Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Half Cocked ❯ One ( Chapter 1 )

A/N: Hello and welcome back...I just wanted to say that when you see a number, like 27, it's meant to be read as "two-seven" not "twenty-seven". Also, 0 (zeros) aren't meant as "zero", they're meant as "oh"...so A0206 is "A oh two oh six"...just to differentiate why there actually are numerals in the text. As for prononciations, "Qingfu" is supposed to be pronounced "Shingfu".

- -

One

"He'll be okay, won't he?" Jaden pressed the nurse as they stood outside the door to Qingfu's little room. He studied his friend with concern a moment. "He hasn't been able to stay awake at all...it's scaring me."

"It's the Remalene," she reassured him. "It speeds up the body's healing time. He'd be sleeping from being shot like that anyway, but the drug is making him even more tired because it's taking most of his resources. He'll wake up after a while and be famished."

Jaden ran his hand through his hair, then nodded at her and stepped back. "If you could, see to it he gets what he needs...and I'll come back again later."

She nodded, watching him walk away.

Jaden didn't like that he couldn't be in the room when Qingfu woke up, but he was able to leave his friend notes. Qingfu would answer him on the same piece of paper, which Jaden was glad for, because he didn't like not having Qing around to just ask or throw ideas at.

Amy, the nurse, was always at hand to give Jaden a progress report, but she was the only one with specifics. The other nurses and even a few doctors would come up and tell him how many of the wounded were already showing signs of healing.

Jaden glanced out the window that lined the hall as he headed back from the bridge. He still didn't know how he'd become the one in charge, but everything was ran by him from rations to head counts.

He'd been in utter disbelief when he'd realized there were twenty children on the ship. He hadn't realized there were children on the base, let alone the ship. He'd been even more taken aback to learn that many of the ones they'd rescued from the tops of the buildings were teens too young to even join the military.

Marshal's recruiting techniques were still a mystery to Jaden, but they did seem to involve families.

"Sir," Armend muttered quietly, moving up and passing him a sheet of paper. He studied Jaden a moment then gestured toward the hall with his head. "How's Rin?"

"He was sleeping again," Jaden returned, adding the sheets to the responses Qingfu had written up. He sighed after a moment, looking around at the people who were all sitting or standing, watching him.

"Read that, please," Armend muttered quietly. He'd stopped trying to play around with Jaden when he'd realized the whole ship was taking him seriously. "I think it's important."

Jaden blinked at him, then looked to the paper...and stared.

E.T. phone home. Not everyone fit on the bike.

"With our advanced research team," Armend noted dryly, "we were able to decipher that there are still people on the Brazil base who want to join us. Are we going back in?"

"Illicit isn't," Jaden noted pointedly, looking up to Armend. "But if there's anyone who wants to go back, we should have some sort of transport on here. I won't stop people from going back to land as long as we get our transports back."

"You're such a good dictator," Armend praised him cheerily, then bounced back toward the other men.

"I am not a dictator," Jaden protested, moving to stop at the table that was covered in his notes. "I only decide some stuff arbitrarily."

Armend started laughing happily, looking around. "So make it democratic. We have our hierarchy set up already, but you being all dictatorial means we keep it hushed so you don't chop off our heads."

"It's only a hand for a first offense," Jaden retorted.

Armend started laughing happily, then shrugged and turned to everyone else. "All in favor of Timorre as president?"

"I'm no damn president," Jaden retorted. "I can accept Captain since the ship is mine, but..."

"Aye," fully half of the people returned as Jaden spoke.

"All against?"

No one moved.

"All with a better idea?" Armend looked to the ones who hadn't voted.

"All who think Armend's an ass?" Jaden raised his hand—as did many of the ones who voted him president.

"Okay, fine," Armend pouted at him. "All in favor of Jaden as supreme commander of the SS Illicit?"

The ones who weren't sure about the jokes raised their hands uncertainly.

Jaden gave Armend a very level look.

"President it is," Armend declared, grinning to the people around. "All complaints are to be submitted in hand-written triplicate and must contain one essay of a thousand words describing how President Jaden Timorre needs to get over himself."

Jaden started laughing.

"...you just voted him president," one of the men suggested blandly. "Why does he have to get over himself?"

"I just voted him supreme commander of the ship," Armend retorted. "That got more ayes than nays."

"I think," Jaden spoke up quickly as the man opened his mouth again, "that you really need to pursue this discussion in private, because Armend will drive me bat-shit crazy if you don't. You're not serious?" he added to everyone else. "You don't really mean to vote me president or some shit?"

"We wanted independence," another man shrugged happily. "With you, we at least have a chance."

"I have at least one gundam pilot who'd take my head on sight," Jaden protested. "Which means a fifth of the damn ESA."

"Yes," a woman noted drolly from where she was lounging, "but in case you missed it, there seem to be five gundam pilots after Rab's head. I like your odds better...besides, I tend to agree with you on decisions."

Jaden raised an eyebrow at her.

"And my son thinks you're cute, but that's something else entirely," she rose to her feet. "President Timorre," she saluted, "I am at your immediate disposal."

- -

It was early in the morning as three soldiers drove across the base of Marshal Gerrange. The trunk of the first car was full of items that had been thrown out from the men who'd ran with Timorre, and the second car was nearly full to bursting. As they moved through the dawn silence, another car fell in behind them. Inside of it were ten more men who were done with Rab and his games...and their things. A second van appeared shortly after, and the four cars wend their way through the hills that surrounded the base toward the banks of the Amazon.

They knew that if anyone realized what they were about, they'd be attacked, but the early hour and the cryptic message about following the Reesces Pieces to the really big river had made it around the remaining people in the base who were done with Rab and all his vainglory.

It was time to try again, and avoid being labeled terrorists.

- -

"Okay, I know I was trained like...wickedly," Trowa noted, sitting on his chair—the chair was backwards, so his arms were folding against the top of it at the little table. He had notes in his hand, and Lifon was curled up in her normal seat. "But you're really saying that wrong, and it's driving me nuts."

"How am I saying it wrong?" she asked, studying his face. "You keep doing this...it's annoying."

"I know," he rubbed at his face. "The thing is the accent."

"Why would I have the accent?" she retorted. "Think about it."

"I said I know it's because how I learned," he retorted. "I needed to take a moment to figure it out."

She raised an eyebrow at him.

"I got hit every time I said it wrong," Trowa informed her. "And it was hard. You have no idea, I almost smacked you a minute ago."

The look on her face turned offended as she sat up.

"You have to bear with me as much as I have to bear with you," he protested. "Don't look at me like that. I didn't smack you, did I?"

"Let's do something else," she muttered, shoving the papers she'd had across her laptop away. "I don't want to do this anymore."

Trowa rolled his eyes, tossing the spiral he had down and sitting back as he considered her.

"What?" Quatre demanded, slamming into the apartment with a harried expression on his face. "You're not serious! You're not...are you serious?"

"What?" Li asked, tilting her head at him.

Quatre focused on her a long moment, then turned and disappeared down the hall. "Am I coming? Do I need to...no...no, of course I wouldn't make it in...but...what if it's a long labor?"

"Labor?" Lifon asked, looking around to Trowa.

Trowa hopped out of his seat, gesturing the girl after him as he started down the hall after his friend. He had a feeling Fasiha was about to have her baby, because they didn't know anyone else who'd have a long labor.

"Right...right...I'm coming," Quatre tossed his phone onto his bed and ran a hand through his hair.

"What, now?" Trowa demanded, stopping in the door.

"Fasiha is going into labor," Quatre returned promptly. "Not fake, her water broke...shit..." he started pulling clothes out of the dresser, tossing them onto the bed, then cursed and shook his head. "Get me my ticket."

Trowa wanted to demand the other make him or say please, or something, but he couldn't bring himself to be that big a jackass.

He turned back down the hall wordlessly as Li gave him a confused look. It didn't take him long to pull up the flight listings and select a one-way ticket option.

"Haha," Li muttered, leaning down over his shoulder. "Getting rid of him for real."

Trowa flashed her a grin and gave her a quick kiss as he started down the hall. She didn't follow, but he didn't figure she needed to. "Okay, so there's a flight in a half hour. If you fly, you can make it."

"Right, I'll pay you back," Quatre turned and headed into the bathroom.

"All you really need is small clothes," Trowa reminded him. "You've left some stuff up there anyway, and you can go buy more."

Quatre came up short, hesitating a minute, then nodded and hugged him. He pulled away with a bright grin. "She's having her baby...for real."

Trowa hugged him again, then stepped back.

"Let...let...I'll call Duo, let the others know for me," he turned and started down the hall. "Bye, Li," he added, hugging her and kissing her temple. "I'll be back...after the baby is born," he laughed and disappeared out the door.

Trowa snorted and moved to order the ticket. He paid the fee to keep the craft waiting, too. Quatre wouldn't be happy to get there and not have things in order. No luggage, just a carry-on...and...there. Trowa sent the confirmation to Quatre's phone, then looked around to the very quiet teenage girl.

"You...kissed me."

"No I didn't," he protested instantly, then blinked as he thought about it. He really had kissed her...nothing serious, but... "Uh..."

She snickered. "You totally kissed me," she repeated happily. She moved to sit at her laptop. "So now we're even...and if you make me mad I'll tell my dad."

Trowa gave her a very level look.

She started snickering wickedly, studying him a long moment, then pulled up her browser.

- -

Duo moved around the apartment again, frowning slightly. Wufei was holed up in his room under a pile of blankets, trying to avoid hacking his lungs out, and Jinli hadn't come home from work yet. Quatre was gone, and Trowa was playing with Lifon. Heero and Matty were in their room, Heero was helping Matty with his homework.

"You have no idea what to do with yourself, do you?" Wufei muttered, moving from his room. He looked miserable. He stumbled against the wall, then laughed weakly. "Whoa...light headed."

"What are you doing?" Duo protested, moving instantly to support him, then flinched back slightly. "You're burning up! Wufei..."

"I'm alright," Wufei protested. "I just...need some...acetaminophen...where's Jin?"

"Still at work?"

Wufei's expression changed to uncertainty and he looked around. "What time is it?"

"I've only been home a little while," Duo retorted. "Are you okay?"

"I have a fever," Wufei met Duo's eyes. "Want to rephrase that?"

"I meant because of the fever, asshole. What are you doing?"

"I was laying in there shivering," Wufei explained, moving along the hall carefully. "And had the thought that if I'm so hot the house is cold, then I've also probably sweated out all my liquid. I haven't had to pee since I woke up, and look, you're home and can be a bitch for me."

Duo smacked him, turning and starting up the hall properly. "I think you need food, too."

"Funny thing about that," Wufei moved to drop on the couch. "No."

Duo turned and leveled him with a look.

Wufei made a noise at him and curled into a ball. "Turn the heat up?"

"No," Duo gave him a look and pulled the fridge open to consider options. Wufei would need liquids, but he also needed some sort of...nutrition.

"I'm so cold," Wufei whispered when Duo moved back to him with, he was shivering. "What is that?"

"This is juice and pills," Duo retorted. "I assume you wanted both."

"I don't suppose you're going to do something nice like killing me, are you?"

"Sorry, no," Duo returned. "I'm an asshole like that."

Wufei grinned, sitting up and taking the pills from the other. He glowered at them a long moment, then tossed them into his mouth. He took the juice-box from Duo and swallowed his mouthful.

"You want to go lay back down or what?"

"Or what," Wufei returned. "I'm cold, tired, and lonely."

Duo considered that a moment, but hanging out with his sick friend would be something to do. He rose to his feet, moving down the hall.

"Duo?" Wufei muttered. "Duo?" he called a little louder.

Duo grinned slightly, wondering how insecure Wufei really was. There had always been points of it in him, and they'd been exacerbated at some point. He was, in a lot of ways, like he had been after the shock had worn off back in their teens.

"What did you do?" Wufei muttered blankly when Duo reappeared, then blinked at the blanket he was holding.

Duo covered his friend and dropped down onto the couch next to him, turning on the television.

Wufei sniggered slightly. "I knew you loved me...either that, or you'd be just as lonely as me."

"Unfortunately," Duo returned wryly, "I do love you. Not sure how that one works."

Wufei started laughing...and then started to cough.

- -

"Jin!" Wufei muttered as Jinli entered the apartment. "Jin! Duo tried to kidnap me."

"What are you doing half-assing it?" Jin demanded, moving around the kitchen counter to look at Duo with interest.

Duo gave him a sour look. "He was coughing hard enough that I thought he was going to cough up blood."

Jin blinked, realizing that the play was all from Wufei.

"I tried to take him to the hospital and he freaked out on me, went into the bathroom, and turned on the hot water and sat in there forever. I'm sure that didn't really help, either. He needs to go talk to the damn doctor about a nebulizer or something because I think he's getting pneumonia."

Jinli focused on Wufei sharply.

"Don't be a bitch," Wufei grumbled, curling over onto the couch again. He made a remarkably small ball, considering he was wrapped in his comforter.

"We need to go in," Duo snapped irritably. "That coughing was not good...and you haven't stopped coughing."

"I went in," Wufei snapped back. "They said I had bronchitis. That means my lungs are pissed at me," Wufei glared around the edge of the blanket at the other.

"Wow," Jinli muttered.

Duo stood and paced back and forth a few times, running his hands through his hair. He paused, though, looking up at Jin.

"What?" Jin demanded skeptically.

"You're his espoused," Duo informed him. "You can check him in. That means I can brain his ass and you can sign him in."

Wufei started laughing weakly.

"Don't start that," Duo ordered him, pointing at Wufei irritably.

Wufei started laughing even more.

Jin sighed, moving around the counter to look down at Wufei.

Wufei sobered, then covered his head with the blanket.

"You're being childish," Jin noted in Chinese.

"No I'm not," Wufei retorted in English. "I just don't want to go back to the doctor when he's already said all they have left to do is give me medicine."

"You're being childish," Jin repeated, again in Chinese.

"I am not," Wufei persisted again in English. "Stop talking at me like that."

"Your lungs are obviously worse off," Jin ignored the order. "And if he means he'll knock you out like I think he does, well, he's more a medic than I am."

"He's full of shit," Wufei snapped. "I coughed, I have bronchitis. It happens."

"You didn't just cough," Duo snapped.

"What the hell is going on out here?" Heero half-mumbled, moving into the room. From the way he was looking around and blinking, the red lines on his face, and the shape of his hair, they could tell he'd been sleeping.

"He needs to go back into the doctor," Duo informed Heero, pointing at Wufei. "We need to take him in."

Heero rubbed at his face a moment, thinking about that as he ran a hand through his hair and studied the ball on the couch. "Just let me..."

"I do not," Wufei snapped, shoving the blanket down to glare at Heero. "I just coughed."

"You mean when you were hacking your lungs out?" Heero blinked at him a moment, then turned and nodded to Duo.

"You hate me, don't you?" Wufei grumped petulantly, dropping fully back onto the couch.

"Obviously," Heero agreed. "Why else would I be taking you into the doctor when you're trying to cough out your lungs? Shit, if I loved you, I'd just leave you in your room all day."

"You did," Wufei shifted to look toward the hall better.

"I was at work," Heero couldn't let it pass, stopping in the hall in disbelief.

"You all left me alone," Wufei persisted. "Quatre didn't even tell me good-bye."

"Quatre is going to see a baby that won't have an immune system," Duo snapped, then turned and stormed toward the rooms. "Jin, get his paperwork."

Jin ran a hand over his hair as he thought about that, then sighed and started across the living room.

"You're just letting them do this?" Wufei snapped.

"You're obviously irrational," Jinli said happily in Chinese. "As your...loving...husband...I have to take care of you in your time of need."

"I'm going to have to kick your ass, aren't I?" Wufei muttered dryly.

"As if you could catch me."

- -

"So what's going on?" Quatre asked nervously. "Why didn't Duo call me?"

"Duo has his hands full of Chinese males," Trowa retorted, walking down the hall in amusement. "He can't come to the phone right now, but if you'd like to leave a message..."

"Trowa."

Trowa sniggered. "Sorry...no. I haven't gotten all the details on it yet. I just got from Heero that no one had called you yet. Wufei's being a pill. They want to give him a shot and he's refusing. Jin stepped in as far as I can tell, and actually said to do it. As his espoused..."

"Wow...did you realize he was that sick at all? If they want to give him a shot..."

"He's been in his room a lot, mostly talking to Jin. You know what?"

"Huh?" Quatre ran a hand through his hair, studying the ship around him tiredly.

"When you get back, we need to all sit around and talk again. We need to start being our group again because we've totally drifted apart."

"I guess," Quatre agreed quietly.

"So," Trowa added, stopping at the door. Duo was standing at the head of the bed, trying to hold Wufei's left shoulder down. Jinli was standing at his right shoulder, and Heero was trying to hold his legs down. "I'm needed. Jin's not strong enough."

Quatre made an annoyed noise and hung up.

Trowa grinned, moving into the room. Wufei was cursing mostly at Jin, but was able to move enough to keep the doctor from shooting him up. Trowa moved happily forward...and dropped across Wufei's middle.

Wufei exploded into curses, snarling and trying to fight against Trowa, but Trowa fully draped himself, then raised one leg to lock down the one on the far side for the doctor. It was more intimate than he wanted to be with his friend, but some things had to be given up for the sake of the mission—or pissing said friend off for shits and giggles.

Wufei started laughing weakly, dropping backwards...and the doctor moved.

The laughing and relaxation that had accompanied it disappeared. Wufei hissed in pain, digging his nails into Trowa's arms.

"Hey, now," Trowa whispered, trying to pull away.

Wufei laughed, digging his nails in more. Trowa wasn't sure when he'd started liking pain, but he was pretty sure some of those nights with Blake had entailed nails. He tried to pull away even more from the Asian man as Wufei gave up. He totally stopped trying to fight with a distant look in his eyes, then focused, starting to shove at Trowa.

"Let him go now," Jin muttered, stepping back. Trowa gave Wufei a skeptical look—and was glared at for it.

Trowa shifted back, then off the bed. He pulled away, looking around at his other friends as they all looked around to the doctor.

- -

Quatre stumbled down the hospital hallway with the attendant left for him in the lead. The flight had taken forever, and from what he'd gathered from his sisters, Fasiha was still in labor.

"In here, quickly," the attendant muttered, pulling Quatre into a room. Before Quatre could more than agree, the man was tearing his clothes off, and for a wonder he was faster than Duo. The thought was brief and passing before Quatre was stumbling into scrubs. It didn't take long for his arms to be fully washed, and before he could make heads or tails of anything, he was stumbling into a hospital room.

Fasiha was laying on the bed with her hair pulled back into a ponytail. She was gasping for breath with tears in her eyes, but when she saw him, she managed to smile.

"Are you okay?" he breathed. "Siha?"

"Fuck you," she gasped back.

"Are...you the father?" the doctor asked blankly, blinking at Quatre's face.

"Fuck no," Quatre retorted, moving across the room to take his sister's hand. Adala was standing on her other side. "I'm her brother."

The man froze.

Quatre snorted at him, then leaned down to hug his sister briefly.

"Shit," she gasped...and started to groan.

"Push! Push, honey!" the doctor started encouraging her. "Just let your body do what it needs to!"

"How was your flight?" Adala asked brightly, studying Quatre's face.

"Long," he retorted.

"We've been here longer," she returned in that same chipper tone.

Quatre had to smile at that, then focused on his sister as she started to sort of scream. He grabbed her hand, studying her face a long moment—he knew they had her shot up with pain killers, and the pain she was feeling was beyond even that...but it was still upsetting.

"Hold her leg!" the doctor ordered Quatre. "Here, like this..." he showed Quatre how to do it.

Quatre moved down in mild alarm.

"Okay, Siha," Adala whispered, putting a hand on the younger's forehead. "Quatre's here, huh?"

Fasiha started laughing weakly.

"You weren't waiting for me, were you?" Quatre asked blankly.

Adala started laughing...but then Fasiha had to push. Quatre had never expected to see a child be born, let alone from the rather close angle he was given. It took a while, but finally she managed to push the child out...there was a sort of shock in it as the baby started to cry.

"Never seen a baby born?" the doctor asked Quatre brightly as he wiped at his eyes. He felt like his heart was going to break...or maybe just melt.

"No...never," Quatre agreed.

"You okay, little brother?" Fasiha asked, blinking at him distantly. "I can't tell if you're pale or just..."

Quatre laughed, wiping at his face again.

"Here you go, Miss Winner," the nurse muttered, pressing the child into Fasiha's arms. "Here's your son."

"Son?" Quatre demanded, his mind instantly focusing on the bundle in his sister's arms. He knew he should know that, he'd seen that it was a boy, but somehow his mind hadn't processed that...

"Son," Fasiha agreed. "Hadn't I told you that?"

"I don't know," Quatre returned, moving forward to look at the crying baby. It was calming, but still crying.

"I told her not to wait for you," Adala informed Quatre happily, petting the baby's head. "But she was bound and determined you were here for the birth."

"And before you brush that off," the doctor muttered as the nurses started whatever other processes they had to go through, "a woman's mind and will can dictate that."

Quatre blinked at him.

"I didn't mean to do it," Fasiha retorted, cuddling the babe even closer.

Quatre turned to study his sister, then smiled at her.

She smiled back at him, then offered the child up for him to hold.

"Are you...sure?" Quatre hesitated, various rants he'd heard from women crossing his mind.

"You have to support his head," the nurse muttered, moving around to help show him. "It's easy, I promise..."

- -

"Hey, guys?"

Heero and Matty looked up from the love seat as Trowa turned his head as well. Jin was sitting on the far end of the couch, and Wufei was curled up with his head on Jin's thigh. They all turned to look at him.

"It's a boy."

Wufei pushed himself up.

"Here," Duo added, moving forward to pick up the remote. The incoming call note started flashing at them, and he hit the accept.

"Hey!" Quatre greeted. He was sitting in a generic hospital room...with a baby in his arms. "She totally waited for me to be here before she had him."

"Seriously? They can do that?" Trowa looked around to the other males skeptically.

Quatre started laughing, then shifted his arms. It took him a moment, and all his motions were delicate, but finally, he shifted the bundle around.

"Holy shit," Trowa noted happily, "it has a face."

Quatre laughed at that, dropping the baby back down into his arms to coo.

"Quatre?" Fasiha asked. "Can I have my baby back yet?"

"No, I'm stealing him," Quatre called over his shoulder. "I'll call him mini-Quatre, and he'll do my bidding, mwhahaha..."

Fasiha started laughing weakly.

Trowa raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry," Quatre smiled at them all again. "Adala decided he was my clone. It kinda went from there..."

"So, Duo?" Fasiha called. "You'll raise my baby right, right?"

Duo started laughing.

"I mean...obviously Quatre's the bitch in the relationship, so..."

"You'd be surprised," Duo noted happily.

Quatre laughed his delighted laugh again, studying Duo's face, then looked to the rest. "All right. I'm aware you're all into the game..."

"Don't worry," Matty reassured him with a grin. "We can see the score above the vid screen."

Quatre grinned happily at that, then glanced over his shoulder as Fasiha made a little noise. "Okay...well...she wants her baby back and I really keep stealing him, so I'm gonna let her...um...I shouldn't be here more than a few days, really." He sighed. "I miss you," he noted to Duo. "I've been wishing you were here."

"Oh, don't worry," Wufei grumbled, "he's lost without you. He'd been home for a while, and when I got up, he was pacing and miserable. I think he's pining for you."

Quatre laughed at that, looking back to Duo again, then smiled shyly.

Duo smiled back, and Quatre ended the call.

"Okay," Matty muttered dryly. "Do we do that?"

"You didn't call us on the vid," Duo retorted, turning to look the seating arrangements over. "We couldn't answer that. You two are stupidly in love, though, so don't even give me that."

Matty grinned back at him.

Heero sighed, pulling Matty with him to one side.

Duo sighed, dropping next to them. "Okay...so what do we do now?"