Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Hush ❯ Chapter 6

Hush

By Xero Sky

Pairing: 1x2, maybe others, maybe not

Warnings: (For the whole story) NC-17, AU, lemon, angst, violence, mention of NCS, and OOC with reasons for it. Lots of profanity. Duo POV.

Summary: In an alternate timeline, Treize Kushrenada's New Alliance has won the day: the earth and the colonies enjoy an uneasy peace. And one Duo Maxwell, terrorist, Gundam pilot, and general pain in the ass, is unexpectedly out of prison. Now he only has to confront his future… and his past.

Disclaimer: All characters belong to their respective copyright holders. No profit is intended from this work of fan fiction.

Archive: http://www.xero-sky.com

http://www.templeofthegoddess.com

and ask!

Chapter 6

Daylight brought with it new revelations. Well, at least one. It turned out that the wall outside my rooms was easily climbable. So, since boredom was still my enemy, and since I'd never quite gotten the hang of really hard-core, Zechs-like brooding, I decided it was time for a change. Of scenery and of profession.

By mid-morning my new career as an artist was going well. I could see some real improvement between my current work and the sketches I'd done earlier. I'd gotten much better with the proportions and perspective.

Of course, there hadn't been much light when I'd climbed up to the roof and started sketching the security set-up at the palace. At first, it was just fences and walls. When the sun came up, I started adding guards, landscaping, and whatever I could see of the mobile suit base to the east.

I'd been a decent hand at this once, but I hadn't exactly had much time for practice since... Well, shit, I guess it'd been since before I'd hooked up with Doc G. Unlike the Sanc palace, which stocked pencils and notepads among the niceties its guests could expect, L2 had been notoriously short of anything I could use for art supplies. Especially since graffiti had been a felony.

I frowned and held my pencil up to get an idea of how big the trees beyond the second ridge were in comparison to the ones nearby.

There were footsteps across the flat roof behind me.

"Mr. Maxwell."

"No."

I ground my teeth together, forcing myself not to flinch at what I'd said.

"Please, Mr. Maxwell."

"No."

"You're making this difficult."

"No shit."

He didn't say anything else, so I guessed that Faceless Security Jerk #4 was gonna go the way of his predecessors: he'd stand there, glaring at the back of my head for awhile, and then he'd go back to wherever it was that Faceless Jerks came from.

To my surprise and general unhappiness, he didn't.

"Mr. Maxwell," he said, his tone full of the regret that Faceless Jerks usually suffer right before the violence starts. "I would hate to bring this to the attention of Colonel Yuy."

Oh.

Well, fuck, wasn't *that* just the wrong thing to say to me?

I should remember to write this guy a thank-you note. Way to ruin a threat, man.

I was sitting on the edge of a roof about 70 feet off the ground. I was scrawny, with a braid full of split ends, but my attitude was about as bad as it ever had been. Which meant that Shinigami was the one who stood up and slowly turned around to face his audience. If nothing else, Shinigami knows how to win friends and influence people, and he was gonna kick this little toad's ass.

Shinigami kept me from pissing my pants when I was face to face with the Security uniform, so I let him run things for a while.

"Do you know why I'm out here, brainiac?" I asked the Jerk, grinning.

Big surprise: he had nothing to say to that. No idea. Nothing going through that happy little head of his other than getting the psycho off the roof before someone with even more shiny stuff on his uniform noticed me up there.

"I'm here because the word is out, asshole. No one fucks with me. 'Avoid conflict.' Isn't that what your orders said? 'Do not risk injury to Maxwell.' So fuck off, buddy. Because if you're up here for another 10 seconds I'm gonna break bones you never knew you had, and if you're a good little drone, you're not even gonna fight back."

I was guessing how Zechs' orders from yesterday were worded, but I must have been right. The Jerk went kaleidoscopic on me, fading from pink to white and then going back to red. He didn't like me. He didn't like being unsure about me.

Tough shit. There was no way he was gonna get me off that roof without injury to someone. I had a small advantage here and I was going to use it.

Security didn't like me up there, but Security couldn't seem to do anything about it. Quatre was nowhere to be found, so this was the most recent in the string of poor assholes who'd gotten sent up to talk reason into me. If it wasn't his fault he had shitty orders to work with, it wasn't mine either. I was working with what I had.

Let's be honest. Part of what I had was a serious case of fear. Everything that I'd learned over the past year told me to duck my head and do exactly what I was told, quickly and without drawing any more attention to myself. Without saying a word, much less threatening a guard.

I hadn't let Shinigami out much since I'd finally figured out that he was going to get us killed in prison. He was great in battle, and absolutely essential for living the life of a threat to society, but he nearly got us beaten to death before I learned to shut up and cower when I had to.

For the record, I *hate* being afraid.

So, yeah, maybe letting Shini out to play with the Security morons in this situation was a little chickenshit, but I had to start somewhere, right? Call it desensitization training.

"Mr. Maxwell..." the guy said, trying to take control of the situation.

"Shhhhh," I said, touching my finger to my mouth. "Now run along before I pull your spine out."

Both of us seemed to believe I could do it.

He left.

Well, hell.

What a gullible bunch of bastards. No fun at all.

Trying to ignore my elevated heart rate, I sat down, picked up my notepad and started sketching again.

It wasn't like I had a hell of a lot else to do. Heero was a no-show, Quatre hadn't come by, and the exciting life of a prisoner had lost its glamour. Now I know why all those princesses in the fairy tales are pining for some knight to rescue them: palaces are just as boring as any place else when you can't leave.

Fortunately, I could now fall back on my old-time hobby of annoying people, with the added bonus of not getting my skull pounded flat for it. Suppressing a shudder, I waited for the next volunteer to come up to amuse me.

*****

It's funny how torturing yourself for your own good can work up an appetite.

Somewhere around noon, I ate lunch on somebody's balcony, enjoying the view. I'd broken into the room with no fuss, and nobody had shown up to annoy me. As I finished up, I flipped open a book I'd swiped from the maitre'd's desk at the officers' mess and started reading.

Without Quatre there, the maitre'd had been even less happy with my presence than before, so he'd positively beamed when I told him I'd take my food to go. On a whim, I had him bill Heero for it. He wasn't too keen on that part, but he got a dose of the Duo Maxwell Death Glare and decided to cut his losses.

I was pretty happy about how it had all worked out. I hadn't even known I still *had* a working death glare. Go me. While he was gone, I stole his book.

Sitting back with my feet up on a table now, I munched grapes and read. I hadn't had a lot of opportunities for reading lately, so it was remarkably pleasant. I have to admit that the little prick had interesting taste in books. He must have been a pilot in hack for something. Either that or there was a bigger audience for books about Minovsky physics and its application to mobile suit weapon design than I'd ever imagined.

Worked for me, though. I was enjoying myself all around. Best meal I'd had in a long time.

Actually, it hadn't been a bad day, either.

Earlier, when I'd had all the art I could stomach, I'd gone over the edge of the roof without any warning, making my security detail freak out or shit their pants or whatever it was their kind did when surprised. The climb down nearly wore me the hell out, but I made sure to wave jauntily at the heads peering down over the edge of the roof at me before I walked away.

No one had interfered with my ramble around the palace, although I found a few places that were locked off. I was certain that cameras were on me every step of the way, but that had stopped mattering quite so much. I wasn't trying to be stealthy anymore. I suppose it gave me a sort of freedom, actually, since they otherwise left me alone as much as possible.

I'd gathered information as I explored, but I didn't provoke them unnecessarily. I made no attempt to escape. I might be able to kill one or more of them with my bare hands, but I wasn't in condition for any serious attempt at breaking out. Not yet.

Besides which, I had a reason to stick around now. I had to put Yuy down.

Of course, the likeliness of that happening when I couldn't handle the Security guys was less than zero, but why let the little details get me down?

So, anyway, I was eating my lunch on the balcony of this very nice room I'd broken into, reading about how beam weapons will never work efficiently under water, when it happened.

If you've ever felt it, there's no mistaking it. There's nothing else like it. Not a colony trembling after a meteor strike or ship collision. Not thunder, or earthquakes, or the impact of heavy artillery in the distance. It's more a feeling than a sound; it can send shudders up your spine and make the hair stand up on your neck. If it doesn't make some part of your body go hard, you're either not a pilot... or you're a victim waiting your turn.

Jesus, I love mobile suits.

The impact of a heavy combat mech hitting the ground and beginning its approach is music to my entire body.

I could tell the difference between this one and the mobile suits that were usually in motion around the palace complex. This was bigger, and by definition, more dangerous. It must be a training exercise, because none of the alarms were going off, but it still made me all tingly.

The approaching footfalls were fast; this was an attack run. I wondered if this was an attack drill for the whole base, or if they had separate targets set up somewhere. I stood up and went to the rail, hoping like hell I'd get a look at something. I didn't care what kind of suit it was; I hadn't seen an actual mech blowing things up in so long I was practically drooling.

So, I'm a fan. That a problem for ya?

Call me slow, or out of the game for too long, but I didn't actually catch on until the explosions started. There's a big difference between the sound of a building blowing up and a test range target getting hit. Trust me on this one. A few seconds after the lights went on in my brain, the alarms went off all over the place, and the first column of smoke appeared beyond the hilly woodland to the east.

Someone was dishing out the unhappiness for my new friends here.

I watched the smoke billow upward and grinned widely, my hands gripping the rail as if I could somehow push myself up high enough to see.

No luck.

I could feel the railing vibrating under my hands as the explosions came nearer. God damn it! Between the smoke and the trees, I couldn't make out a freaking thing.

And then I did. Something flew close overhead, shaking the windows and nearly deafening me, and I ducked reflexively. When I opened my eyes, though, I had no trouble recognizing it. The Virgo streaked eastward, looking, as always, like there was no way it could stay in the air. They were big, ugly suits, without any of the detailing that made the Gundams so freaking awesome looking.

Yeah, I know. All that cool shit is supposedly 100% functional. Uh huh. Like a *scythe* is the most efficient kind of beam weapon they could've come up with. Not to mention the fact that all the Gundams were designed to look like kabuki samurai or something. All that stuff was just meant to make Ozzies piss themselves before they died.

The Virgo topped the crest of the ridge between the palace and the base, and something like aesthetic justice took over.

There was a bright flash above the smoke, and then the Virgo was exploding. My teeth rattling, I clapped my hands over my ears and hit the deck; that suit had been too close and too low for the palace to escape all the wreckage.

I was right. I could hear the shrieks and thuds of shrapnel hitting the buildings nearby. I had that moment of gruesome suspense where you wait, like everyone waits, to see if any of the destruction around you is yours.

Then I popped back up, grinning like some sort of demented jack-in-the-box, because that bright flash had been a *beam trident*, and there was only one mobile suit in existence that used one of those.

I watched the soldier and security troops scrambling across the palace grounds, as if they could make any damned difference against Shenlong.

Finally, the good guys were scoring a little.

"Just make sure he doesn't piss on you!" I yelled down at the Ozzies, remembering what Wufei had done to one of Treize's houses. It was good advice. Many coolants were toxic as fuck.

No one on the ground paid any attention to me, but I wasn't offended. After all, from the sound of things, Wufei was gonna pay me a visit. I'm sure he didn't know I was there yet, but there's no way that you can be in the path of a mobile suit without thinking that it's coming after you personally. It's just how it is. I waved and yelled at the huge form just then appearing through the black pall of smoke.

Whooping and hollering was undoubtedly immature behavior at that point, but, hey, what the hell. "Wufei!!! Kick some ass for me!! Wufei ---"

And then I got my first clear look at Shenlong.

"-- YOU SONOFABITCH!!! "

Shenlong no longer had its fancy paint scheme. There'd apparently been severe damage to sections of the torso and shoulders at some point, and they'd all been handily replaced.

With parts of DeathScythe.

"Fucking thief BASTARD!!!"

There was absolutely no way in Hell that *I*, of all people, was going to miss that the shoulder pauldrons and upper chest had been replaced by shiny black parts of MY mobile suit. And now that I thought about it, the delay in the alarms going off could mean that he'd swiped my stealth systems, too.

Jesus Christ! What the hell was wrong with people? Did 'Scythe have a big sign on his ass saying "Free parts here"? Just because I was forced to sink him, that didn't mean that he was fair game for any rude-ass psycho pilot who happened to need quality Gundam parts.

Some part of my brain was calmly and happily noting that somewhere, Wufei had enough resources to not only recover DeathScythe but also cannibalize him for parts. That spoke fairly well for the resistance. Ignore the part about having 15 year olds pilot those things: Gundams are insanely complex and take a lot of support crew. Especially to repair the kind of damage Shenlong must have suffered.

Yeah, great. Go team.

No wonder the Ozzies had stopped asking me where 'Scythe was. Wufei had snatched my baby up and dismembered him!

I stopped shouting. There wasn't much else to say. I was going to kick his ass. Not right then, of course, but some time, at some place, I was going to grab Chang Wufei by his pathetic little ponytail and wring his neck. Then I was going to disassemble "Nataku" and make an industrial sewage processor out of it.

Of course, that would have to wait for a little while, but I wasn't going to forget about it.

Being on "my" side was no excuse.

All fired up with righteous fury and plans for hurting Wufei a *lot*, I didn't hear the sounds behind me. There had to have been some sound when the door to the suite opened. Even with the plush carpet inside and mobile suit playtime going on outside, I keep thinking I should have heard the footsteps.

He's always been able to get through my defenses, damn him to hell.

A warm body was suddenly pressed up against my back. An arm slipped around my waist and another around my shoulders; one hand grasped my throat gently.

"Hello, Duo," Heero said. I could feel his breath against my cheek.

To my great relief, I didn't flinch. I didn't startle or yelp or do anything humiliating. I just stood there. My hot anger turned itself inside out and I went cold, but it wasn't destined to last. Heero's heat sank into me like I was starving for it.

Jesus, Maxwell, get a grip!

"Get the fuck away from me, Yuy," I said. My voice should have been cold and harsh, but for some reason, my words sounded almost pleasant.

"Mmnnn, not yet," he said, sounding amused. "First we have to get you out of sight for awhile, in case Wufei gets nervous about whose parts he's using."

"You're a fine one to talk!" I snapped.

I tried to get away from him, but I couldn't. There was something humbling in that. Even weakened as I was, I was still limber. I should have been able to get loose, at least. He just didn't let me. He simply splayed the fingers of one hand across my hip and held on a bit more firmly. To tell the truth, I don't think it cost him much effort at all to keep me where he wanted me.

And he wanted me inside. Without saying another word, he hefted me up a little and dragged me backwards until we were just inside the open doors to the balcony. There he let go of me, and I spun around to glare at him, confused and angry. The only sound in the room was the thunder of Wufei's approach.

Here he was, my very own demon, up close and personal for the first time in a long time. I wanted to hurt him. I wanted to cut him and watch him bleed. I wanted him to try to make excuses, so that I could laugh at him. Heero Yuy had ruined everything, and I wanted him to pay for it.

I was sure he wouldn't give me a chance for any of that. I was sure he would calmly and arrogantly proceed to tell me what a fuck-up I was for not having turned traitor like he had.

Damn him for never doing anything I expect him to.

As I opened my mouth to unleash it all on him, he stepped up close and lifted a hand to my face. Before I could blink or flinch away, he brushed his fingertips across my lips. Blue eyes looking straight into mine, he said, "Hush."

Then he kissed me.

Let's make this clear, okay? No harps started playing. No flowers suddenly bloomed around our feet. No naked angels started fluttering around us. The earth moved under our feet, but that was entirely Wufei's fault.

A simple kiss: a moment of sweet warmth and vulnerability. A connection. A liaison. A claim.

Heero took my breath away. There's no doubt about it.

It was a sweet, not quite chaste kiss, but I'd never felt anything like it before. For the first time, I felt like I was the center of his universe, and it was good. It was sublime. It didn't really matter what he'd done or why. He was a handsome man giving me the best kiss of my entire life, and for several moments that was all that mattered.

And then the dark, nasty part of my brain, which was entirely unimpressed, had me punch him in the crotch.

Or I would have, if he hadn't caught my fist before it hit. I couldn't even budge it from his grasp; it might as well have suddenly been encased in steel or something.

He smirked at me.

"There'll be time to play later on," he said. "I'd like us down in the shelter before Wufei realizes we're both in one room and can't resist the chance to pulverize us together."

I think my brain had stopped working.

It was true that Wufei could've spotted me and Heero on the balcony; the video in his mobile suit could've picked out the thread count of my shirt at that range. I could also understand his hatred for Heero. But what the fuck had I done to him except supply him with parts?

Heero kept hold of my hand and used it to pull me towards the door. He must have seen my confusion, because he did pause to enlighten me.

"Your face has been on the news a dozen times in the last year, Duo. They said you were cooperating fully. And now you're here. With me."

I got it. I was dazed and bemused, but never let it be said that Duo Maxwell was dumb.

I remembered the care with which they'd covered my bruises with makeup. I hadn't cooperated with any of those videos, but that didn't mean the government couldn't put any spin on them it liked. I was also here in the heart of enemy territory, apparently enjoying myself, unguarded and unsecured, as far as Wufei would've been able to tell. No wonder Heero hadn't taken us any further inside before he kissed me.

Duo Maxwell kissing Heero Yuy. I might as well have been wearing an OZ uniform. I was quite neatly incriminated, delineated with broad strokes as the same kind of turncoat as Heero, or Quatre.

The idea hadn't occurred to me before because I never expected anyone from the outside world to ever see me again. I thought I would disappear here, more completely than I had in prison. They'd taken my chip out, made me a non-person, and despite Quatre and the good food, they could bury me whenever they wished.

It sure as hell wouldn't look that way to anyone else. I'm sure Wufei didn't see it that way. And somehow I was sure his cameras had caught it all.

I didn't miss the implications now for my future: if I ever escaped, I would have no friends out there.

I also didn't miss the flash of triumph in Heero's eyes as I let him guide me out of the suite and through the maze of hallways.

Outside, a battle raged as more mobile suits arrived to protect the palace. Inside my head, all was quiet.

I was so screwed.

~tbc~