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"The Negotiator"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/Fantasy/Adventure, Angst, Fluff,
Sexual favors from a dragon? ^0^ (non graphic), Eventual Lemon, Mild
violence, My corky humor lol ^-^ Pairings: 1x2, 3x4, 5xM Beta’ed by the wonderful Mechante Fille *hugs*
You’re the best baby! ^__^ Summary: Duo Maxwell finds himself on the adventure of a lifetime when he is hired by the future king of Lagrange to aid in dealing with an encroaching Dragon. However, he quickly discovers that not everything is as it seems. Wizards, Dragons and magic abound in this epic tale of adventure and discovery when one young man finds himself between two worlds and suddenly the future depends solely on his skills as The Negotiator. View art work commissioned
by SkyLark and drawn by t_shirt for "The Negotiator" - Click
HERE "The Negotiator" Ch 20 “Get him out of there!” Howard shouted. “I can’t!” Quatre coughed, grateful for Trowa’s assistance in standing. “What’s happening to them!?” Rashid yelled over the roaring noise. “I don’t know!” Quatre wept. “The spell went wrong! I… I don’t know!” “Don’t!” Meilan shouted when Meriy made to go physically to their rescue, stalling his advance. Duo held tight, oddly at peace with the strange silence that had fallen over them. Hiiro’s arms slowly came to hold him but they were different from before, not dragon, not man. Still, he sighed happily regretting only that his friends didn’t seem content with the way things had gone. “You’re here,” Hiiro’s voice echoed deep and true. “I am,” Duo smiled, burrowing deeper into the warmth before him as he softly promised, “I’ll always be with you.” ”A true heart.” The sound of a woman’s voice did not surprise or frighten them, though they had hoped to have a bit longer before the time of judgment came. “As true as my own,” Hiiro smiled, pulling back to softly kiss Duo’s salty lips. ”He has forgotten.” a male voice stated. Hiiro’s eyes darted about as if he might get a glimpse of the source of the sacred tone but all that he saw was the distant desperation of their friends as they tried to figure out a way to rescue them. “Hiiro?” Duo whispered, trembling softly in his arms at the very sound of the tenor. “Shh,” the dragon soothed, turning his attention to the disembodied voices. “What do you mean?” ”The stone.” the woman replied. Hiiro pulled back enough to see that the name of his father in the stone Duo had given him glowed brightly and he smiled at his bewildered mate. “He knows your name.” Duo’s eyes went round as he grasped the meaning of the statement. “That’s your… dad?” he whispered, flushing bright red when Hiiro grinned and nodded. ”How?” Hiiro asked the swirling winds. ”He is the Reaper’s child.” he woman answered. “What?” Duo breathed uncertainly. “Are you saying my father is…” ”Shhhhinigami,” the wind whispered and Duo shook hard and buried his head in Hiiro’s shoulder at the terrifying sound. ”Don’t be so theatrical,” the woman scolded. ”You’re scaring him,” ”Well, that explains a lot,” Hiiro smiled. “Has he come for us?” Duo rasped, clinging tightly to his lover’s chest. ”Nay, I will heed thy prayer,” the new voice hissed but it was a much less disturbing sound. ”Though you may wish that I hadn’t!” it cackled, fading away. “What did he mean by…Hiiro!” Duo shouted, feeling his mate’s body suddenly twitch violently, the dragon’s roar filling his ears and the cavern but before he could properly panic, his own body was hit with savage pains that ripped through his form, leaving him with nothing more to do but scream. “What’s happening to them!?” Howard screeched again. “I don’t know!” Quatre reiterated angrily as he paced the circle looking for a flaw. “Well do something!” “Like what?!” The debate was suddenly stalled when the couple within the bright hurricane began screaming, their forms shifting and changing. At one moment the center of the room was suddenly filled with the roaring form of the Great Blue and the next another of royal purple hues screamed and filled the air with fire. “Help them!” Meriy shouted just before the lamps on the walls began to explode, sending everyone diving for cover. The dais shimmered and flashed brilliant light, raining crackling sparks of pure energy down over the party until finally and quite without warning the winds suddenly died, the light riding away on the vanishing wind and all that was left was the smoldering remains and the writhing bodies of two enormous dragons taking up the better part of the cavern’s expanse. ”Hiiro?” Duo groaned softly, unsure why he suddenly felt as if he had three legs. ”Duo!?” Hiiro gasped, untangling himself to gape at the plum colored reptile beside him. “What the hell happened?” Duo asked, clumsily pushing himself to his feet. “Duo?!” Howard shrieked then promptly passed out when the deep purple dragon turned in response. “Duo?” Wufei breathed softly stumbling over Howard in his effort to aid him as he couldn’t take his eyes off the huge amethyst orbs that were regarding him. “Wufei?” Duo spoke in his beloved human tongue, enormously relieved to find that he could, but the sound merely caused the Dragon Lord to fall on his ass and gape up at him. “Hiiro?” he intoned in a shaky tenor, turning to find the blue healthy and whole but in some sort of mild shock as he stared in wide wonder and firmly exclaimed… “Well, shit.” * “Duo?” “……” “I brought you some water,” Quatre smiled sheepishly. Duo raised his enormous head, fully aware of how intimidating it is for a dragon to wear a scowl and sniffed disdainfully at the small bowl in the wizard’s hand. “Oh, right,” Quatre sighed, slouching to the ground. The rain had stopped that morning but no one had come up with a way to get Duo back on board ship. He could barely walk in his present state, being unfamiliar with how a dragon’s body moves. The best he could manage was to flail about like an infant, smashing stone cliffs with a lethal tail his mind kept telling him he wasn’t supposed to have. He’d spent a bit of time once the others had calmed him enough to lie still, inspecting his new form. His muzzle was thinner than Hiiro’s, he could see that with his own eyes and his limbs appeared to be longer. As with their human forms, Hiiro’s body looked more muscular compared to his lean elegance but he knew his new body harbored power unlike anything he could have previously imagined. Recalling the flames that burst from his throat during his tantrum after finding himself turned into a dragon left him strangely confused. On the one hand it was disturbing to have flame spilling from one’s lips but having a release for the raw power that bubbled inside him made him long to try again. Like Hiiro, he was covered in thick scales that seemed to react to his mood, hardening when he became agitated and softening when at rest. He recalled the feeling of sleeping soundly against his mate’s satiny skin and wondered if it was a conscious effort or if it just happened in response to his need. His color was different as well, mirroring the odd amethyst hue of his eyes. Hiiro had had blue eyes when in human form as he had when a dragon so he wasn’t surprised but essentially being a purple dragon wasn’t helping his mood. It wasn’t a feminine color by any means, at least not the whole of it being dark enough to resemble plum wine but it lightened around the edges making him feel self conscious. Happily his braid, a source of comfort in his life for as far back as he could recall, had not completely abandoned him though it had shifted in both form and fiber. Where his hair might have been sprouted a long row of silken threads tightly woven together and falling free of the spines on his back, the warm chestnut color of his past was gone but the new golden wine accented his odd, deep purple body well enough he didn’t feel like a complete fool. Quatre sighed again, bringing his attention back to the moment so he made a conscious effort to stop scowling and laid his head back down. “I am so sorry,” the wizard began, then jumped as Duo snorted and accidentally blew a small fire ball out of his nose. “Sorry,” he echoed rubbing the burning sensation away. “We could try…” But the wizard’s words suddenly stalled as Hiiro’s massive form slammed into the ground. ”A brilliant day!” he roared happily, only noticing Duo’s sorrowful scowl after the fact. He ignored it in his exuberance, choosing to half tackle the other dragon instead of coddle him and Duo laughed despite himself as he was pinned to the ground and licked behind the … ear? Did he have ears? He must because Hiiro’s tongue was trying to worm inside one of them. ”Stop!” he laughed, unable to fend his mate off while Quatre made a hasty retreat less he get squashed. ”The heavens favor you in any form,” Hiiro grinned, pulling back to beam down at him and suddenly Duo felt what it was like for a dragon to blush. ”I look like a ladies ribbon,” Duo sulked. Hiiro’s eyes went wide in surprised. ”You’re gorgeous!” he sang, snuggling his head and neck. ”Few are blessed with such resplendency.” Duo blushed deeper; his cheeks, had he been able to see, flushed a lighter shade of violet more closely matching his eyes as he grumbled, ”Meaning I look like a girl.” Hiiro burst into laugher but let him up. ”Hardly,” he chortled, only noticing Duo’s sincere distress over the matter when he hung his head and tried to hide behind his huge body. ”Honestly,” he soothed, nudging his mate encouragingly. ”Do you really believe I would be so taken with a female?” Duo snorted amusedly, turning his head to accept his mate’s affection by rubbing their heads together. ”No,” he smiled softly. ”I suppose not.” They stayed like that for a time until Hiiro became restless and began absently washing his cheek and Duo got first hand knowledge of what it was like for a dragon to get turned on. “Hiiro?” he prompted, closing his eyes and lifting his head to enjoy the attention. ”Hn?” ”How do dragons kiss?” Hiiro paused to draw back, unable to look at him as he replied simply, ”We don’t.” The disappointment was evident in Duo’s eyes but his fear pushed him to continue. ”Is there anything we can share like this?” ”These bodies are not meant for tenderness,” the blue explained. ”Mating is only for the need of procreation. There is no joy in the union.” Duo shivered at the thought of never being able to join with his lover in that way again, which brought said lover to his side. ”There are other joys,” he smiled encouragingly. ”At least now I understand why dragons are so taken with human lovers,” Duo sighed. ”It is an injustice,” Hiiro agreed but refused to let the melancholy mood take him. ”However, there are compensations,” he smiled, rising to spread his enormous wings invitingly. Duo’s eyes reflected his feelings towards that contingency as he gasped, ”You can’t be serious!?” ”Fly with me,” Hiiro grinned, stirring up the air. ”I can barely walk!” ”Flight is easier than crawling along the ground,” Hiiro explained, pulling him to his feet. ”Hiiro… I can’t,” Duo laughed nervously. ”Yes you can,” his mate insisted. ”Just lift your wings and let the sky do the rest.” Duo looked to the bright morning sky, feeling the pull of something he didn’t fully understand, but it had been inside him since the moment he awoke in his new form. Thinking back, there were few times he could recall Hiiro walking anywhere, he almost always used his wings to get around. It was a foreign concept at best, having not had wings the day before but the idea that he might not simply be a clumsy oaf brightened his spirits enough to prompt him to spread his wings and he smiled at the elation he felt when the wind tugged at their impressive expanse. ”Give them a shake,” Hiiro coaxed, backing away a little to demonstrate. Duo giggled, feeling foolish but mimicked the motion and felt the weight of his huge body lighten on the air. ”It works!” he laughed, pulling them down a little harder and squealing when his feet rose off the ground. ”Up! Hiiro crowed, rocketing skyward. ”Hiiro!?” Duo chortled, floundering like a fledgling bird fresh out of the nest as he laughed and bounced off nearby cliffs. ”Lift!” Hiiro laughed, swooping down to encourage him. ”Ride the wind, don’t fight it!” “Duo!?” Wufei cried, appearing from their encampment some distance away. “Look, Wufei!” Duo shouted joyously. “I can fly!” “Duo! You come back down here this instant!” Meilan hissed, jumping from rock to rock in her hysteria. “I can’t!” Duo laughed, narrowly avoiding a rocky spire as Hiiro snagged his front paws and pulled him higher. “I don’t know how!” “If you let him get hurt I’ll never forgive you!” the cat growled. “Watch out for that...!” but Howard’s warning was too late as Duo’s tail took off the top of a rocky tower before Hiiro finally tugged him clear of the ground. “Bring him back to the ship!” Quatre shouted, cringing as the pair bounced off each other in the air. Duo laughed and beat his wings harder in his effort to rise up and stay with his mate while Hiiro echoed his jubilation and flapped furiously trying to keep his equilibrium in the tangle they made. ”Whoa!” Duo suddenly yipped, spiraling out of control for a moment as they hit a thermal when they moved over the ocean. ”Use it!” Hiiro grinned, opening his wings to make the most of the updraft and Duo laughed out loud as he did the same and suddenly soared high into the sky. ”Now, Hiiro shouted doing a little showing off as he circled his floundering mate. ”Don’t flail about,” he giggled, demonstrating as he instructed, ”Just meet the wind; it will take you where you want to be.” It took a moment of uncertain experimentation before Duo discovered that his new body was honestly suited for flying and whooped happily. ”This is incredible!” ”You’re beautiful!” Hiiro crowed, doing loopty loops around him. ”You’re biased!” Duo laughed, finding it easier to predict the currents and trying a little loopty loop of his own. ”Yes!” Hiiro grinned, matching him swoop for twirl. ”But that is irrelevant when it’s true!” It was well after dark before the sky over the Peacemillion was lit with fire signaling the dragons’ return. The aft deck seemed the most likely spot for them to land as it had the biggest area so their friends gathered anxiously to await their arrival. “Hey!” Howard grinned, raising his hand in greeting as Duo sped by with Hiiro hot on his heels. They watched as the two darted in and out, spitting playful sparks at each other that made it easy to see the happiness in them and Wufei sighed as his hand fell to scratch at Meilan’s ear. “It would seem they are well suited no matter what form they take,” he observed, chuckling warmly when the feline gave a disdainful little sniff. Hiiro and Duo made another pass before their final approach, Hiiro coming in first with Duo following up the rear. “Trowa?” Quatre inquired quietly. “Isn’t he moving just a little…” “EVERYBODY DOWN!” Trowa suddenly roared, diving on his lover while the rest of them scattered and Hiiro tried to turn to slow Duo’s descent only to be plowed over and knocked to the deck and the night suddenly exploded in a horrendous crash as the two massive reptiles slid and banged and slammed into the ship leaving the aft observation deck in ruins. ”I think… I need more practice,” Duo groaned, unable to move in his entanglement with Hiiro and the ship’s wreckage. ”You just have to slow down a little,” Hiiro reasoned, rolling off of his mate to help him up. “Are you ok?!” Quatre gasped, rushing in to meet them. “F..ine,” Duo grunted, cringing when bits of the ship crashed to the deck as he stood. “Sorry, Howard.” “You couldn’t wait until he had more time to adjust?” Meilan interjected. ”We haven’t got time for such luxuries,” Hiiro reminded her. “He’s right,” Duo agreed. “This way we can all fly to Lagrange tomorrow.” “We’ll just make the summit!” Wufei crowed. “I’m not riding with him,” Rashid stated, eyeing the carnage on deck. “Me either,” Meriy agreed. “Well,” Duo pouted. “Maybe I could use a little more practice…” ”You’ll do fine,” Hiiro smiled, slipping a clawed arm around him. ”We’ll practice landing tomorrow and leave by nightfall. We’ll arrive before the summit is over. Don’t worry.” “Practice won’t return him to his true form,” Meilan pointed out. “Actually,” Trowa cut in. “It might.” “The spell was incomplete,” Quatre explained. “But it seems to have worked. It is possible that it was fully successful in spite of the variations.” “You mean I might be able to change like Trowa?” Duo wondered, flashing Hiiro a hopeful glance. “We won’t know unless we try,” the blond smiled. “What do I have to do?” Duo chirped, squeezing Hiiro’s claw excitedly. * “That’s it?” “It’s not as easy as it sounds,” Trowa chuckled. “Sheer force of will, huh?” Duo sighed; completely unconvinced the jade hadn’t lost his mind. There should have been something concrete, a spell or words or a mantra at least. To be told he merely had to will himself into another form was a bit much to ask of his still human mind. “It is who you are,” Meilan offered. “You must simply be yourself.” “Which one of you is real?” Wufei smirked, scratching her behind the ear but was sufficiently scolded when she merely replied… “I am myself in any form.” “Just relax,” Trowa smiled softly. “It’s easy once you get the hang of it,” he encouraged, demonstrating by slipping from emerald scales to soft, olive skin. Duo’s eyes flicked down his naked body before he’d thought to contain them, bringing a bright violet blush to his expansive cheeks. ”Your lesson is over,” Hiiro hissed, eyeing the snickering jade as he nosed in. ”If it is possible, you will succeed,” he smiled for his mate. ”What if I can’t?” Duo whispered softly. ”Succeed,” Hiiro grinned wickedly, moving in close to his ear to promise, ”And I will bathe you… thoroughly.” Duo shivered so hard his wings trembled, making his mate chuckle warmly as he moved back to give him some space. “Just… make it happen,” Duo sighed, looking inward. He tried to recall what it felt like to have human arms and legs, to be without the treacherous tail that seemed to forever be smashing into something. Tried to remember the soft tendrils of his hair and how warm Hiiro’s body had felt intertwined with his own. “Duo?!” The sound of Meilan’s distress made him snap his eyes open just in time to see a swirling violet mist moving around his form but whatever progress he had made had vanished. “Damn!” “I’m sorry!” the cat barked. “He almost had it!” Quatre enthused. ”No thanks to you,” Hiiro sneered at the haughty feline. “There is no mist when Trowa transforms,” Meilan sniffed. “At least we know it’s possible,” Wufei grinned. “That’s right!” Duo laughed. “It was working, wasn’t it?” he chattered excitedly to his smiling mate. ”Yes,” Hiiro praised. ”You’ll have it down in no time.” “And you!” Duo bounced happily. ”Me?!” Hiiro snorted. ”I can barely remember what it was to be human. I don’t see how I’m supposed to will myself…” ”Manage it,” Duo whispered softly in his ear, ”And I will remind you of the joys of human flesh.” “Ahh!” Wufei screamed, jumping two feet off the ground when the Great Blue Dragon suddenly shrank and blinked astounded, human eyes about the room. ”Hiiro?!” Duo gasped. “I guess it’s true,” Hiiro grinned dopily, turning to gaze up at his enormous mate. “All you need is the proper motivation.” Duo busted out laughing whereas Wufei looked as if he might pop a vein. “What did you say to him!?” he yelled, stomping up to glare at them. “Change him back! He can’t show up at the summit looking like that!” “Relax, Wufei,” Quatre chuckled. “It would appear the spell was a success in spite of the difficulties. He should be able to change back at will.” “Don’t do it too often,” Trowa warned. “It taxes the body in ways you cannot possibly imagine.” “And it’ll probably be worse for you two,” his lover agreed. “Given that you’re required to change into something a hundred times your body mass. There is a great deal of magic involved, don’t over do it.” “All right,” Duo smiled, taking a deep breath. “Sleeping in a bed tonight sounds a lot better than the cargo hold.”
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