Disclaimer: I own nothin'
Pairings/Warnings: 2x5, broken 1x2, 4xR, past 3x5, 6x5 and 6x9, m/m sex, angst, violence, major character death, bad language
A/N: This is my fic for the Gundam Wing Big Bang and has accompanying art done by Fast Puck and Nachte. I will post links to the art on my profile when I have them. Thank you very much to missAmberly for her beta on this! This fic is four parts and is complete and I will update throughout the week.
Inspired partially by the song Meet Me on the Equinox by Death Cab for Cutie.
Part One
Meet Me at Your Worst
The phone rang, the opening bars of an obnoxious old rock song and Duo turned towards it as it vibrated on the table. He cracked an eye open to see the light it caused in the otherwise dark room and contemplated ignoring it. It was fucking early in the morning, he guessed, as the sun wasn't even starting to peek through the dark long curtains from the large window. But then he heard the other guy in the bed grunt in annoyance and Duo picked it up, sitting up in the bed, looking at the contact details.
"Shit," he murmured as he saw the "Unknown" number.
As it wasn't unknown. It was just Prev.
"Go talk somewhere else," was the grumpy response from the covers and Duo smirked, leant down to find a patch of skin, his shoulder blades as that was all that was easily accessible and kissed it.
"You are getting so fuckin' grumpy in your old age, Yuy."
Heero snorted but didn't say anything. As shit, Duo could confirm, he was. Duo was naked as he hopped out of the bed and he didn't give a shit. He was still a little sticky, cum and sweat and lube clinging to his skin even though he'd cleaned off a little after their last round of "I hate you but the sex is good" fucking and he only fumbled for his boxers in the half-light created by his phone, slipping them over his slender hips and leaving Heero's bedroom, walking through his minimalist apartment to sit on a white leather couch.
The phone had stopped by then, the song done but Duo only paused as it started to vibrate in his hand again after a few moments, him flicking his thumb across the screen to answer. He didn't have it on vid function as shit, the good lady didn't need to see him like he was, hickeys and bruises and scratches, hair rumpled, stubble – no Duo Maxwell was not looking his best and so he sat in the dark of Heero's apartment in Tokyo.
"Hey," he answered as unprofessionally as he could. Not that Duo gave a shit. He wasn't a Preventer.
He had been, in the glory days after the wars, he'd been a Preventer in a shiny uniform, his badge on his chest and he'd been all about Prev. Loyal. Willing to go on any damn mission for peace, kill whoever they wanted, do anything Une asked him to do but that was a long time ago. Before Prev became a shit-hole of corruption. Before the whole colony expansion issue and all the other shit that came with it. Before Trowa lost his life in some stupid as fuck op that Duo still had nightmares about.
And now, well, he "consulted". Duo snickered to himself at the word. "Consulted". Fuck, it meant something shitty was happening and someone with a specific skill set was needed. So it was call up the ol' God of Death and get him to dance to their tune.
"Maxwell."
Une's voice was level, cold and sometimes he still got a chill from talking to the ice queen. Guess it was a hangover from the Lunar Base, as she had always been one cold bitch and Duo had always been damn polite to her despite their shared past. She was better than some Prev bosses. Least she gave him the respect an ex-Gundam pilot deserved, rather than thinking him some punk-ass kid. Hell, it may have been ten years since the war but Duo was still only twenty-six, a kid to those old ex-Alliance types and OZ asshats.
"You rang, m'lady?"
She wasn't amused by his sarcasm. Not that Duo expected that, but then he had never treated her with the respect she thought she deserved. She probably deserved. Duo didn't give a damn. He wasn't going to brown nose or lick anybody's shoes – not in Prev. He knew too much shit. Heero had uses beyond a companion in the horizontal tango. Or non-horizontal tango.
"We have a job for you."
"I figured," he answered, reaching for the end of his braid and twirling the end around his finger. "Why else would you be callin' me, right? I've been a good boy recently."
He smirked. As the "consulting" gig did have its advantages. When he hadn't been so well behaved, a quick call to her ladyship had involved a quick release from a cell, Duo blowing kisses to the officers as he left, feeling their glares on his back as he walked away.
"Maxwell," Une said sternly and Duo stifled a smirk. Yeah, he wondered if that tone worked on Mariamaia, the little kid would be a teenager now, and Duo had the image of a stubborn girl shouting at Une, telling her she hated her and all that jazz. Suppose she'd got practice with unruly teenagers with him. And the rest of 'em when they first joined. Before… "We need you to undergo a discrete search and retrieve operation."
"Yeah, what am I searching for and retrieving?"
Une didn't answer straight away and he could hear her sigh. Almost hear her remove the glasses in frustration like he'd seen her do plenty of times.
"That is just one part of it. The next part will be a trip to Mars."
"Mars?" Duo repeated, surprised.
He glanced up then as he realised Heero had entered the room, wearing only boxer briefs and Duo gave him a wink and a lecherous look as if he was going on an op, he wanted at least one more round with that sexy asshole. Heero glared back and walked over to the kitchen, and Duo heard him pouring glasses of juice.
"There has been some… issues with Equinox."
"What kinda issues?"
"An uprising. We've lost control of Equinox."
Duo took that information in, Equinox was the base on Mars that was inhabited by a skeletal crew who were meant to be working on terraforming the planet to provide another location for the rampant population growth. But Equinox has started post-war, in AC 196 and shit, it was still not a viable option. Duo didn't know why. And Duo frowned.
"Lost control? How?"
She made a strained noise. "Zechs Merquise."
He couldn't help the little chuckle that fell from his lips. "Yeah? So what am I doing? Collecting some super weapon to kill Mr. Tall and Blond?"
Heero walked into the room then and Duo glanced up, nodding, aware that he was listening. He turned on a low lamp and took a seat, putting down glasses of juice on the glass table. Duo didn't mind. Heero could listen. Heero would probably hack Prev servers anyway if he wanted to. Heero tended to do what the fuck he wanted. Duo didn't blame him.
"You're collecting Chang Wufei."
"You gotta be fuckin' kidding me," Duo said in disbelief, his tone full of sarcasm.
"I am not."
"You know…" Duo murmured and his eyes met Heero's, who, being unable to hear Une's side of the conversation, was a little baffled by Duo's attitude.
Heero knew. Une knew. Hell, everyone damn knew. Wufei had threatened to kill Duo after… Fuck. And he then had promptly disappeared. Out of contact even with the combined weight of the ESUN's most powerful couple, the Winner-Darlian's. So Duo was sure that Wufei would hardly be happy to be "collected" by him.
"I know. We need him. We need someone who can 'collect' him. Work it out."
"Yeah but –"
"Maxwell, I could always tell the authorities some of your more salacious activities."
This made Duo draw his brows together, his body rigid and if Une had been on the vid, she would've seen a very pissed off Duo Maxwell.
"That's blackmail."
"It's true you've been a good boy recently… but a few years ago, if I hadn't intervened."
Duo bit the inside of his cheek as he knew he lost where the boss lady was concerned. As Une may not be the epitome of evil anymore but she was cold, calculating and did what was necessary. So he'd been caught smuggling, so he'd been caught transporting refugees off the full colonies for better lives elsewhere. So sue him.
"Okay," Duo said, begrudgingly, "usual fee, right?"
"Yes."
He stretched out, leaning back against the leather couch cushions, Heero glancing over to admire how his body moved. He'd always been so damn easy. "Send me the details. Usual place."
"I will," she said and then paused before adding, "Good luck."
"Thanks, Lady. I'm gonna need it."
The line went dead and Duo threw the cell to the coffee table, it bumping and making a rattling noise, not that he cared as he turned to see Heero's gaze, grabbing the juice and downing it in one. He wished for some vodka for it. But hell, Heero didn't have alcohol. For numerous good reasons.
"'Fei," he said simply and Heero watched Duo's movements, placing the glass on the table before he moved closer, moving to straddle Heero's firm perfect body.
"They know, right?"
The "right" sounded very much like Duo's pattern of language and Duo chuckled as he settled himself on Heero's nearly naked bodies, their clothed groins bumping as Duo traced Heero's toned chest, following the line of one of his many scars and feeling him exhale a little from the tease.
"That he wants to kill me?" Duo replied and Heero nodded as his hand drifted down to Heero's groin, his cock already half hard and Duo used his hand, stroking him through thin cotton until he was fully hard under his fingers. "Yeah, 'Ro, it's kinda well known."
Heero grunted either from Duo's sarcasm or the hand job he was currently receiving and leaned up to kiss Duo sloppily, hungrily, nipping his lips. When Heero drew away from Duo's mouth, he rained bruising forceful kisses over his clavicle, his throat, and Duo groaned, throwing his head back, his braid brushing Heero's knees.
"We need to fuck," Duo said, grabbing for Heero's hair, pulling him up harshly and stopping his hands lazy motions.
There was only a small noise of confirmation, a little growl-like noise and Duo found himself pinned against the leather of the couch, Heero's heavy weight above him, their cocks aligned through thin underwear.
He sighed as Heero prepped him roughly, his eyes glazed, his body keening and responding, but for some reason he felt far away from the action. Maybe it was like it always had been with Heero. They had great sex, amazing fucking sex, every position, every damn way, taking turns and fucking each other's brains out, but they just weren't compatible, and as they fucked one more time before Duo would disappear for a while, Duo wasn't really there in the moment. Yeah, he felt good and he came hard, but he was already thinking about how Wufei would react when he saw him and whether he still blamed him for Trowa.
As shit, in the aftermath, lazily tracing a circle on Heero's back, Duo guessed, Wufei still probably did. Guy could hold a grudge.
The colony where Wufei came from, colony A0206, had been blown up during the war. Duo knew that, and as a consequence, it meant the L5 cluster had less colonies than the other's. This was a problem, as during the great migration and expansion of the clusters, the people who wanted to migrate to L5 had less options while the ESUN and Winner Enterprises built other colonies. Colonies that never happened.
So every colony in L5 had too many damn people fitting into a small space, too much life, too few jobs and when Duo arrived at the port, dragging with him a small backpack of his necessary supplies, and walked out, he smelt the stench that seemed to pervade the poorer colonies. L5 wasn't the only sector that had suffered during the expansion post-war. It just was one of the worst.
Duo had found out from Une that Wufei had chosen A0203, him being sighted for the first time in years and Duo was going to find him, bring him out of his self-made exile, and bring him back to the front line. Or that was the plan. Duo made a noise under his breath. He kinda doubted that was how it was going to go.
As after all, the last time Duo had seen Chang Wufei had involved an arm across his throat so damn tight that he couldn't breathe, and his dark eyes wide with anger and Heero trying to pull him off Duo before he did choke him.
And so Duo was sure the intervening years, the eight or so, would not have mellowed Wufei. He figured he'd still be angry as shit. He kept hold of his anger like a talisman to keep him safe or something during the war, and Duo guessed he'd still have it. Whatever, he'd find out.
The streets of A0203 were thin, narrow, the buildings tall, and even though in its original design, they would've been spaced out more, now they were not, new places built just next to the other's making it all feel like it was closed in, little light seeming to stream from the large imitation sky panels above.
Duo walked through, holding his backpack close as he'd seen the street kids, them ready to steal and he'd even seen them pull some of their tricks, tricks he knew too damn well as he'd done them himself as a kid. He knew them all. Huh. Felt a little like home.
As he walked, he started to stop people. Une had said the sighting was in the L District of the colony so he headed in that direction, and started showing a picture of Wufei from the screen of his cell. The image had been a Prev one, a serious one, one for the ID badges and Duo wondered if he'd changed, maybe he didn't have that ponytail. Maybe he did. But whatever, most people seemed to just shake their heads and go about their business. It could be because Duo's Chinese was rusty and their English just as bad but then Duo, while looked nothing like an "official" guy, was kinda unusual looking and that meant he attracted attention. Some unwanted attention too.
Just like L2, colonies this over-crowded tended to have a rampant crime problem and Duo could tell he was being watched by some gangs, some petty criminals, hell even the street kids, so he pulled his black hood up, shoved his hands in his tight jean pocket and kept his backpack tight to his body. Fuck, there was little of value that Duo owned – the contents of his bag was spare clothes and a tablet but shit, it was his and Duo had learnt to be over-cautious with his possessions.
He found a food truck, the smell of dumplings and five spice, and saw a few old guys sat on plastic tables, taking a moment and hoping that the older dudes might give him more intel.
The men looked at him warily, and Duo figured for many reasons – his age, his tattoos, his braid that was still a little visible under the hood and when he reached to get his phone out of his pocket, he even saw the small movements to grab weapons. Shit, there were even swords and blades on the ground.
'Welcome to L5,' Duo thought, bitterly.
"I'm lookin' for someone," he said and brought up the picture, the stern eighteen year old Chang Wufei glaring back, his crisp new and shiny uniform and badge showing.
"Does he want to be found?"
Duo glanced towards the voice to see an old guy, small, his hair in wispy white puffs over his head and he gave him a one over, his stare a little harsh but the man didn't flinch. He obviously had power on the colony.
"It don't matter if he wants to be found. He's needed."
"Needed, eh?" the man said, his tone mocking, and Duo's brows furrowed.
"Yeah… needed."
He didn't have time for this shit and the old man could see his impatience, smirking, snorting under his breath at Duo's attitude.
"You can find him at his store."
"Store?" Duo repeated, confused.
"He owns a store, I will give you directions, just don't expect a welcome."
Duo watched closely as the old man drew hasty directions on a napkin, the black pen bleeding a little into the white and he folded it, handing it over to another man who in turn passed it to Duo.
"He is not so friendly to outsiders."
He chuckled in response as he gave it a glance, memorising his route and gazing up to where he needed to go. "He ain't gonna be happy to see me whatever," he said wryly, digging in his pocket and throwing some money onto the table, the coins hitting with a rattle against the cheap white plastic.
"Have something on me."
They didn't thank him, Duo didn't expect that either, only watched him go, their eyes narrowed as he walked towards Wufei's "store". The idea was comical as Duo couldn't see Wufei in a store, never mind running one. It seemed kinda… mundane. But then the old dude hadn't said what his store was. So it could be anything.
The route that the map took him brought him to a section of the colony that was even more dilapidated, old grey housing complexes over-filled, the smell of too many people drifting in the air – that of food cooking and washing and other more unpleasant smells. Duo looked around thinking that this – this – was the goddamn peace they fought for. A population boom, an over expansion of the colonies and an economic crisis that left people out of work and poor and the ESUN on its knees. Maybe going to Mars was a damn god-send.
If not for going with Wufei.
The store was as dilapidated as the rest of the area, its exterior showing no name – no Chang's though Duo couldn't imagine his old war comrade being as cheesy. The windows were smeared and dark, barely showing the inside and outside stood bikes for sale, obviously been put back together with parts, and soldered by someone's careful hand. Someone who knew engineering.
Duo sighed, pulling his hands out of his pocket and pushed the door, hearing the small tinkle of a bell and squinted in the gloom. A few low lamps lit the darkened room showcasing the shops mismatched items for sale, and he glanced around to see engine parts and repaired electronics and weapons stored in glass cases. Lots of weapons. He supposed that he shouldn't have been surprised by that. but as he walked further in, his boots sticking to the floor for some reason, he was surprised as a man appeared out of the back of the store silently.
Always had been pretty damn silent. But Duo didn't expect the reaction on seeing him.
It was true, he hadn't expected hugs and shaking hands and "how are you's". He knew he didn't deserve that, but then he didn't expect the sound to come from Wufei's mouth, the almost animalistic howl and for him to bolt over the counter. In his move, the elegance surprising Duo, still completely intact from his teens, he somehow secured a sword, not surprising given the amount in the store and before Duo could respond, a blade was at his jugular and he was breathing slowly.
"What are you doing here? I promised I'd kill you."
Duo looked into cold dark eyes observing how Wufei was poised ready to strike, uncaring about spilling Duo's blood in the middle of his store. He figured that this kinda colony in L5 people would turn a blind eye to a little bit of blood. And a body.
"Yeah, well I ain't here on choice," he answered, his voice heavy on sarcasm. "The world needs you or something. Special orders."
Wufei glared, his blade close to Duo's throat and he could almost feel a nick being created in his skin. Duo only held his gaze.
"You get paid."
The snort in answer to that was full of humour. "Why not talk to Yuy? I imagine you two are still fucking around."
The "fucking" surprised him as Wufei had never really been one for swearing during the war but Duo schooled his features, kept his breathing regular and kept Wufei's intense eyes. He tried to take in the changes in him, those changes that eight years made, and he noted stubble and longer hair, but when a big ass sword was poised at his throat, Duo didn't take them all in.
"Merquise."
The single name made Wufei's blade falter and Duo reached out to push it away from him a little, Wufei consenting.
"Yeah, that would be why 'Ro ain't the ideal one for this mission. As you know, you were the one doing the fucking around there."
Duo guessed he deserved the punch and was relieved it was just a punch to the jaw rather than a sword to the throat. It seemed Wufei had enough foresight to drop the blade before he attacked. He could retaliate but shit, that was not the point and he only wiped away a spot of blood from his lips where his teeth bit down on impact, looking up at Wufei through his bangs.
"Okay, that wasn't fair… but you're needed."
"Needed? Where were they when Trowa needed them? Where were you?"
"I was following my orders," Duo gritted out as he'd done before, maybe he was surprised about how quickly it had got to that point and Trowa being mentioned but then Wufei was obviously still carrying that anger. Duo could sympathise. "And shit, do you think I would be here unless it was necessary?"
Wufei gave him a cold glare, surveying Duo's body and Duo in turn did the same, seeing his physique through a tank top and frayed grey jeans. He was definitely more built and he could even see tattoos on his arms, on his chest, surprised by their presence.
"Why am I needed? Surely the mighty Preventer's can deal with Merquise?"
"Ahh, well this is the problem… Zechs has taken over Project Equinox and demands a negotiator he trusts that works for Prev… and he left before you shacked up with Barton and don't know you ain't a Preventer anymore so he's refusing to talk to anyone but you. So I was sent to get you."
Duo could see Wufei's jaw work, his brows furrow, his thought process visible on his face.
"Equinox?" he asked.
He nodded in response. "Equinox."
"Let's talk," Wufei said after a moment, grabbing a grey hoodie from behind the counter, throwing it on quickly and walking towards the door. "Follow me."
Duo was about to say something sarcastic about not taking damn orders but then he saw that Wufei had picked up the sword he'd held as his throat and he swallowed, nodded, and decided it against it as he followed.
They walked into an even shadier part of District L, walking past groups of men with swords and machetes in hand like it was a normal activity. Probably was, Duo mused, but they seemed to defer to Wufei, nodding in his direction, eyes checking Duo out with suspicion. Guess he deserved that. Wufei was probably known, people probably knew who he was and they would give him the respect he deserved as a former war hero.
Wufei led him to what seemed like a home, opening the door without knocking and Duo was surprised that it was a home, kids sat in front of an old TV, the screen large and fuzzy and some old cartoon playing. There was the smell of food, Duo's stomach growling at that but he ignored it as Wufei led him out the back to where a temporary shack had been built, knocking on a metal door in a pattern that allowed him entry. Duo smirked as Wufei walked in. Oh so suspicious.
There was a reason, Duo saw as he walked inside. As the shack was a bar, a small one but he could see the booze wasn't moon-shine. There were bottles of branded liquor, the black labels of whiskey, the red colour on vodka bottles, and he whistled under his breath at the sight.
Wufei took a seat at a small round plastic table and made an incline of his head for Duo to take a seat opposite to him, the cheap lawn furniture seeming sticky as he sat down. Before he could question, glasses and a bottle of whiskey was placed on the white table, and Wufei took one, downing it without a breath, Duo quirking his brow in surprise. The guy he'd known didn't drink. Was a body is a temple kinda guy, Trowa had even bitched about it over beers but shit, Trowa had been long gone.
"I ain't had real booze in the colonies for five years," Duo commented, taking a sip, tasting the burn of liquid fire. "I'm impressed."
The response was a low grunt in confirmation as Wufei poured himself another, topping up Duo's barely touched glass at the same time. Alcohol had been banned in the colonies and Duo had spent some time smuggling it for a price, one of the many things Une could threaten him with, and he was aware how difficult it was to get. The ESUN had decided to limit consumption of "luxury" goods in the colonies after the expansion and alcohol came under that. As did chocolate. As did a fuck ton of things. Shit, Duo had moved to earth reluctantly but had done so because as least he could get a damn beer.
"You didn't drink. Ever. Tro' used to…" Duo let that sentence trail off into the air as Wufei looked up sharply. "Well, he used to say a lot."
"You don't know me."
Duo swirled the liquid around in his glass before he took a deep glug. "True. Never did."
That was the truth – apart from a shared stay courtesy of OZ, he and Wufei had spent little time together and shit, he was not going to say he knew the guy. He doubted anyone did. Shit, even Trowa had said what a dick he was, and he had loved the motherfucker.
"Equinox," Wufei said, getting their meeting on track, "explain."
"Noin died."
The exhale of breath was sharp and Duo gave Wufei a moment before he continued. "Zechs went… bat shit crazy, I guess? And he took over the base with some of his buddies. Blamed the ESUN for not running the base properly and shit."
"Why do they need a negotiator? They surely just use military force?"
Duo chuckled. "Yeah, I asked that, you know, just get a crack team of Prev agents, kick the asses of Zechs and his little resistance, get back Equinox, right? Well, apparently, Equinox has a fuck ton of weapons stored for decommissioning and Zechs has 'em. They don't dare."
The news was greeted with a nod of head. "So they want me for negotiations. What do they want you for?"
"My ever-so-charming personality and my wit," Duo replied, sarcasm dripping in his tone, "I'm a consulting Preventer. I make sure you don't get your ass killed and that you do your job."
"Consulting?" Wufei asked.
"Yeah… well, after Tro'… I lost the heart for it, but I maybe got involved in some… shit that means the good lady got me tied up."
Wufei snorted. "Shit?"
"Refugee trafficking, some smuggling, usual stuff."
With that information, Wufei poured one more glass for both of them, downing it and rising to stand. "You have a shuttle, I assume?"
Duo reached for his whiskey, taking the last shot like liquid fire, feeling it chase down his throat. "Yeah… ready to be my co-pilot?"
"You wish," Wufei retorted.
There was no money paid, Duo noted as they left, and all of the people in the bar seemed to glance at Wufei with a mix of respect and fear. Duo shrugged as they left, glad to be getting out of the over-populated L5 and spending as little time as damn possible with Wufei on the shuttle.
