ve got the ship cross wired like a drunken spider’s web. All I could find was a vague course heading for Altron.’ ‘Shouldn’t we be in hyperspace?’ the blond boy queried. Wufei nodded his head and savored the hot liquid in his mouth. Black Ulshian tea was banned in several systems because of its addictive qualities. It was a rare and wonderful indulgence unless you wanted to spend a year or two in detox. ‘Apparently, he’s not in any hurry to get there,’ he replied, relaxing as the tea began to permeate his body with a happy warmth. Quatre chuckled. ‘He’s really something,’ he observed. ‘Definitely something else,’ the Chinese boy chortled, sinking down further in his chair and smiling contentedly as the warmth tickled at the back of his brain. ‘He reeeealy likes you,’ he offered for no apparent reason. Quatre laughed softly, sipping his drink. ‘You think so?’ he asked, relaxing back into the copilot’s seat. ‘I kind of got the feeling he was rather fond of you and Hiiro,’ he grinned knowingly. ‘He had every intention of seducing you,’ Wufei informed him. The blond boy’s brow went up in that ‘you don’t say?’ kind of way then the expression changed to one of ‘yeah, you got a point’ before he sipped his tea again. ‘He’d have succeeded,’ he said after a moment. Wufei snorted then laughed at himself for making such an undignified sound. ‘He may yet,’ he giggled, wiping the spittle his action had caused from his chin. ‘I’d never betray Trowa,’ the blond sighed. ‘Neither would he,’ Wufei interjected, sitting back and sighing at the simple beauty of the stars. ‘Perhaps I should seduce him first,’ Duo’s soft voice broke the stillness as he leaned over the back of Quatre’s chair and smiled down at him. The blond boy’s huge cerulean eyes peered up for a moment before a nasally, drunken laugh forced its way past his lips and he curled up into himself in the cutest giggle fit Duo had ever seen in his life. Duo took the mug of tea from the boy and was still very much enjoying the show when Hiiro chuckled as he leaned over and kissed Wufei softly. The Chinese boy returned the affection happily, even going so far as to follow him up a ways when he pulled away. When the prince did move back far enough to break the kiss he realized what had happened and sat blinking owlishly at the grinning, raven haired boy. ‘He made me promise,’ Hiiro told him, wiping the shiny saliva from the corner of Wufei’s mouth. Wufei turned his head to see Duo grinning knowingly as he sipped at Quatre’s tea. He sighed and grinned back as Quatre doubled up and fell out of his chair. ‘Hold this,’ Duo told his Japanese lover, plopping Quatre into his arms as he slid into the copilot’s seat. ‘Gladly,’ Hiiro grinned as the blond boy’s arms flopped lazily around his neck and he smiled up at him. ‘Heeeerooo!’ Quatre sang still giggling like a fool. ‘Hello, Sunshine,’ the prince grinned. The boy was just too damn cute when he was high. ‘You,’ Quatre slurred, running one finger over Hiiro’s lips as he tried to focus. ‘Ar’a moshly han’som man,’ he finished then kissed him. The force of the pure emotions that slammed into the prince knocked him clean off his feet and lit up every cell in his body. ‘Ah shit!’ he gasped as Quatre moved to his neck and began lazily sucking at the skin. He looked desperately to Duo for guidance but the braided boy just laughed his ass off and turned back to the controls. He was preparing to take them into hyperspace when they all suddenly froze as a rope drifted along the outside of the ship. A moment later two boots followed, attached to two long legs and a flight suit that proved to house the face of one tall, green eyed boy of their acquaintance as he drifted by the cockpit window. He paused a moment and glanced at Quatre who was still in Hiiro’s lap. The blond boy smiled and waved drunkenly at him yelling, ‘Hi Baby!’ as he giggled and collapsed on the floor. Duo looked over at Wufei then back at the green eyed boy outside before he waved his hand to get his attention and gave him the ‘come here’ finger. Trowa nodded once then drifted off in the direction of the main hatch. Duo turned slowly to face Quatre who had become fascinated with the buckle on Hiiro’s gun belt and only looked up when he realized he was being stared at. ‘Aft turret waz broke,’ he explained, curling up in Hiiro’s lap. ‘Thought’e’d fis’it while you’s waz playin hide’da sausage,’ he garbled then promptly passed out. Duo picked up the blond boy’s mug and sniffed it once then glanced at him and took a long sip as he turned back to the control panel. Hiiro tucked Quatre into bed while they waited for Trowa to return. Once he was safely inside and had given his report that the aft turret had been repaired, Duo took them into hyperspace and calculated their arrival time to be six hours. Hiiro was happy to have the time to do a little research. They also hadn’t had a decent meal in awhile so Duo and Trowa had decided to fix something ‘special’ for them all but Hiiro hadn’t been brave enough to ask.
~ * ~ tbc... |
