Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Insecurities 1 ❯ Chapter 7 ( Chapter 7 )

Chapter 7

 

A/N- sorry for the delay. I think the worst of the rush is over and I should be updating regularly now.

7.1: Take off

 

A/n- Zechs referring everyone as `boy' is intentional. He just doesn't realize they've all grown up.

 

Zechs Marquise had taken part in numerous space launches; so many that he'd lost count. He'd taken fresh rookies to the outer orbital relays for training, he had escorted ministers and he had gone off in command of troops to suppress `unrest' in the colonies. The launches had been eventful in their own way. He remembered the time he'd nursed a hangover in the cargo holder with slight fondness of an adult reminiscing about the glory of youth. However, despite all his experience he was sure that, by far, this was going to be the most memorable.

 

And not in a good way.

 

Winner had chosen a cargo shuttle as their mode of transport over the more comfortable passenger shuttles since this was a Maganac special, which translated into speed. However there was very little comfort for the humans inside since the entire shuttle resembled one gigantic engine with a small metal can on top - much to the disappointment of Shaun who had never been to space and had only seen VIP space shuttles in 3d-vid.

 

“Oh, man,” he said sitting, clutching the hand rests and looking around. “What a bucket.”

 

“But a fast bucket,” Winner said from the co-pilot seat while Chang scowled and fiddled with the belt buckle across his chest. Unlike normal shuttles that had well padded seats braced for shock the smaller ones behaved like Gundams in space. The passengers could feel every minute change in settings through the entire frame.

 

“You,” Yuy said, looking at Zechs pointedly. “Come up here.”

 

“What, you can't keep this thing straight can you?” Shaun said with a sneer to Yuy and Zechs looked at the boy in confusion.

 

Zechs was there for observation purposes only, under the orders of Lady Une. Shaun had actually joined them by shear force of will. (“Either you let me get on board with them or I'm going to scream you're all Gundam pilots.”) Even before the group had boarded the shuttle it had been long decided that Yuy and Winner would pilot to L4 and Zechs would be the one reporting back to Lady Une. Chang had hung out in the background, scowling from under the purple bruise decorating his face and now, in contrast to his normally stoic self, he was squirming in the seat.

 

“It'll get rougher as we leave the atmosphere,” Yuy admitted monotonously. Having seen the way the boy behaved towards his fellow pilots, Zechs was sure it was just an act Yuy reserved for people he considered strangers or an annoyance.

 

“So,” said Zechs curiously, unsnapping the harness and standing up. He had to brace his knees since the shuttle was rocking but years of practice prevented him from falling off his feet and getting plastered over the bulkhead. “Why should I pilot?”

 

“Wufei isn't going to stand the harness for long,” Yuy said a little reluctantly while Chang made a noise befitting a startled five-year-old.

 

“What's wrong with him?” Zechs asked, snapping into his former role as the Lightning Count with men under his command.

 

“I'm fine,” Chang snarled from his seat next to Shaun. “I think it's time we…”

 

“He's got a cracked rib or two,” Yuy answered quietly. “The harness will make it worse in the long run.”

 

“You brought an injured person on a dangerous mission,” Zechs stated in a quiet voice as he sat in the co-pilot seat. He buckled up and ran a diagnostics over the shuttle, just to get acquainted with the instrument panel then looked at the navigation unit which was computing the quickest route to L4. If Yuy brought his injured friend aboard then there was a purpose to his presence.. There was no instantaneous reply but Zechs decided to wait it out instead of prodding. When the silence persisted for some time, Zechs twisted in his seat and looked over at 01.

 

“And you allowed a dead weight to join us,” Yuy said jerking a thumb towards Shaun. The defensiveness in his answer made Zechs frown. It was very out of character for the normally passionless boy to avoid such a question and redirect it in this manner. Zechs turned around fully - just to make sure it was Yuy he was talking to and not another person whom he had missed to notice earlier. Much to his alarm, Shaun was turning an interesting shade of green; thankfully, whatever was wrong with him had also made him tight lipped and rather silent, despite the insult.

 

“We have no time for this,” Winner said as the shuttle bucked again. “Double check the calculations for me and tell me how long it will take for us to get there.”

 

Zechs nodded and started to pay attention to the screen, wondering what the heck was going on. The entire craft did a spiral to the left, making Winner swear, then straightened under his guidance .. He directed more power to the left engine to fight the drag to the right, and started to to balance the stabilizers manually. There was no assurance that things would get better as they reached their destination though…

 

Shaun moaned pitifully from behind, more out of fear than anything else, his false bravado giving way to outright panic from the sound of it.

 

“Zechs,” Winner snapped. “Calculations.”

 

“Uh,” he said, a little stunned and really, really not in tune with the present. “They seem fine.” He'd never sat in a control seat before. He had been a soldier and a field commander not a navigator.

 

“What's with you?” Winner said in a voice that snapped him back into the present situation. “Have you even looked at this? It's going to take too long. But I think there is a way to shave off a couple of minutes from the departure time.” Much to Zechs horror, Winner then pulled out a stubby pencil and a piece of paper and started to do the calculations manually… leaving out the safety margins by the look of it. It was not that Zechs hadn't done that -- leave out the safety margins, not do manual calculations (he was not a child prodigy) -- in important missions but OZ had always had a reliable space fleet, meaning maneuverable vessels. He opened his mouth to protest then snapped it shut; they were not on a suicide mission and Lady Une had always said that Winner had the most analytical mind of the group. And he knew all the Gundam pilots had high IQs, so just maybe, they could arrive at L4 at an earlier time than what the computer predicted. The group behind him was silent, which did not bode well in any situation. Yuy was silent by nature but not Chang and Shaun…

 

Unable to resist, Zechs swiveled his chair around and faced inwards again, calculations forgotten, and saw something he did not think he'd ever forget. Yuy was gently unbuckling Chang and helping him stand, bracing his scruffy sneakers on the uneven floor. Then, even as he watched, Yuy sat down buckled up and pulled Chang onto his lap as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

 

Chang reacted like a scalded cat, hissing and snarling that he did not want to be babied or mollycoddled, but even as he said those things Zechs could see the tension lines on his face disperse. Change had been in pain because of the harness and Yuy had noticed. He half expected Shaun to make some insulting comment about it but instead the younger boy had his eyes closed, biting his lower lip with almost enough force to draw blood.

 

“I'm fine,” Chang ground out even as he settled into Yuy's hold, his breathing becoming considerably easier. Zechs noted that Yuy had not commented at all, only stroked the raven black hair once, grunted, then continued to hold the other pilot as steady as possible.

 

“You'd better check on Shaun,” Yuy said quietly, not even looking at Zechs, letting Chang tuck his head under his chin. It was difficult process; though Yuy was tall, he was not that much taller than Chang but the other boy did not complain. From the way he let Chang settle down on his lap, Zechs wondered if his sister had been barking the wrong tree all this time. There was no way anyone, even a close friend would let someone do those things…unless they were… on that level of physical intimacy…

 

“Zechs,” Winner snapped, no longer the nice blond kid with the sweet smile. “What's wrong with Shaun?”

 

“I'm going to be sick,” Shaun announced loudly.

 

“We're almost out of the gravitational field,” Winner warmed. “Don't throw up in zero-g Shaun, or I'll have to eject you through the cargo hatch.”

 

Shaun moaned. “Who cares? We're all going to die!”

 

“Then why did you get on this, you moron,” Chang snarled.

 

“Shut up,” Shaun replied, his vigor missing. The boy was really sick if he wasn't rising to the bait and Zechs could see the danger of thousands of drops of vomit floating around in zero-g. He unbuckled and threw himself at the chair next to Yuy, which had been previously occupied by Chang. He sat down then buckled up for good measure. He wasn't stupid enough to think himself invulnerable in space just because he had a couple of thousands of flight hours under his belt. He then reached over to Shaun and closed his hand over the smaller one, clutching the arm rest.

 

“Shaun,” he said softly.

 

“I don't want to talk to you,” Shaun spat back. “Prince Milliardo.”

 

Zechs' eyes widened at that and he almost drew back. “What…”

 

“You…just stay away from…” gulp. “…me.” Gulp.

 

`Don't throw up, now,' Zechs prayed even as he considered his answer. “I gave up my title long time ago,” he said softly. “My sister is a Princess. I was just born into the wrong family.”

 

“Screw you,” Shaun said as suddenly the shuttle broke through the atmosphere and into weightlessness. He heard Chang gasp in relief and Winner give a snort. The shuttle pitched then steadied as the auxiliary engines switched on smoothly. Zechs frowned at the sound of the engine. Unlike the ones for atmospheric navigation, these sounded smooth…fast; and that deep throb meant they were new. Interesting. Maybe those safety margins could be skipped. He returned his attention to Shaun and tried again.

 

“Shaun… look, I know you are just a kid and….”

 

“I'm not a kid…”

 

“How much time?” Yuy asked, ignoring Zechs' weak attempts at communication.

 

“Four hours max,” Winner said confidently. “Don't take off your seat belts yet, we're going to do a few turns now and then.” Then he turned around and looked at Zechs over his shoulder. “Why don't you take over for a while so I can put my legs up and pull out the L4 maps?”

 

Zechs looked at with a frown at the odd request. “You can come back to my seat, Shaun can sit in the co-pilot seat and you can show him the view of Earth from space,” Winner offered smoothly.

 

The youngest boy looked up, eyes bright with excitement at the thought of sitting in the co-pilot's seat. Zechs made a mental note to lock the co-pilot controls and nodded to Winner a silent thanks. Maybe, just maybe, now he could get to the bottom of what was bothering the kid.

 

7.2: In the cold

 

Trowa wound an arm around Duo and pulled the shivering pilot closer to him. Duo's hands were already cold and his lips were turning an unhealthy blue. He felt Duo give a shudder as he buried his face into Trowa's neck and sniffed pitifully.

 

“I'm cold,” he announced.

 

“Oh,” Trowa said. He knew from experience the longer they kept on moving the better their chances of remaining warm. But half an hour into their lock up, they'd discovered that the walls were getting colder, driving them closer to the center of their small enclosure.

 

And more and more, they had gravitated towards the center until they were standing back to back wondering what to do. It seemed natural for the two of them to turn around and hug each other for body heat and finally to fall to the ground on their knees to conserve as much of it as they could.

 

“Packing,” Duo said slowly.

 

“Clothes?” said Trowa wondering Duo was starting to lose his mind.

 

“Are you all right?” Duo asked, looking up, concerned, and then pointed to the sides where rows of packing crates were stacked. “When you sleep in the streets the first thing you find out is what keeps you warm in the cold …and those packing work as excellent insulators.”

 

“Wait here,” said Trowa, getting to his feet. He found out to his surprise that he had to brace both his palms on the floor to push himself up and when he did stand up, his legs were not that steady. He staggered slightly to left, and felt Duo get up beside him.

 

“We were sitting in the same place for too long,” Duo explained. “It's too cold for us to let our bodies get rigid. I'll help you…”

 

“No, you stay there,” Trowa said as circulation returned to his legs. “How much time do we have before we need to report back to Quatre?”

 

“Two hours, four minutes and a few seconds,” Duo said sounding a little weary. “And you know it's going to take even longer for them to realize something is wrong, arrange a rescue vessel and …and…”

 

“We'll have to get out of this on our own then,” said Trowa, as he reached for the discarded crates. He lifted one to make sure it was empty and then nodded in satisfaction- they'd do for a while. He opened one and examined the contents, feeling slightly relieved; there was some foam left over from the trip from Earth, used to pad the sides of the boxes so the plants inside would not get damaged. The foam was made up of thousands of air bubbles trapped in the spongy material -- ideal for keeping heat in. He heard Duo doing the same thing on the other side of the room. “Get the foam out separately,” he advised. “If we put some inside our clothes, it'll help us conserve body heat.”

 

“I suppose this is the time when people have wild sex to keep warm, right?” Duo asked lightly, his back turned to Trowa as he tore through the boxes.

 

“Only if you believe such nonsense,” Trowa said with a faint smile. He looked over at Duo who was pointedly not looking at him and frowned. He had thought there was a certain tone to that question but he hadn't been able to tell exactly what, so he'd ignored it. But now he wasn't sure. “Duo?” he said softly. “What is it?”

 

“Nothing,” Duo said a little too quickly. “You must be wishing you were here with someone else, huh?”

 

“What do you mean?” Trowa asked. Did he wish to be frozen to death with another person? What a strange question.

 

“I mean if it were Quatre or …someone else.” Duo said evasively. “You know what they say….” Weak laughter. “…sex keeps you warm.”

 

Trowa rolled his eyes at that. “Trust me, I know better,” he said with a huff. “I've survived Earth winters, and having sex in a cold environment is a stupid excuse to fall into bed, which people use to sell books.” He frowned for a moment then decided to stress his point. “If you take off your clothes your body loses the protection against the cold so you lose your body heat and your clothes get cold as well. Sex generates sweat, which can freeze and…”

 

“I get the picture…really,” Duo said, sounding a little defeated, a handful of foam in his hand. “Just that…if…Heero were here or someone else, then wouldn't you have a better chance of getting out? I mean, he could have kicked the door down or something.”

 

“Well,” said Trowa, wondering where exactly this conversation was heading. “He isn't here and you are.” He wondered if he should add something more like, `if there was any person I'd prefer to get stuck with in a frozen box, it'd be you'. Nah, he was cold not mad.

 

“So, you and Heero,” Duo started again and Trowa wondered if Duo was worried about something or fishing for information about their past affaire.

 

“Is there anything you'd like to know?” he asked finally turning around. “About me and Heero perhaps or…”

 

“Are you two, still…” Duo looked over his shoulder. “Together?”

 

“We are friends,” Trowa said carefully. “After what I did to him, I didn't think he'd ever forgive me but really, he's…” he remembered Heero's behavior just before the mission and looked at Duo. “You and Wufei haven't kicked him out or anything, have you?”

 

“Not a chance,” Duo said vehemently and Trowa dropped the idea fast.

 

“Then what…?”

 

“Oh,” said Duo and fell to his knees. Trowa dropped his box in a hurry and made his way over to Duo.

 

“What is it?”

 

“Look,” said Duo, holding out a handful of foam for Trowa to see.

 

“What?” Trowa asked again mystified.

 

“Look closer,” said Duo, pointing to the foam and then Trowa saw what Duo was trying to show him. Nestled in the foam was a small red-spotted leaf. The same leaf they had seen in countless mission folders. The plant they had been sent to look for at the plant show.

 

“I think it's the one,” Trowa agreed kneeling down for a closer look. “Not that it'll do us much good right now.”

 

“Just you wait,” said Duo, straitening. “We aren't dead yet and…and you'll see….” He carefully placed the foam in a separate box, closed it and pushed it to side. “We are going to need it.”

 

“We've got enough foam here,” Trowa said. “Let's work on getting warm first and afterwards we can try to break out of here once the store closes for the day.” Not that he thought they'd succeed, but the idea they might be able to would keep them going for a while.

 

He made a small foam seat to protect his butt from the cold of the metal floor and sat carefully, slightly surprised when Duo settled between his legs, leaning against his chest.

Trowa knew they had to stuff the foam into their clothes but he was feeling lethargic -already. He took a handful half-heartedly and put some inside Duo's shirt.

 

“Say Trowa,” Duo said thoughtfully and Trowa tensed. They had done the best they could...they had tried to find a way out; they had tried tapping the walls (screaming, shouting) and even digging under. They were well and truly stuck and nothing was going to make a difference. He desperately hoped Duo was not going to make some profound statement which would have both of them panicking.

 

They were both Gundam pilots and had faced death many times. But freezing to death in a small metal compartment reserved for potted plant transportation seemed so undignified… and Trowa felt as if he was the responsible adult trying to keep Duo from stating the obvious.

 

“Yeah,” he said softly.

 

“I gotta pee,” Duo said firmly.

 

“You… what!”

 

“You know, must be the cold… I really have to go,” Duo said loudly.

 

“Duo…”

 

“I know it's not the right place to say this and the smell will never go away in a closed space but maybe I shouldn't have drunk all those bottles of juice….”

 

Trowa sighed.

 

“….and think of water sprinklers and taps and...and…waterfalls and …”

 

Now he was starting to feel uncomfortable. He hadn't even thought of wanting to `pee' as Duo had eloquently put it but now his bladder felt suspiciously full.

 

“…and long, long rivers…the type you see in 3D-vids, and did I say I really need to pee?”

 

“Duo,” Trowa said wearily. “Change the subject, please.”

 

“Oh.” There was a silence. “All right. To what?”

 

“Something other than the cold and your need to pee,” Trowa said ready to scream.

 

“How about something about you,” Duo said slowly. “I talked about myself on the trip here and I'm sure everyone knows I'm the lone survivor of the Maxwell church tragedy and stuff. We don't have to go over the same old thing again…what about you?”

 

“What would you like to know?" Trowa said, pulling Duo closer to him…if it was possible. The foam crackled, it was warmer than before and the talking was distracting but still, they were steadily losing body heat.

 

“Who was the person you first had sex with?” Duo said after a few minutes of thoughtfulness. “Well…something like that.”

 

“Couldn't you have just picked a simpler question like what my favorite color is or something?” Trowa said dryly.

 

“Yeah,” said Duo, sounding a little embarrassed. “Sorry…maybe that wasn't the best question to ask. What is your favorite color?”

 

“That's all right,” said Trowa with a shrug. His hands were cold but he didn't want to let go of Duo who was shivering slightly. He'd start to worry when Duo stopped shivering. Then he'd have to do something drastic. “I don't have a favorite color anyway.”

 

“So…” Duo said blowing at his fingers. “I know you grew up with a bunch of mercenaries…that's where you got your technical skill. Did you have group sex with those people?”

 

Trowa almost laughed. “Not really,” he said with a shake of his head. “I saw a lot of things that would count as sex education but no one there really screwed me.” He was silent, trying to find the words to explain it. “They didn't even give me a name. For them, I was just some piece of equipment like a gun or a car. I was there, ran errands and once in a while they'd mess with me a bit. You know, touch me and all but never real sex. To have sex with me would have been to acknowledge me as a person and they never wanted that.”

 

“Uh, Trowa,” Duo said sounding a little stifled. “Buddy…how about easing off a bit…” A cough. “…can't breath.”

 

It was then Trowa realized he was clutching Duo hard to his chest. “Sorry,” he said, easing his grip.

 

“'S ok,” Duo shrugged “No ribs broken.”

 

“Anyway,” said Trowa, speaking softly. “In answer to your question, the first person who had sex with me who really counts was Trowa Barton. The real Trowa Barton.”

 

Duo remained silent, one hand gripping Trowa's forearm so Trowa decided it was safe to continue.

 

“I don't even know if he was gay or just wanted a quick release with the most convenient object at hand, and he didn't exactly give me a name either… but he treated me like a person. He was…” he searched for the proper word. “..gentle…” that was close enough “…when we fucked and sometimes he'd show me pictures of his sister's kid and stuff. You know, talk to me as if I existed. Not that I loved him or anything but when he died I took his name `cause it felt right…”

 

He broke off as Duo started to cough. He loosened his grip, wondering if he was clutching Duo too tight again, but it did not seem to be the case. “Duo,” he said worriedly.

 

“I'm ok,” Duo said a little weakly.

 

“Turn around and put your hands inside my shirt,” Trowa said, a little concerned. “I can tell you a few details about my time at the circus if you want.” Anything to keep themselves awake. He just hoped someone would come to their rescue soon.

 

7.3: To the rescue

 

Shaun hated Winner with vengeance. Blond and blue-eyed and all so perfect. He was also so bossy. Did he have to give order everyone around like that!

 

“Wufei,” Winner ordered in an annoying tone, which was as if his voice was sugar sweet but probably laced with arsenic. “You'll have to stay with the ship when we dock. You'll have to handle the customs officers.”

 

“I…”

 

“You have a broken rib or two and will be totally useless in close combat,” Winner said without a pause. “Now, behave like a responsible adult and we'll deal with the rest from here. You will have your use, anyway. Have the paramedics ready and brief the local authorities on the situation if you think it's needed.”

 

`Yeah,' Shaun thought with a mental smirk. He wasn't stupid enough to say that aloud. `One point for Winner. Zero for Chang for being a loser.' He also gave himself one point for giving everyone else points.

 

Much to Shaun's disappointment, Chang did not argue for long. He nodded and stepped back, scowling, but his body language said `I obey you, great leader.'

 

“How are we going to get past the customs officers?” Zechs asked and Shaun looked at Winner slowly. He liked the way Zechs spoke; that voice was hypnotic and that long blond hair made him feel so…so…

 

“There is a side ventilation shaft we can use,” Winner said. “Come on, before they notice us.”

 

“I'm coming too,” Shaun said.

 

“Please take him,” Chang said, sounding almost desperate. “Another hour with him and I'll kill him myself.”

 

“He's coming,” Winner said, sounding less that enthusiastic. Shaun stuck his tongue out just for the fun of it, and gave himself another point

 

The grate in front of the ventilation shaft was made of iron bars as thick as his wrist. Zechs gave the bars a shake and looked at Winner. “How do you suggest we get through this?” Another point for him, Shaun decided.

 

“Heero,” said Winner, this time a little amused. The blue-eyed Japanese (ok, since when have there been blue eyed Japanese, really!) was hanging back, looking at the shuttle worriedly as if someone might steal it. Not that anyone would want that scrap heap, especially with that Chink on board. “He'll be fine…just…can you handle the grate?”

 

`How,' Shaun wondered. `Blow it up with explosives?'

 

Heero Yuy took apart the metal grating with his bare hands - as if they were matchsticks. Shaun stopped giving himself points there and then, and Zechs looked -surprised - in the wide-eyed jaw-dropping manner, which was almost comical. If he had been in a more receptive mood, Shaun would have happily shared this moment of disbelief with Zechs, the only other person who seemed to be in awe, but he was far too humiliated by what had happened on the shuttle to do that.

 

He had thrown up.

 

The view of Earth had been magnificent, like a little blue ball bobbing up and down in the sky, like a ping-pong ball on water or a boat on a choppy lake or…stupid shuttle was worse than a roller coaster. He had actually made it to the small water closet before throwing up. The sinks had thankfully been designed with suction pumps, but it had been a close call, and Zechs had held his head and patted his back through the entire procedure. Then he'd wiped Shaun's face with a wet cloth and held him against his chest until he could breath normally again. Zechs had smelled of cinnamon and the faintest trace of sweat. He had been so composed and in-charge like a prince while all Shaun had been able to do was snarl at him and barf like a five-year-old. He'd been so crushed he'd not looked at Zechs the entire trip. How was he supposed to be angry at guy who was so…so nice? Royalty was supposed to be a bunch of jackasses who sat back watched other people - like his father and himself -- suffer and die. But Zechs was so different… even if he had been the guy to fire Libra's canon at Earth…

 

“What are we waiting for, people?” Winner asked, sounding smug. “Let's go. We can emerge safely on the Dark Side of L4 without any problem.”

 

The Dark Side of L4 was badly lit, poorly maintained and seemed to have more dead-end alleyways than a rat-maze. And people in compromising positions in …a hand fell over Shaun's view as he was about to take a closer look. Annoyed, he pushed off the arm and looked up to see who had blocked his view…It was Zechs.

 

“What did you do that for?” he scowled.

 

“Some things are better of unseen,” Zechs said with a shrug. “Especially by little boys.”

 

“I'm not…”

 

“You two,” said Winner materializing like a blond eyesore. “We have to get going. The street in front will take us up to the upper levels and from there we'll have to go to the Plant show and …I guess we'll have to go through all the stalls…”

 

“I know who their contact is,” Shaun spoke before he could help it. At Yuy's grunt of disbelief he scowled. “I saw the mission specs, ok? I'm not a total moron. I can read.”

 

“Move,” Yuy grunted, still looking displeased. “We're wasting time.”

 

“Really,” Shaun couldn't help it. “I thought we came here for the view.”

 

“That's really mature of you two,” Winner said with a trace of displeasure.

 

“Screw you, too.”

 

11111111111-------------!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

 

Finding the freaking Flower stall where the Maxwell and Barton had gone missing was easy. The female who was their contact just about told them everything and it was easy to figure out where the leak had come from.

 

Shaun fumed.

 

He'd remembered all the mission details and led them to THE SPOT and not one word. Not even a well done. If he'd been a dog, they'd have at least patted his back or something. A bunch of morons-- all of them. He might not be a Gundam pilot (he was the office coffee boy) but he was still one of them- they could at least acknowledge him.

 

They made their way to the stall with all the finesse of a troop of foot-soldiers on a charge. Shaun would have preferred discretion, a back door entry (not sexual) or a tunnel underground. (Can you dig underground in a space colony?) Yuy went in first, grabbed the com of the wall as he did and thumbed it on. It was for making discreet announcements by the Flower stall staff to shoppers like, “Please remove child with green vest from Cactus number three” and “delivery in t-3 seconds”.

 

“Everyone, get out,” Yuy said firmly in his no-nonsense voice. There was a five second interval while everyone paused, wondering if it was some joke. Some of the staff started to move towards Yuy who was holding the com and looking slightly bored. “NOW” No one moved. “Or I'll ki…”

 

“People,” said Winner grabbing the com out of Yuy's hand with a fake smile. “There's a bomb in the Flower stall. Leave in a calm and orderly manner…” The stall was emptying out so fast it was like watching someone turn over a bucket of sand. Shaun watched as well dressed female ran out then ran back in to pick up her forgotten child. Thankfully, it was mid-day in the colony, and a weekday, so the stall was not that crowded. One of the staff members reached Winner and tired to take the com from him - then crumpled to the ground silently. It took Shaun three seconds to realize Yuy had just sucker punched the guy, knocking him out cold.

 

When the people had cleared out faster than possible, Winner had turned around and smiled warmly at the store manager.

 

“We're looking for two friends of ours,” Winner said pleasantly. “One tall, one short…one long haired, one short haired…”

 

“One with two eyes, one with one…” Shaun couldn't help murmuring under his breath sarcastically.

 

“We've called the authorities,” the manager said angrily.

 

“That'll save us the trouble,” Winner said equally forcefully. “Now…where were we…”

 

“There are no visible hiding places here,” Yuy said blandly, looking around.

 

“Have you checked behind the plants?” Zechs asked and Shaun saw what they were heading towards. He'd seen it many times when forcing store owners to obey someone's wishes - roughen up the store a bit and the person usually rolled over and gave what they wanted.

 

“The outside measurements match the inside measurements of these walls,” Yuy said, missing the point completely. “I see no point in destroying plants….” Then he looked at the manager and smiled -slowly. “I feel no such obligation towards people. Especially if they've hurt Duo or Trowa.”

 

Shaun looked around, frustrated. Both sides were bluffing nicely; they didn't even know if those two where here or not- all they had was the word of some airheaded female, and it wasn't much to go by. Barton and Maxwell could have moved out while she was putting her makeup on for all they knew. The manager knew that was simply stalling for time. Zechs was watching the back entrance but this was so....so…. “Side door,” Shaun said before he could think, pointing to a small, discreetly placed door which read `Staff only'.

 

“Mind if we take a look,” Winner said and Shaun saw with alarm that Winner was turning blue - and shivering.

 

“Quatre?” Yuy also sounded worried.

 

“I'm just…c…cold all of a sudden,” he said with a weak laugh. “I don't know why but all of a sudden I feel as if I'm in a deep freeze…”

 

“Cold storage,” said Yuy suddenly. “Where are your cold storage units being kept?”

 

The manger turned pale just as Yuy surged forward, faster than they'd have thought was humanly possible …

 

It was rather anticlimactic since Yuy, Winner and Zechs sort of walked right through the weak resistance the shop employees managed to dredge up. They even managed to find the holding pen-er- box as soon as possible -with minimal damage. That is, Yuy kicked the door in with surprising ease and would have given it a kick that would have sent in off its hinges if Winner hadn't reminded him that there were people inside who might not appreciate a flying metal door in their faces.

 

Shaun had hung back at that time; mostly because well…he felt out of sorts. Winner had rushed inside swearing and Yuy had been no better. From the way they'd knelt beside their team mates it was obvious they cared for each other very much.

 

“Took you long enough,” Barton had said in a gravelly voice from their foam nest. “Think you can get Duo? He's in a bad way.”

 

“No..” A cough. “…he's not…” Maxwell said weakly, struggling to sit up. Yuy had scooped him up as if he weighed nothing and Winner was trying to do a strip tease and put his clothes on other people.

 

Zechs stepped past Winner and picked up Barton, the same way as Yuy had done to Maxwell, making them all start. “We should go outside and discuss things,” Zechs said with a smile. “Everyone seems to be all right.”

 

“That box,” said Barton, without looking, pointing towards the back. “Get it.”

 

Shaun obliged since he seemed to be only person who hadn't done anything yet, and he was feeling as useful as a third leg. As he did, he heard Maxwell ask, “Where's `Fei?”

 

“With the ship,” Yuy said shortly. “You all right?”

 

“I must be,” Maxwell managed to sound amused despite a sore throat. “Since Lightning Barbie came to my rescue.” Shaun heard Zechs choke.

 

11111111111-----111111111111111

 

“Wonder what they're doing?” said Shaun, looking at Zechs who was sitting next to him on the sofa, filing a report to Lady Une. There was no need to say who they were. The five had locked themselves into one bedroom for ages and if not for Chang's broken ribs and Maxwell's sniffing, Shaun would have thought they were having an orgy.

 

“Probably wondering why their mission report was altered,” Zechs said, distracted.

 

“I think they changed it,” Shaun said.

 

“I think so too,” Zechs agreed. “More tea?”

 

“Uh…no,” Shaun shook his head. Winner was a good host but there was a limit to the amount of tea one could drink in one go. “You know…” It was now or never. He had to broach the subject that was worrying him

 

“Yes?” Zechs put down his papers and looked at him slowly.

 

“Well, when we were coming here…the …the alleyway…you covered my eyes when those people were having se…”

 

“I can remember the scene,” Zechs interrupted.

 

“Well,” Shaun paused. “Why did you do that?” There was a silence so Shaun decided to elaborate. “I was a hooker before Sally picked me up. I sucked dicks, I…”

 

“I know.”

 

“…had men older than my father shove their pricks up my…”

 

“I knew for sometime now.”

 

“Then why did you treat me like that there? As if I was some innocent little kid who was going to get shocked if he sees something like that?” Shaun burst out.

 

“Is it wrong of me to treat you like a fourteen year old now and then?” Zechs asked with a half smile.

 

“Almost fifteen,” Shaun said in a stunned voice.

 

“The war...forced all of us to grow up too fast,” Zechs continued. “I know it's cruel and I can't make up for that. Those kids in there…” he indicated towards the closed door. “…have their share of monsters to deal with but they have each other. Why can't I treat you like you should have been treated…even if it's too late now?”

 

Shaun felt like crying all of a sudden. “Fuck you,” he said looking away, blinking away tears.

 

“There's a great ice skating ring here on L4,” Zechs said briskly. “Tell you what, once I finish this off, I'll take you there. How about that?” He got up softly, squeezed Shaun's shoulder in an absentminded way and walked towards the inner office, probably to get more tea. “Wanted to do that with my sister but she's too busy these days and I think those five need time on their own.”

 

“All right,” said Shaun, watching the retreating back, long blond hair cascading down like fine a finely woven curtain. His shoulder where Zechs had touched him was warm and his heart was beating hard. He let his head drop as soon as Zechs was out of sight then smiled softly, “It's a date.” Well not technically but he was working on it.

 

Now his day was perfect, and all he needed to crown it was for those five to have an awful time explaining why Maxwell had been on a mission intended for Yuy.