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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 6 ~ “Has he confessed his name?” Trowa asked with a gentle smile as Duo checked his healing wounds. The braided one ducked his head to hide the color on his cheeks but it did little to fool his patient. “How did you know?” he asked, going back to his task. It was a slap in the face each time he tended the injured jade, knowing that it had been his sweet dragon that had caused the grievous wounds. Trowa smiled and brushed a lock of hair that hid Duo’s eyes aside as he informed him, “You glow.” Duo blushed to the roots of his hair but refrained from comment while the jade chuckled softly. For a time there was no sound save the crackle of a fire and the soft splash of Duo’s rag in the basin until he could withhold his curiosity no longer. “How did it happen?” he asked softly as his mind counted the wounds and reconciled each with a tooth in Hiiro’s enormous mouth. “I fucked up,” the jade laughed darkly but Duo did not seem amused. “Honestly,” he went on more seriously. “It was my own fault.” Duo’s brow creased crossly as he was unable to find a justifiable reason for Hiiro to have done this to the jade. Trowa sighed in comprehension of the expression and softly confessed, “I had to know.” “What?” Duo inquired, moving mechanically to dip his cloth. “If he really ate them,” the jade smirked. Again Duo’s brow creased but this time in irritation that anyone would even consider that Hiiro would do such a thing then he remembered there had been a time when he wasn’t so sure and heaved another sigh. “He was… unhappy about my visit to begin with,” Trowa elaborated. “Accusing him of attempting to cross breed was not the smartest thing I’ve ever done.” “He would never…!” Duo spat but the jade silenced him with a smug… “Obviously.” Duo blushed again and turned away. “The girls never found him,” he confessed, going back to his task. “We looked for a trail but haven’t found anything yet.” “Perhaps Wufei could provide information on the human activity in the forest at the time,” Trowa suggested. Duo nodded kicking himself mentally for not having considered human involvement and made a note to ask the moment he was finished with the jade. The fire had burned to coals and Trowa’s dinner had been delivered by the kitchen staff before the small dragon picked up the conversation again. “Does your heart ache when you’re away from him?” he asked, staring absently at something far beyond the cracked ceiling of the dungeon. Duo swallowed his embarrassment and honestly replied, “Yes.” “Then you should return,” the jade advised. “I have to,” Duo smiled, dumping the basin in the drain. His eyes came to rest on the smoldering red coals in the hearth and he felt the rift in his heart open just a bit, only mildly appalled when the secret slipped from his lips. “I think… there’s no other place for me now.” “Go to him,” Trowa encouraged and the tightness of his tone turned Duo’s head. He was laying quite still, his eyes shut tightly against some unknown pain that tore at Duo’s heart and left him longing to feel Hiiro’s touch. “Don’t make him wait,” the jade choked. “Don’t leave him in pain.” A sudden fear gripped Duo’s chest and moved his feet toward the exit even as he stared horrified at the trembling jade dragon. By the time his feet hit the stairs he was running full out and burst into the sunlight at top speed. Heads turned and people stopped as he tore through the common yard and fled into the open field, his throat barely able to contain the swelling terror inside him until he finally couldn’t hold it back anymore and screamed… “Hiiro!” but the sky was devoid of mammoth reptilian shapes. “HIIRO!” he screamed again, feeling his toes curl and his stomach clench painfully. “HIIRO!” he roared again, falling to his knees, his outburst having drawn the attention of everyone in the keep as they watched the strange behavior in the distance. “Hiiro,” he choked then gasped, “Hiiro!” when the Great Dragon slammed into the Earth not twenty feet away. ”What’s wrong?” Hiiro demanded in a tone laced with fear and anger but his expression danced somewhere between shock and dismay, then Duo suddenly rushed into his arms. ”Duo?” “You’re ok!” Duo breathed clinging to his neck. ”Of course I am,” Hiiro soothed uncertainly. ”What happened? Why are you shaking?” “I thought… there was such pain inside him…” ”Who?” “The jade,” Duo breathed pulling away. ”Oh,” Hiiro chirped looking decidedly guilty as he asked, ”Is he healing well?” “Yes,” Duo laughed, wiping the salt from his eyes. “No thanks to you.” ”I hadn’t meant to injure him so badly,” Hiiro confessed. ”But he was quite rude…” “He explained it all,” Duo informed him. “He doesn’t blame you, I just… he seemed to hurt so much inside and then he said I shouldn’t make you wait so I thought… Hiiro?” ”Hm?” the dragon cooed dreamily. “Doest it hurt you when I’m away?” ”Of course,” Hiiro replied absently as he moved in to nuzzle his chest. “Physically?” Duo persisted, laying his hands along the cherished head. ”To a degree,” the beast confirmed. ”Does your heart not ache when we are apart?” Duo thought about that for a time as he soaked in the solid presence in his arms and concluded, “Yes, but from the way he sounded it seemed as though it must be much worse for your kind.” ”It gets harder the longer you’re away,” Hiiro confessed. ”Perhaps he has someone special his heart longs for?” “And he can’t return to her with his injuries,” Duo reasoned. “No wonder he’s so miserable.” ”Considering his conviction against cross breeding I doubt very much it’s a her,” Hiiro chuckled. “He told me he once accepted a human girl’s offer to try,” Duo confided and though Hiiro’s eyes narrowed he showed no sign of animosity. “I think her loss hurt him very deeply,” Duo went on. “But that would suggest he would prefer a female,” he concluded. ”What has breeding to do with love?” the dragon asked sincerely. Duo blinked at a loss for any sort of intelligent argument and shrugged his defeat on the subject just before a battle horn split the air. He turned horrified to find the castle swarming with men with weapons in hand, the catapults on the parapets drawn and archers lining the walls. “NO!” he shouted, understanding the danger as Wufei had not yet had a chance to announce the alliance but there was suddenly ninety feet of hissing, snarling dragon between him and the Keep. “No! Wait!” he shouted, trying to dart around the beast but no matter which way he moved he ran into a wall of scaly flesh. It occurred to him as he bounced off and landed on his ass that Hiiro must have some control over the rigidity of his scales because they were suddenly hard as steel and as sharp as jagged stone. “God damn it, Hiiro, stop!” One massive wing came to cover him as a hail of arrows darkened the sky and Hiiro’s huge head poked inside the steely tent as the shafts bounced off his thick hide, ”Do not use my name!” “What?!” Duo exclaimed indignantly as the beast turned and batted a large rock that had been lobbed their way with his tail sending it crashing back into the castle wall. ”You know how precious my name is!” Hiiro groused between clenched teeth. “They don’t fucking understand dragon!” Duo yelled, adding just this side of a roar, “STOP IT!” when his companion turned and lit the next wave of arrows on fire with an enormous column of flame. ”They started it,” Hiiro snipped in righteous contempt, sheltering his small charge from the falling arrowheads. “Gods this is so stupid!” Duo growled. “Then go! Just leave and it’ll be over!” ”And leave you here?! the dragon balked as another wave of arrows bounced off his hide. “They’re not after me you idiot!” ”That hardly matters in this situation!” “Just go!” ”No way in hell! Hiiro growled, lobbing another boulder back at the frantic soldiers. “If you would just listen to me!” ”I am not going to abandon you while under attack!” “Hiiro! So help me if…” but the threat was lost in the sudden, cataclysmic roar that sounded from the castle wall. They both stopped to gape at the sight of Wufei moving along the line of archers steadily slapping and cursing them as he jerked the weapons out of their hands and tossed them to the ground. When he reached the tower each soldier manning the catapult there cowered as he kicked and pushed in his rage until the thing tumbled down into the field and splintered against the ground. A moment later his thin, strong frame launched itself from the wall, did a forward flip and landed deftly on the grass. Every man within a hundred feet shrank back as he moved forward, walked straight up to the captain of the guard and punched him square in the face. It wasn’t until every jaw in the Keep had resoundingly hit the ground that he turned his attention to the dragon and his ward. “Damn,” Duo breathed intelligently. ”Indeed,” Hiiro echoed the sentiment, instantly standing down. ~ “Hold still,” ”Yes, my love,” Hiiro grinned. “Don’t you go sucking up to me now,” Duo grunted, prying another arrow from where it was lodged between the dragon’s scales. “Duo?” “What?” the braided one snapped, sighing contritely when he realized the voice belonged to Wufei. “Sorry,” he grumbled, tossing the latest extraction into the pile with the others in the grass. “Captain Meiry would like a word,” the Chinese Lord bowed respectfully. “Hello, Captain Meiry,” Duo smiled, trying to ease the anxious soldier’s fearful eyes. “How may we help you?” “I wanted to apologize,” the man began as his eyes darted uncertainly between Duo’s and Hiiro’s eyes. “He understands,” Duo assured him, encouraging him with amiable gestures. “Well,” he began, turning his attention to the towering reptile. “I just wanted to say that I was unaware of the situation and I hope… I would like very much,” he stated, glancing at Wufei as if to gauge his approval, “…to serve you in the best interest of our nation.” Hiiro stretched his neck out so that his head sat proud and tall at twelve feet in the air and hissed his reply. “Serve your King,” Duo translated with a grin. “And all will be well.” Captain Meriy’s relief was complete when Wufei gave a satisfied nod and he moved on. “You have my sincerest apologies for the misunderstanding,” he breathed. “We don’t usually see dragons of your size unless…” Hiiro cut him off with another hiss that caused Duo to smack his leg before he translated. “An honest mistake,” he chuckled, rolling his eyes as the dragon smiled smugly and he repeated his words, “I enjoyed the exercise very much.” “I don’t suppose,” the Captain dared, glancing again at Wufei. “Yes?” Duo prompted. “Well, if he… if you enjoy such games,” the man smiled. “Perhaps you would like to help with the training of our men sometime?” Hiiro’s grin nearly split his face and Duo needed no prompting to convey his thoughts. “He would be delighted.” Again Wufei graced the man with an approving nod, leaving him smiling and vibrating with excitement as he took his leave. “Again,” Wufei began, stepping forward, “You have the grati…tude… of…” his words trailed away as Hiiro’s massive head descended to lick lovingly at Duo’s cheek and the braided one giggled and blushed when he realized Wufei was watching. “Do you keep a record of the people that pass your boarders?” Duo asked suddenly. “Y…yes,” Wufei stammered, cocking his head as Duo went back to searching for arrows and Hiiro grinned unabashedly at him. “We need to know who was in the forest during the seventeenth week and four weeks prior,” Duo informed him, ignoring Hiiro’s purring as he ran his hands over his scales searching for any sign of injury. “I will have the information gathered,” Wufei promised, watching in utter dismay as the beast turned his huge head, winked and slid his tongue up the back of Duo’s shirt. “Whoa!” Duo barked, jumping two feet in the air while Hiiro and Wufei burst into laughter. “Damn it, Hiiro!” Duo growled, slapping the huge beast. “Stop playing around!” He was prepared to scold him further but a hush fell over the gathering that drew all eyes to the gates of the Keep where the form of an injured jade moved sluggishly along the ground. No one came to aid the small dragon and those that thought of it were sent a heated emerald glare that quickly changed their minds until he finally stepped before Hiiro, who regarded him thoughtfully with his head held high. Duo felt his heart aching as he watched the jade stumble and fall, his head bowed respectfully as he forced the pain away and spoke clearly. ”I have accused you unjustly,” he said, breathing shallowly in his effort to keep the waver from his tone. “Duo has made it clear how very wrong my assumption was so I offer my most sincere apologies.” Duo swallowed uncomfortably as he looked up hopefully at the blue, but Hiiro’s expression was unreadable as he inquired, ”Will you not offer your service to me in recompense?” ”I would,” Trowa replied, bowing lower as if to signify his deep regret. ”But my heart is bound to another.” For the first time since the jade’s appearance Hiiro dropped his gaze to look into Duo’s pleading eyes and instantly his expression softened and he bent to nuzzle his chest before tilting his huge head toward Trowa. Duo started when he puckered his lips and blew soft flames over the jade, but realized as quickly as the others that something was different when the flames came out blue and Trowa visibly relaxed as if all the weight in the world had been lifted from his shoulders. Hiiro’s generosity was confirmed when Trowa stood fully erect, the wounds on his skin quickly closing as if another two weeks of healing had happened all at once before he bowed low once again and smiled. “Thank you.” “Long life to you and yours,” Hiiro smiled, gathering Duo a little closer. Duo filled Wufei in on the proceedings and they took the opportunity to turn the impromptu gathering into a meeting of sorts wherein Duo played translator and Wufei filled Hiiro in on the state of the world. The dragon was impressed that he had already been working on a plan to unify the nations but so far no one had favorably replied. There was no doubt that with the dragon’s stamp every nation in the world would stand up and take notice and any who brought arms to the table would find the battle more trouble than it was worth because it was well known where there was one dragon, others would answer his call. They knew it wouldn’t be instantaneous nor would the road be easy but together they were certain they could bring about peace and harmony in the brotherhood of men. “I have already drafted letters to the leaders of the nations,” Wufei concluded. “Many will happily comply with the request to meet and discuss the proposal when they learn of our alliance. Will you sit with us when the time comes?” Hiiro nodded his big head, then leaned a little closer to Duo than was necessary and hissed something in his ear. Duo’s cheeks pinked but he turned and said, “He wants to know if I will be allowed to accompany him.” Wufei grinned and shook his head helplessly as he replied, “Of course.” ”Can we go now?” Hiiro asked absently, nosing along Duo’s back. “Ummm, I suppose,” Duo shrugged, turning to Wufei. “Have you anything further to discuss?” “No,” Wufei replied, watching the dragon curiously, his black eyes widening as he jumped to his feet when the mammoth reptile suddenly stood. ”Good,” Hiiro said, giving his huge body a tremendous shake that sent nearby soldiers and embedded arrows scattering in every direction. ”Because I feel the need of a bath.” Both Duo and Wufei stared in drop-jawed bewilderment when he turned to the Chinese Lord and clearly intoned, “Good fortune to you, Dragon Lord.” “Hiiro?!” Duo gasped, just barely remembering to use the dragon’s tongue in light of this new development but the beast already had him around the waist and was springing into the air. “Goodbye, Wufei!” he laughed leaving the stunned King-to-be in the middle of the field with a huge grin on his face. Hiiro took them straight to The Mother’s Womb and fell into the nearest spring - one that would have cooked Duo like a plump crawfish - and sank happily under the scalding steam. Duo let him wallow for awhile just delighting in watching him soak before Hiiro insisted on taking him further from the mountains heart so he could bathe too. He felt the strange energy in the air the moment his hands began to unlace his shirt but it wasn’t in him to ask for the dragon’s discretion. Instead, he pushed his reservations aside and allowed the beast to watch as he slowly revealed one pale shoulder then another until Hiiro’s claw gently closed over his back and he softly intoned… ”Don’t.” “And what if it’s what I want?” Duo asked in little more than a wavering sigh. ”Duo,” Hiiro rasped, clearly on the edge of his control as he forced himself to ask, ”How would you cope with your sin?” Duo’s jaw dropped to argue but Hiiro cut him off. ”You made it very clear how you feel about interspecies intimacy.” “But that was before…!” Duo exclaimed, turning to face him but the expression in the dragon’s eyes stole his breath away. ”Before what?” Hiiro asked, gently caressing his face. Duo stared up at him in all his mythological glory and understood his heart for the first time as he confessed, “Before I… fell in love.” Something shifted in Hiiro’s eyes, something profound and sincere as he brought his head down and gently kissed Duo’s face. ”I will stay with you… always,” he promised, moving so that his huge, blue eyes were the only thing Duo could see as he told him, “But the most I can offer is your pleasure… and my pain.” “Why?” Duo cried. “Why does it have to be that way? Isn’t there something we can do to…?” Hiiro shook his huge head, stalling the braided one’s pleading words. ”I cannot join with you in that way,” he explained. ”I will never be able to but,” he purred, using his dexterous tongue to wrap Duo’s suddenly panting body and slip his pants off before he whispered his request, ”Let me care for you,” and laid him in the warm water. It all seemed like some glorious dream; a spell of wondrous joy that he wished with all his heart would never be broken as the dragon spent the next couple of hours drowning him in grandiose luxury. He was washed with both the heated water of the spring and the lush velvet of Hiiro’s tongue, his hair released, rinsed and combed one strand at a time and he giggled wondrously when the large reptile proved just how talented his forked tongue really was when he deafly re-weaved his hair into its traditional braid. He was content in a way he’d never thought possible but the ache still remained in his heart. A need that beckoned and pleaded to be touched and the next thing he knew he was laying in the cradle of Hiiro’s claw, the dragon’s body submerged in the large pool that they shared as he gently licked Duo’s face, chest and neck with obvious relish. The heat that had been simmering just beyond his consciousness slowly spilled over until the young man was certain his blood would ignite and finally he couldn’t stand it anymore and arched back wantonly in the creature’s palm. He gasped openly, his hands coming to grip the fleshy appendage that moved freely along his skin as it brushed purposely over the more sensitive areas of his body. The rounded tip stopping to probe a nipple sent flashes of heat through his flesh as he clenched his eyes shut against the onslaught of cresting emotions. ”Duo,” Hiiro rumbled in a tone that belied his seemingly collected state of mind. “Don’t stop,” Duo panted, reaching for what little of him he could touch, his hands moving to guide Hiiro’s tongue as it blanketed his body in heat. It took a very long time. A time in which Duo discovered a strength he hadn’t been aware he possessed because the more Hiiro was willing to give the more his body began to demand. He ached desperately to hold the dragon in his arms but was granted no more than his eager tongue and what he could reach of his face. Still, the blinding pleasure inflicted on his person was so utterly intoxicating that he was completely unaware of anything but the feel of Hiiro’s touch, the soft words of love and affection and how deeply the dragon was buried inside him. He wanted to feel him, all of him but knew it couldn’t be done. He begged with all his body and soul but there was no way for Hiiro to grant his wish other than to substitute what he craved with what he could offer. Duo cried out, his beautiful eyes wide with wonder when Hiiro granted him some small shadow of his desire and touched him deep inside. The rest of him was working him into a lather hotter than the heart of the mountain and Hiiro’s tail began to swish and thrash in the air as Duo’s cries escalated to a fever pitch then all at once he screamed Hiiro’s name and thrashed in his palm and the dragon held on in high spirit until he finally collapsed. Duo panted in wild eyed wonder as he was gently settled on a stone in the pool, Hiiro’s massive body straining jerkily as he pushed himself to his full height, lifted his head and let go an Earth shattering roar as he sent a thousand feet of fire into the air. “I didn’t know you could do that,” Duo informed his lover sometime later as they drifted on a lazy wind headed for home. ”Which part?” Hiiro chuckled. “I never realized you had that sort of power inside you.” ”Neither did I,” Hiiro replied. “What do you mean?” Duo asked curiously. ”My distance is usually only half as much,” the dragon confessed. Duo grinned and laid his head along his neck. They flew in a companionable silence until Hiiro delivered them to their den then set about feeding themselves and cleaning the cave. Once the apple cores and roast bones had been eaten, Duo dragged one of his furs over to lie in the crook of Hiiro’s front legs, making a bed for himself that he promptly crawled into and snuggled down. Hiiro smiled widely, wrapping his head around so that it lay as near to the braided one as possible as they fell into a peaceful sleep.
tbc... |
