Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Chimaera ❯ Chapter 11 ( Chapter 11 )

Disclaimer: I don't own the G'boys, I just borrow them from time to time to play with and return them a whole lot happier, ne?

Rating: NC 17

Warnings: Yaoi, Lemon, sap, angst, Male Pregnancy, medical themes

Pairings: 1x2x1

Archive: http://gundam-wing-diaries.150m.com

http://sweetlysour.net.

http://adultfanfiction.net

http://www.theforsakenwk.com

Many thanks to DBZVelena, Ryouga and Yami_Tai for the beta. Also thanks to Yami_Tai for the title of this fic.

Notes: Set partially during the series but main bulk after the war. EW didn't take place. The Eve wars are finished and the peace retained. The pilots have all gone their own ways, Heero and Duo have made a life together both working for Preventer when Duo's world is turned upside down as his unknown past comes back to haunt him.

Dedication: To Velena who gave me the plot bunny for this little gem.

Status: In progress.

~ Indicates flashbacks ~

/ thoughts /

"Chimaera"

October. 2003 ShenLong

Chapter 11

Duo took one last look around the familiar room before closing his eyes and burning it into his memory. A gentle touch to his shoulder brought him out of his melancholy thoughts and he turned to see Heero standing beside him, a sad look on those handsome features.

"I'm going to miss this place too, Duo."

"That obvious, huh?"

Heero pulled Duo against him, Duo's back against his chest. He wrapped his arms around the slender waist and rested his head on Duo's shoulder, kissing his neck softly. "We have our memories, Duo, no one can take them away from us."

"You're right as always, Heero," Duo sighed.

"It's never easy to say good-bye, but don't think of it as good-bye, after all, we will be coming back for Hilde's wedding and to visit." Heero continued to press soft kisses against Duo's neck.

Duo tilted his head slightly allowing Heero better access to his skin. "I know what you're saying is true, Heero; but it still hurts to leave."

"Places that have been good to us or have happy memories are never easy to leave behind, Duo. We have a whole new life though out there though, where the blank pages are waiting for us to write upon them our new history, whatever that may be."

"And I thought Wufei was the philosophy freak, Heero." Duo chuckled.

Heero nuzzled the creamy neck. "I love you, Duo Maxwell, and I for one am looking forward to filling in those blank pages with love and warmth, compassion and sharing... In short I want to write all our future days of happiness upon them."

Duo smiled to himself with Heero's words; somehow they gave him comfort and something else.

Hope.

For the first time since Heero's arrival on L2, Duo let his heart open up and hope invade. He'd been cautious at first, not willing to let his guard down too much. He wasn't sure just how genuine Heero really was, after all, once bitten twice shy and it had taken him some time to learn to trust the Japanese man again. The fact that Heero was willing to talk, had tried to explain his reasons behind his actions had gone a long way to convincing Duo. Plus when all things were considered Duo knew that he himself wasn't completely blameless either.

He knew he hadn't been fair on Heero recently either, he couldn't explain his short temper, all he knew was that things that usually didn't bother him suddenly seemed to take on mammoth proportions. Maybe he was just lacking in something, maybe he needed a vitamin shot or two, or maybe he needed a shrink.

Hopefully the change in job along with the fact that they would be living on Earth and not in the Colonies would help him to overcome whatever it was that was causing his bad temper. A fresh start, a chance to begin again. As Heero said, the chance to write their own futures on the blank pages, whatever they may be.

Duo turned around in Heero's arms and linked his hands behind the ex-Wing pilot's neck. Staring deep into cobalt he whispered his words for Heero and only Heero to hear. "There is no one I would rather be writing my future with than you, Heero. I know I haven't always been easy to get along with and I'm sorry about that, hopefully this change is just what I need. I love you, Heero Yuy." With the soft words spoken, Duo leaned forwards and brushed his lips lightly over Heero's.

Heero's heart leapt with Duo's quiet words and he savored the gentle touch of lips against his. As Duo broke the tender kiss so Heero's mouth followed, not willing to surrender the intimacy of the moment just yet. He captured Duo's lips and gently pressed his tongue forwards. Permission was granted and his tongue slipped into the warmth of Duo's mouth, softly caressing and coaxing Duo's tongue to dance.

The kiss was deep and sensual but not asking for anything more, a fact Duo was grateful for. At the moment he was hard pressed to deal with the emotions that were running through him. Leaving behind pretty much everything he thought he would be doing for the future was taking a little time to adjust to and he knew he wasn't ready to deal with anything else on top of that.

Heero released him from the kiss and broke their embrace. Taking Duo's hand he led the long haired man to the door. "We need to be going, Duo, Hilde is waiting downstairs and the shuttle leaves soon. If we miss it Wufei will be sure to come after us with his katana."

Duo smiled. "Yeah, I can just picture Wuffy wielding that damn sword of his and threatening to hack off my braid."

Heero instinctively ran a hand down the length of chestnut rope. "I wouldn't let him touch it, Duo."

Duo picked up on the fierce protective tone of Heero's voice and his eyes widened a little in shock. "Don't worry, Hee-chan, Wuffy may say he's going to cut it but he never would."

"He wouldn't dare," growled Heero.

"Possessive bastard, aren't you!"

"You have no idea."

~ * ~

The bored voice of the announcer came over the loud speakers announcing that Shuttle Flight 409 was now ready for boarding through gateway 6. Both Heero and Duo looked up, noting it was their flight number. With heavy hearts they stood and gathered their hand luggage together. Hilde and Mark walked in silence with them to gate 6 where they stopped and faced each other.

Hilde surprised Heero by giving him a warm hug, tears sparkling behind her eyes as she hugged him close. "Remember what I said, Heero. Take care of him and make him happy.... for me?"

"I promise never to hurt him, Hilde, I love him too much to consciously hurt him ever again."

"Good. You take care of yourself too, Heero, no self destructing or putting yourself in the line of fire."

"I won't. I have everything to live for now, I have no intentions of giving it away."

Hilde placed a kiss to Heero's cheek and then pulled back to wipe her eyes.

Heero's heart was in a turmoil. He never thought that leaving the scrap yard and the young woman behind would evoke such strong feelings within him. Not all that long ago he would have frowned if anyone had suggested he would miss the place. Now he found that despite everything he genuinely cared for Hilde. The woman really was sweet. "You be happy too, Hilde. If you ever need a friend..."

Hilde smiled. "Thank you, Heero. You have no idea how much that means to me."

Heero gave her a nod and turned to Mark. "Look after her, make sure she doesn't overdo it."

Mark gave a smile and shook hands with the Japanese man. "It's been a pleasure to meet you, Heero, and don't worry, I'll make sure she doesn't work to hard."

The pair released hands and turned, Duo and Hilde were caught in their own good-byes and it tore at Heero and Mark alike to see how much the pair obviously hated the whole good-bye thing.

Duo hugged Hilde so tight the woman thought he was going to crack her ribs, but she wouldn't have stopped the embrace for anything. "I hate good-byes, Duo."

So do I, Hil'," Duo murmured, not trusting his voice.

"You be careful working for the Preventer group, I don't want to be seeing your face as a casualty on the news."

Duo chuckled. "I promise not to do anything rash."

Hilde stared into the violet eyes she had come to love. Her hand caressed his cheek as she whispered softly, "I want you to know that I will always be here should you need me, Duo. Be careful, don't take unnecessary risks but most of all, let Heero into your heart again. He's good for you, Duo."

Duo's eyes were welling with tears. "Thanks, Hil', thanks for everything. The same goes for you too, if you need me, just call, and make sure Mark looks after you too. If he doesn't treat you right then he will have both me and Heero to answer to."

"Final boarding call for Shuttle flight 409. Will all passengers that are on Flight 409 please board your shuttle. Final boarding call for Shuttle flight 409."

Duo pressed his lips firmly against Hilde's. "I'm gonna miss you so much," he choked out as the tears broke forth.

Hilde's tears wouldn't be held any longer either and ran, unchecked down her cheeks. "I love you, baby brother."

"I love you too, big sis."

"Duo, we have to leave."

Duo nodded and hastily wiped his tears away with the back of his hand. Picking up his hand luggage he allowed Heero to lead him towards the 'passenger only' section. While Heero handed the stewardess their boarding passes he turned to Hilde and Mark once more. "Take care of her, Mark, if you don't you will be answering to Shinigami."

Mark's brow furrowed and a puzzled expression covered his face. "Shini who?"

Hilde stopped him. "I'll explain later." She continued to wipe her tissue across her teary eyes as she waved to the two men who passed through the gate and disappeared down the corridor, closing the current chapter in her life. She looked into the handsome face of her fiancé. "Take me home please, Mark, I think I want to be alone for a bit."

Mark nodded and escorted her from the shuttle port.

Inside the shuttle Hero and Duo found their seats in the first class section. Any other time Duo would have been bouncing around, eager to check out all the cool gadgets and extras that came with traveling in the elite section; but today?... Today his heart was heavy. Leaving behind Hilde and the scrap yard had been harder than he'd thought and he still had to fully accept it.

"You okay, Duo?"

Heero's gentle voice broke his misery and not caring who was around to witness them he wrapped his arms around Heero's shoulders. "Just hold me, Heero; please?"

Heero returned the hug, shooting death glares at anyone who dared to look down their nose at them. He rubbed the Duo's shaking form's back as he felt the moisture soak through his shirt to dampen his skin. He didn't speak, just quietly held his love and let him weep; it was the best thing for Duo to do. Get it out of his system now and it would be easier to deal with later on.

The shuttle was well on its way to Earth before the tears stopped and Duo calmed enough to let go of his anchor. "Thanks, Heero."

Heero gave him a gentle smile and carefully wiped away the tear tracks with a tissue and then handed Duo another to blow his nose.

Duo accepted the soft touch and gratefully blew his nose. "I'm sorry if I embarrassed you, Heero."

"Never, Duo. You would never embarrass me. I love you, Duo, heart and soul."

Duo gave him a watery smile and curled up in the large seat, resting his head against Heero's shoulder and drawing comfort from his boyfriend's strong arm that was still encircling his waist. Gradually his eyelids grew heavy and began to droop, the emotional rollercoaster of the past few days finally catching up with him and he nodded off into a deep sleep.

The stewardess came along with the drinks and snacks trolley. She gave Heero and Duo a sweet smile and asked if they wanted anything. Heero shook his head. "Maybe later when he wakes up."

"Just let me know if and when you do and I'll get it for you," the stewardess said quietly.

"Arigato."

Duo remained asleep for a large part of the flight. Heero's arm had gone to sleep by the time Duo woke up. The braided man yawned and stretched; Heero retrieved his arm and massaged it to get the blood flowing again. Amethyst gazed into cobalt. "How long was I asleep for?"

"A while."

"How much longer?"

"We should be approaching the re-entry path in about an hour."

"Shit! I slept for that long?"

"Hai. You must have needed it."

"Sorry about your arm, Heero. You should have removed it."

"I didn't want to wake you."

Duo graced him with a warm smile and tilted his head. "Thanks." Duo quickly leant forth and brushed his lips over Heero's.

Heero's gaze softened. "Hungry?"

Duo nodded.

"I'll call the stewardess. She did come by before with snacks and then lunch but I didn't have the heart to wake you up."

"I guess that means you didn't eat either?"

"Iie." Heero looked sheepish. "I was... I was happy watching you sleep."

Duo felt himself melt. "Call the stewardess, Heero, and let's eat. If we don't lord knows when we next will as Wuffers will be whisking us off without so much as a thought to food."

Heero laughed and pushed the button to summon the stewardess. Their food arrived and they ate in companionable silence.

~ * ~

"Brings back memories, ne, Heero?"

Heero nodded and continued to watch out the small window. The shuttle was descending, finding the gap and entering the Earth's atmosphere.

Duo couldn't get enough of the sight. He loved space but he also loved the Earth. After being brought up on the Colonies with everything controlled and regulated it was a wonder to Duo to experience the natural elements. Here no one could say for sure that it would rain, that the sun would shine, it was all dependent on Mother Nature and Duo simply loved it.

While Heero may not have had the same level of excitement that Duo did over the Earth and her seasons, it was safe to say that he held a certain amount of awe for the strength and beauty of the planet. The clouds cleared, revealing a patchwork of greens, browns and blues below and Heero felt the thrill of anticipation shiver down his spine. He took a glance at his partner and smiled inwardly.

Duo's eyes were still a little red and puffy but his enthusiasm was back. His eyes darted back and forth, missing nothing. Heero could see the fire of life burning in those violet depths and gave a sigh of relief. Given the sadness of their departure he had seriously questioned their leaving, wondering if maybe they should have stayed and refused Wufei's offer. One look at the American now though and Heero knew they were doing the right thing. He raised a hand and caressed Duo's braid, the former Deathscythe pilot turning to look at him.

"You okay, Heero?" Duo questioned when he saw the dreamy look in Heero's eyes.

"I'm fine, Duo. In fact, everything's perfect."

Duo gave him a brilliant smile and turned back to the window, carefully watching their descent, mentally calculating their air speed and rate of drop, and beside him, Heero was doing the same.

~ * ~

"There he is!" Duo elbowed Heero who scowled in return. "Hey, Wuffers! How you doing, man?!" Duo pushed through the crowd that parted slightly and stared as the voice yelled through the air.

Wufei scowled. "Maxwell, Yuy." He suffered the embrace from the long haired man with dignity, even placing his own arms around the slender form for a brief moment.

Heero tried to hide the smile. Wufei had mellowed a little over the past two and a half years, or so it seemed. He took the offered hand as Wufei managed to extricate himself from Duo. "Chang." he bowed a little in greeting as he shook hands.

Wufei noted the subtle changes in Heero. In the passing of time so Heero had matured, his shoulders had broadened and he'd grown taller. The slim hips and carefully built physique remained and the frame had filled out. He carried himself with an air of authority which pleased Wufei. It was good to see that Yuy still retained many of the qualities that had made him an outstanding pilot and soldier during the war.

Wufei had seen Maxwell a couple of times over the past two years or so. The American had also filled out, although his frame remained slender and judging by the bone structure, always would. Not as muscled as Heero but Wufei knew that looks could be deceiving. While Maxwell may not outwardly appear to have the same strength as Yuy, underneath that slim build lay power that many only needed to witness once. Maxwell could take care of himself.

"Did you have a pleasant flight?" Wufei inquired politely.

"It was fine, thank you." Heero replied.

"I couldn't tell you, Wuffy, I slept for most of it," Duo responded, "But the food was great so I guess the flight was too."

Wufei rolled his eyes. "You're the only person I know that rates a flight by the food, Maxwell."

"Well, it works for me," Duo grinned.

Wufei noted the slightly red rimmed eyes but decided not to say anything for the moment. He would get his chance to catch up with both ex-pilots at a later time. Right now his priority was to collect them and their luggage and deliver them to their apartment. "Do you have any more bags?"

Heero looked at the two suitcases they had between them. "Iie. Just these and the hand luggage."

Wufei quirked an eyebrow. "Still travel light, Yuy?"

"Old habits."

Wufei nodded. "Let me take them for you." He reached for the bags but Heero stopped him.

"Thanks but I would feel more comfortable carrying my own."

"As you wish." Wufei let it go.

"You can carry mine if you want, 'Fei," Duo teased.

Wufei gave him a long suffering look but picked up the suitcase anyway. "You can carry the hand luggage, Maxwell."

The three exited the shuttle port and Wufei threaded his way through the crowds to the reserved car park. Placing their luggage in the trunk he unlocked the doors and they all climbed in. "I'll take you to your new apartment. The rest of the afternoon and evening are your own. I will call for you in the morning and take you to headquarters to meet with Une and discuss your duties and her expectations of you both as agents." With those words said, Wufei started the car and proceeded to join the queue of vehicles exiting the port.

"Welcome to Earth," Duo muttered under his breath from the back seat.

~ * ~

tbc........