Bah, my shounen-ai mind has been going insane lately. Two days ago, Cartoon Network decided to restart the series and today is the first ep with Irvine in it!! Oh yeah, can you feel the shounen-ai flying!! *ahem* So yeah, I get to look out for all those delightful V+I moments from the start of the series now...(sad, sad, sad, sad, sa~ad...) I got schtick of the yellow Zaber Fang that Tomy sell and painted mine black and red; looks wicked now!
General surgeons health warnings for the people who love or hate me:
To CW: Are far as muses go, I'm convinced they're evil *glares at Moomu* But I am thanking you immensly like for all the good remarks. And thankies heaps to Maelgwyn for thinking I rock...and I won't touch your chocolate stash!! I have my own stash filled with sugary goodness! To Aqua Rhapsody: Blame Moomu!! Kick him if you want! I do it all the time!! (Moomu: She's telling the truth! Muse abuse!!) To Naomi Hunter: Firstly; would you believe it's almost finished even as I type this? Secondly; It's no biggie. Thirdly; IEE!! *sways back at pitch* But thankies for the good comments!! To FM BuuSaix: It's comments like these that get me spinning around on my neato swivel chair screaming and cheering like a teeny-bopper; I thank you immensely for the kudos!!
Disclaimer: I no own Zoids... If you don't count the five models I got that is...
Warnings: Absolutely nothing in this chapter that I reckon needs a warning... Shight I'm losing my touch... Well, it does contain shounen-ai so all you homophobes can go jump off the Eiffel Tower or whatever; rid the world of your evil kind!! BEGONE!!! GO!!!
Oh yeah, and the title comes from the Creed song "Lullaby". I am now dedicating this chapter to all you lovely little people out there who ever reviewed-slash-read this story and loved it good-like. Even the flamers; I love you all! Fame or flame me, I don't care; I live for it!! In short, thanks to all who read this story!
Broken ~ Part fifteen
Hush My Love, Now Don't You Cry...
Reese groaned to herself in complaint as she wrung out the wet cloth in front of her; the excess water running down her hands in thin trails. She stood up and walked across the dim room of the hotel, the only light coming in from the window, stopping at the bed and gazing down at its occupant. Raven lay asleep, despite his numerous injuries, on his side with just his head out from under the covers. Reese rolled her eyes and shook her head as she sat down next to him, brushing a few strands of hair from his forehead as she placed the cloth gently there. She shifted her shoulders around in an attempt to stop the itchy sensation her 'borrowed' grey sweater gave her.
Raven opened his eyes and groaned softly, drawing a quick breath when he felt someone's hand on his shoulder. "Don't try to move; at least, not just yet," Reese told him sternly as he sighed and closed his eyes again. He pressed his lips into a thin line and clenched his eyes tightly. "Where are we?" he breathed. Reese smiled softly at him. "We're at a hotel in the Aran Valley. You wouldn't believe how long it took me to get us here; you should be thanking me."
Raven frowned against the cloth that was held to his forehead. "I don't care about that…" he growled softly. "What about Van? Is he dead or did that stupid bounty hunter revive his sorry carcass?" Reese scowled at him and narrowed her eyes dangerously at his form as she stood up and went to the window. "What a shame," she said with a wry smile. "He's still alive to torment poor, injured Raven." The grey haired youth said nothing as he sat up with a hiss of breath and scowled death at her. He threw the covers off himself and pushed himself unsteadily to his feet. Reese snapped her gaze around to him. "Where do you think you're going?" she snapped at him.
"Out," Raven replied simply. "I have a job to finish." He began to walk over to the door when a hand grabbed his shoulder roughly and he gasped, nearly doubling over in pain. "You're not going anywhere Raven," Reese told him sternly as her hand was slapped away; Raven whirling around to glare at her. "Don't touch me! And don't tell me what to do Reese!"
Reese's lips parted in a snarl at Raven's words as she reeled back and punched him hard in the stomach. Raven's eyes flew wide open before he released a strangled gasp and collapsed into Reese's arms. She breathed a sigh of relief as her body relaxed and she scooped up his lifeless form. "So sorry about that Raven, but I had to do something to stop you from leaving when you're not fully healed."
She walked back to the bed and lay him gently back down over the covers, a smirk on her face as she drew back. The blue haired girl released a soft giggle as she stared at him. "Punching him out when he's not fully healed?" she chuckled. "What a strange way to do things!" she laughed again as a soft growl alerted her ears and she spun around to spy Shadow standing there.
Reese rolled her eyes at him and placed a hand on her hip. "Take it easy Shadow; he's not too badly hurt," she told the black Organoid. "Your master will be back to terrorise the populace in less than no time. But until that time, however, he needs complete bed rest to heal." The organoid snarled loudly at her and her look softened as she walked over to him and placed a gentle hand on his muzzle.
"Shadow…" she began quietly. "Raven's had a bad time lately. His plan to kill those three failed miserably and it's going to take a while for his heart to heal. Just…let him be for now; you don't need to protect him this time." Reese smiled softly at the black Organoid. Shadow released a low growl and pulled away from her, walking over to Raven's side and curling up on the floor next to him, still glaring at Reese. The blue haired girl chuckled softly to herself. *Can't change him too easily… He might not want to admit it, but he feels strongly for Raven…*
"Very well then!" Reese threw her hands up in defeat as she sighed in exasperation. "Guard his dead weight while I go and find his stupid Geno-Breaker! See if I care about whatever it is you do!" she sneered at the Organoid and turned to walk over to the door, grabbing and turning the handle. She paused, something nagging at her as her breathe caught in her throat. "Shadow…" she breathed, barely above a whisper. "Just…just take care of him…"
Before the Zoid could reply, she'd deftly yanked open the door and bolted outside, slamming it behind her as she headed for her Geno-Saurer. Specular would be waiting there for her; she could always make her feel better. Reese frowned to herself as she ran; why did she care about that stupid idiot anyway? It's not like he ever gave her any praise or looked at her without that cold look in his eyes; she was looking for something in him that would never be there.
Reese breathed hard as she exited the town, heading for the mountain base that housed the ancient ruins here. Her expression faltered, briefly flickering to one of sadness. "Raven you ass! If you die on me I'll take it upon myself to never bury your stupid carcass!" she cried loudly to the stars. A movement from up ahead caught her eye and she slowed down to a jog as a broad smile crossed her face.
"Specular! I'm back, love!" she called to the blue Organoid that had stretched out in a nearby tree. Specular arched her back in a cat-like manner as her master stopped at the base of the tree before leaping down next to her. Reese stroked her muzzle affectionately. "Were you sleeping? I'm sorry if I woke you, love…" she smiled and lay her head against Specular's neck. "Did anyone find you or the Geno-Saurer?" she asked worriedly as she pulled back.
Specular released a low growl and Reese smiled at her, breathing a sigh of relief. "That's good…" she breathed, looking up at the blue Organoid again. "Come along then Specular; we have a Geno-Breaker to find." The Zoid released a soft growl and began to walk away in the direction of the hidden Geno-Saurer. Reese quickly strode up to her Zoid and climbed into it, sealing herself in and starting it up. "Alright then… Let's go to where Raven fought those two; his Geno-Breaker's probably still there."
With a soft whine of turbines, the Geno-Saurer gently lifted off the ground and shot off towards the north in the black of night with only the stars as its watchers.
***
Irvine groaned as he sat next to Van, occasionally gazing over at his sleeping form. He raised a hand to rub his tired eyes as he sat back with a sigh, relaxing into his chair. He'd managed to barely keep count of the hours he'd spent next to the teen's side without sleep, and he was sure that they'd managed to turn into days from under him. He craned his head up as a nurse came into the room, a worried look on her face. Irvine mentally sighed; it was that same nurse from when he'd brought Van in.
*God what a mouse…* his mind complained as the girl stopped in front of him. He looked up at her with less than complete interest and she frowned at him. "Mister Irvine, I seriously recommend that you get some sleep. You've done nothing but sit next to Lieutenant Fleihight without a break! You're going to collapse at this rate!" she said shrilly, pressing her lips into a thin line.
Irvine waved her off and turned to stare at the wall. "I don't need sleep, just get me some coffee please…" he mumbled, obviously tiredly. The nurse growled softly at him as her shoulders visibly sagged; her hand clenching around the clipboard she carried. "But sir, you-" Irvine snapped his glare back around to meet her eyes, icy venom stirring in their depths as he grabbed the front of her uniform and pulled her down, her face halting within centimetres of his.
"Listen you lowly form of human creature, I've been sitting here for the past eighty-four hours watching my best friend slowly dieing and I'm not going to bat an eyelid until he wakes up!! So when I say to get me some effing coffee, I mean get me some effing coffee, you understand!? I'll be the one to decide whether I need some fucking sleep or not, you got that!? Now just wrack off get me some coffee!!" he snarled loudly and shoved her back, uncaring about his current state as he continued to glare at her in complete detestation.
The girl stared at him in complete shock before her shaky hands managed to drop her clipboard and she released a startled cry at the action. She hastily picked it up and backed off to the door, shaking like a leaf. "Y-yes sir! R-right away s-sir!" she stammered and quickly shot from the room. Irvine held his glare for a second longer before he sighed and relaxed his tense form; since when did he explode like that?
The bounty hunter shook his head and closed his eyes, a hand falling to cover them as he slumped down in his seat. Who was he kidding? He definitely needed sleep; not just another caffeine fix, as his body was hastily reminding him. Irvine dropped his hand and cast his eyes back to the sleeping teen. *But I have to…I just have to stay awake…*
Barely two minutes later, Irvine's head had slumped forward and he was snoring softly. His hand rested casually over Van's as the two of them slept soundly in the quiet room. Well, it would have been perfectly quiet if a certain transporter of the wasteland hadn't of walked in with Thomas and Fiona in tow. The two girls smiled at the cute little scene they were presented with as they walked inside while Thomas just shook his head with a soft sigh. *The idiot's going to kill himself from over exhaustion; no wonder he's already out…*
Moonbei walked quietly over to Irvine and placed her hand gently on his shoulder. "Irvine…" she whispered softly. "Hey Irvine, wake up…" She got a low groan for a reply as his eyelids fluttered open and he tilted his head back to stare at her. "Moonbei?" he asked dumbly, still half asleep. He chucked softly and shook his head. "Every time you've come in here, it's been to wake me up… I should bow down to the higher powers and just stay awake…"
She grinned at him as he pulled himself up and rubbed his tired eyes. "I was only asleep for a few minutes too…" he stifled a yawn as she presented him with something. He met her gaze with a questioning look and she raised an eyebrow at him. "From the nurse. She told me to give it to you since she vowed never to come back in this room again," she smiled broadly at Irvine as he took the paper cup, cocking her head to the side. "Now why would that be I wonder?" she said sarcastically.
Irvine gave a contented sigh as he took a long sip from his cup, chuckling at Moonbei's statement. "I don't know… Van scared her off perhaps?" he said with a smirk. Moonbei folded her arms and levelled her gaze at him, pressing her lips into a thin line. "Irvine, you really need to take a break. You're pushing yourself too hard as it is!" she told him. He waved her off and downed about half the cup. Moonbei rolled her eyes as Fiona stepped forward.
"Irvine, we're all very worried about you and Moonbei's right; you're going to overdo it soon. Van's going to be just fine on his own for a while and you really do need some sleep," she reasoned with him. Irvine sighed as she shook her head; Thomas stepping forward for his turn to round on him. "Miss Fiona is also right. Van's strong enough to pull through this, Irvine; you don't have to guard him twenty-four seven you know. And besides, from the look on that nurse's face, I think you really need to get some sleep." Thomas folded his arms across his chest as he nodded at Irvine.
The bounty hunter looked between the three of them before he sighed and stood up. "Fine, fine… I can tell when I'm being given a subtle hint," he shook his head as a smirk played on his lips. "You guys had this all planned out against me didn't you?" Moonbei placed a hand to her chest. "Us? Plan something against you? Come now Irvine! Why would we do a silly little thing like that?" she grinned at him and he just smiled back at her. "Because you're a pain in the ass…" he mumbled and ruffled her hair.
Moonbei slapped his hand away and yelled loudly at him, causing Fiona and Thomas to laugh at them as Moonbei's plot backfired. She growled at Irvine and folded her arms across her chest. "You are so going to cop it later buster!" she snapped at him. Fiona giggled at her and placed a hand on her arm. "Now Moonbei, there's no need to get so indignant; even if it is Irvine tormenting you," she said sweetly, a soft smile coming to her face. "Come on, you seem a little tense."
Moonbei smiled back at her as an arm was wound around her waist and the two left; Moonbei winking over her shoulder at Irvine. Irvine's eyes shot wide in surprise and his hand clenched around his coffee, almost spilling it everywhere. "EH?? What the hell!? It's her!?" he cried not so gently. Thomas jumped and spun around to stare at him in shock. "What're you talking about?" he asked quietly, a little freaked out by Irvine. The bounty hunter gave a shaky sigh and downed the rest of his coffee. "Let's just go retrieve those two and find out exactly what, shall we?" he said and crushed the empty cup in his hand.
Thomas had the blankest of blank looks on his face as he followed Irvine out, catching up to the two girls quickly. "Sa-ay Moonbei…" Irvine said as he sidled up next to her. The girl jumped at the sudden intrusion as they stopped. "Irvine you ass! Don't scare people like that!" He merely smiled at her and waved her off as she noticed the mischievous glint in his eye. "You're up to something. What do you want?" she asked, frowning at him. He grinned at her. "Oh how did it go again?" he began, clearing his throat audibly. "At least I can remember past ten seconds where my other-"
"Can it Irvine!" Moonbei snapped loudly as a blush came to her face. "Shit, maybe coffee was a bad idea for you!" Fiona laughed at the both of them. "Oh that conversation! I heard all about that one Irvine!" she smiled at him. "But you look really tired Irvine. You should go and have a good long sleep right about now." Irvine chuckled and walked ahead of them. "I guess so. Well good night or whatever…" he said and began to walk off.
"Oh and Irvine," Moonbei's voice stopped him and he turned back to face her. "He'll be back with you in no time; don't worry about it…" she smiled warmly at him. Irvine's eyes lit up and he nodded at her, a smile creeping across his face. "I know he will…" he replied and disappeared around the corner. Thomas raised an eyebrow and blinked, his gaze switching between where the bounty hunter had stood and the two girls. "Uh…what was all that about?" he asked dumbly. Moonbei sighed and dropped a hand to Thomas' shoulder.
"Thomas, lemme tell you something about Van and Irvine…" she began, steering the blonde lieutenant away.
***
Irvine gave a soft sigh as he shut his door behind him, leaning against it in utter exhaustion. He groaned and pushed himself away from the door, turning his head when he heard a high shriek from outside. He grinned to himself; those two, by the sound of it, had just told Thomas of the current situation. Rubbing his tired eyes, he stepped over to his bed and practically fell onto it, not bothering with his clothing.
With a low groan, he fumbled around and eventually managed to pull his bandana and eyepiece off, dropping them somewhere onto the floor. He yawned and closed his eyes; sleep starting to claim him. "Van…" he breathed as he finally succumbed to the pull of never-never land as he clutched his pillow tightly.
***
Irvine snapped his eyes open; the pounding on his door had effectively woken him up. He sat bolt up and glanced at his watch – ten in the morning. *Shit! I slept for nineteen hours!* he thought with wide eyes as he placed his bandana and eyepiece back on his head. He growled at the door, whoever it was hasn't stopped pounding on it. "Hold yer horses! I'm up for god's sake!!" he yelled and flung the door open. His expression dissolved into one of surprise when he saw Moonbei standing there, an anxious look on her face.
"What's going on Moonbei?" he asked softly, his heart twinging for some strange reason. She shook her head and grabbed onto his arms. "It's- It's Van!" she said loudly. Irvine's eyes snapped wide open and he was instantly awake as he felt his heart clench almost painfully. "What…?" he breathed, barely above a whisper. "Moonbei, what's wrong with him?" he said loudly. Moonbei shook her head. "I don't know! He just…! He was asleep and then…then he…" she shook her head vehemently. "Just go already!!" she cried finally.
Irvine took in a deep breath and he was gone before he could hear another word. His feet carried him as fast as he could to the infirmary, sprinting almost the entire way. His heart was pounding in his chest as he came to a stop outside his door; almost skidding past it he was moving so fast. Irvine threw the door back and ran inside. "Van!!" he cried. He froze; just dead froze. Van wasn't there. The room was empty.
There was absolutely no sign of anyone anywhere. No beeping of the heart monitor; no constant drip from the intravenous; just…nothing. Nothing except the bed and the rest of the furniture. Irvine was still breathing hard from his fast trip, but his breaths were becoming more and more shaky with each intake of air. He suddenly took a hitching breath and swallowed hard against the lump in his throat. "Van…" he breathed, voice breaking with emotion as he sank to his knees. "Oh god…no…" he closed his eyes as tears welled in his eyes, spilling over his cheeks.
"Yeah Irvine?"
The bounty hunter felt his body run cold and freeze instantly. There was a soft click of the door being shut behind him and he slowly turned around, breathing in short gasps still. His breath lodged in his throat as he saw the person that had closed the door, their hand still pressed to the cool metal and a playful smirk on their face.
"Took you long enough, I was beginning to think you could sleep through anything…" Van whispered and cocked his head to the side. "Oh and by the way, you really shouldn't yell at the nurses like that; they're such god-damned mouses you could scar them for life!"
Irvine's heart was pounding in his chest as he stood up again, tears still streaming down his face. "Van…" he breathed again, staring at the healthy figure in front of him dressed in his uniform. "You're…okay…" Van snorted and placed his hand on his hip. "Duh, I'm standing here!" he chuckled softly. Irvine's expression changed to one of pure anger as he stormed up to the youth and pointed his finger at him.
"You son of a bitch Van! You put Moonbei up to this didn't you!?" he cried, his face within centimetres of Van's. "I oughta kick your-" he was cut off as Van's hands cupped his face and brought him down for a breath-stealing kiss that lasted for a long moment. Irvine pulled back gently. "…ass," he finally finished. Van chuckled and smiled warmly up at him. "Now who's the tease…"
Irvine smiled warmly at him as he felt the soft pads of Van's thumbs wiping away his tears. "You still are and you know it, Van Fleihight…" he whispered, voice catching in his throat. Van ran his hands to the back of Irvine's neck, rubbing it softly. "Hey, come on…come here…" he whispered as he pulled him close into a warm embrace, feeling as the other's arms wrapped tightly around him. "God Van…don't ever do anything like that again!" Irvine breathed, his cheek buried in Van's onyx hair. "I thought I'd lost you today…"
Van rubbed his back soothingly and closed his eyes as he lay his head against his chest. "I'm sorry…but it was all Moonbei's idea; she was the one who-" he was cut off as the door suddenly opened and a head poked around the corner. Moonbei grinned at them as she stepped inside with Fiona, Thomas, Doctor Dee and Zeek.
"Uh…surprise Irvine!" she said sheepishly. Irvine gave a restrained sigh as he slowly let go of Van. Turning to him and smiling, he placed a quick kiss to his lips and said, "Be right back, gotta go kill Moonbei…" and pulled away from him, turning his attentions on the girl.
Moonbei let out a small 'eep' and quickly shot from the room. "It was a joke you psycho!" she called behind her. Irvine growled audibly and bolted after her. "I don't care! You're still gonna die Moonbei!!" he cried as he ran after her. Van shook his head with a smile as he turned to the others; his expression faltering as they all stared wide-eyed at him.
"What?" he asked, completely drawing a blank. Doctor Dee coughed to break the silence. "Well now…that was something new…" he said simply. Van felt his cheeks brighten and he gave a weak laugh and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well we were kinda meaning to tell you guys about it for a while now and with everything that's been going on with the whole me and Raven incident we sorta got sidetracked and…well…" he laughed off the rest of it.
There was a loud thud and the others turned to blink at where Thomas had been standing. Doctor Dee absolutely dissolved in laughter as he pointed at his passed out form on the ground. Fiona giggled as Zeek leant over him and licked his face, causing him to stir with a groan. Van suppressed a laugh with the back of his hand and waved at him when the blonde stared up at him. Thomas promptly fainted again.
Van laughed and Zeek turned to him with a soft growl; the black haired teen nodding at him. "Yeah, maybe we should just let him sleep for a while," he laughed as the silver Organoid walked over to him and licked his face happily. "Yeah, I missed you too Zeek! C'mere you!" he chuckled and hugged him fiercely. Van broke off from his Zoid and stared back at the other two.
"Welcome back Van," Fiona said with a smile. "We all missed you." She and Doctor Dee stepped over to him and hugged the teen tightly. "I missed you guys too," he said with a large smile. "I thought I'd never see you again!" He was deftly whacked on the head and he turned to glare at Doctor Dee. "You ninny! You scared us all to death with that stupid stunt!" Van narrowed his eyes at him as the hug was suddenly broken. "Stupid stunt!? It wasn't my idea to get kidnapped by Raven!!" The old man growled at him. "You should've kicked his ass!" Van's eyes went wide, incredulous. "I was unconscious!!" he shot back.
Fiona laughed at them both as they continued to argue, quietly slipping from the room. She stopped outside the room, surprise covering her face as she saw Moonbei getting dragged back in a headlock by Irvine. "You're sorry, you say?" Irvine said in a completely unbelieving tone. "Won't ever do anything like that again?"
Moonbei tried in vain to pull his strong arms away. "Yes, alright! I won't ever do anything like that again!" she snapped. "Now let me go you great dolt!!" Irvine grinned and ruffled her hair everywhere. "What if I don't wanna!?" he laughed as she cried out. "Off!! Now Irvine!!" she cried as she began to claw at his arms. "Nope! You're gonna be sorry you ever did that Moonbei!" Fiona giggled as Irvine stopped in front of her, smiling down at her. "Hiya Fiona, how're you doing?" he asked, completely ignoring Moonbei's shrill protests.
She smirked at Irvine and shrugged. "I'm fine, but if you don't let go of Moonbei, she's going to bite through your arm in a second," she pointed out. Irvine looked down at the female transporter and let her go suddenly. "Oh I'm sorry Moonbei! Was I still holding you?" he asked in a loud voice. She snarled at him and raised a fist to his face. "Watch it buster!" Fiona giggled at them. "You know Irvine…that was some…scene…back there," she said somewhat awkwardly.
Irvine smiled at her. "I just wanted to find out what would happen to Thomas…" he explained with a shrug. "How is he anyway?" Fiona laughed and jabbed a thumb into the room again. "Take a look for yourself; I think he should be waking up any moment now." Irvine blinked at her. "Waking… You mean he fainted?" Irvine asked, raising an eyebrow as he stepped inside the room.
Sure enough, Thomas was still lying on the ground with Zeek and Doctor Dee fanning his face, attempting to wake him up again. Van smiled at the bounty hunter as he entered and stopped next to him. "How is he?" Irvine asked, incredulous. Van shrugged. "Fine. Though it could be worse," he replied, an amused smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. "He could be awake right now and telling us off." Van paused for a moment before he leaned in close and held a hand up to his ear, whispering something to him. Irvine's eyes went wide with mild shock and he turned to stare at Van, a smile creeping over his face. Van smiled invitingly at him, one eyebrow rising in suggestion.
Without further warning, Irvine grabbed Van's hand and practically dragged him from the room; Doctor Dee turning to stare after them, one eyebrow raising in question. "Now I don't even want to know where those two are going…" he mumbled. He turned back to Thomas, shaking his head softly as a smile came to his face. "I guess he's finally growing up after all…" he stood up with a sigh and rubbed his back. "Course it could be just me getting soft…or old…" He kicked Thomas as the blonde started to groan. "Get up already! My back is killing me because of you!" The younger Schubaltz opened his eyes and sat up groggily, rubbing his head.
"What happened?" he moaned as he got to his feet. Doctor Dee sighed in exasperation. "You fainted; what else?" Thomas blinked at him in wonder. "Why'd I do that?" he asked in confusion. The old man smirked playfully at him. "Because Irvine and Van kissed each other right in front of you…" Thomas' eyes went wide in surprise and he blinked at him for a moment. "They- You mean-" he never finished as a groan escaped his lips and he slumped to the ground again, out cold.
Doctor Dee just slapped his forehead and muttered a curse under his breath. "Fiona! Moonbei! In here now!!" he barked, hand still over his eyes. The two hurried in quickly, nearly stepping on Thomas. "What's up Doctor Dee?" Moonbei asked. The old man pointed to Thomas. "Next time, don't leave this guy out of the loop for too long! He's going to end up with severe damage to his head if he keeps fainting like this!" he snapped.
Fiona giggled at him before she stopped, staring at the old man with her brow furrowed. "Where did Van and Irvine go? We saw them take off just before." Doctor Dee shook his head and shrugged, a smile coming to his face. "Who knows? I certainly don't want to; judging from the look I saw on Van's face."
Moonbei's eyes lit up and a smile covered her face. "I certainly do! Let's go find them and-" she was cut off as Fiona clamped a hand over her mouth and laughed sheepishly. "Moonbei; no we don't want to know! Let them be alright?" she told her simply. "Will you promise not to run off and find them if I let you go?" A nod. "You promise?" A frown covered the transporter's face and she nodded again. "You're not going to run off and tape it or anything?" Moonbei just rolled her eyes at that statement. Fiona sighed and dropped her hand as Moonbei sprouted a wicked grin. "Course that doesn't mean I won't do it later…" she said with a soft chuckle.
***
Van shut the door behind him and locked it deftly, turning around in the darkness and leaning back against the cold metal, his hands tucked behind him and a wicked smile on his face. It only lasted a second as he was pressed hard against the door and warm hands ran into his hair as a firm kiss was placed on his lips. Hands ran up sides to massage firm muscles and sensitive spots were mercilessly tortured, soft moans piercing the still air. Both were breathless by the time they separated, panting hard in the darkness as fingers pressed onto skin, giving off much needed warmth.
"Van…" Irvine breathed. "God Van…" He was stopped from further speech as soft lips claimed his again for an unhurried, merely loving kiss. The black haired youth pulled back as his forehead rested on Irvine's, his hand placed gently onto his cheek. "Don't talk; just do…" he whispered huskily as he unfastened the buckle on Irvine's overalls, the strap slipping off his shoulder.
Irvine, quite deliberately, placed both his hands on Van's so the youth could stare into his eyes, a soft expression that Van couldn't read being played there. "Van…" he whispered. "Promise me something," he said softly. Van's expression faded as a hurt look crossed his features. "Irvine…" he breathed. Irvine raised his eyebrows at him. "Promise me that you'll survive this war, Van," he asked, voice etched with emotion. The black haired youth faltered, shock covering his face as he raised his hands slowly to cover the bounty hunter's. "Irvine…I would never die…I could never die as long…" he swallowed hard against the lump that had formed in his throat.
"I won't…I can't; not while I have you to live for…" Van admitted softly, his eyes welling with unshed tears. Irvine's expression faded to one of pure pain and he shook his head softly, staring into Van's ebony eyes. "But Van, our enemies don't care about that!" he breathed with a sad smile. "Raven doesn't care about it; Reese doesn't; Hiltz doesn't… None of them care about the pain that either of us could go through if we lose each other… Only we can…" he smiled warmly at Van with tears in his eyes. "Now promise me…just as you… Not for me…just you…"
Van smiled warmly up at him, a single silvery tear slipping down his cheek only to be caught by Irvine's palm. "I promise… No stupid mistakes or anything… I'll survive this war…" he took in a sudden breath and swallowed again. Irvine drew him into a tight embrace. "Come here Van, come on…" he said softly as he held the youth, tears trailing down his cheeks also. "Shh…it's okay Van, it's okay… I'm right here for you…"
Van felt as hot tears trailed down his cheeks and seeped into Irvine's overalls. He took in a shaky breath and pulled back to stare at him with a wicked grin, reaching up to pull off his bandana and eyepiece, throwing them on the floor. "What are you doing?" Irvine asked, somewhat alarmed.
"Taking advantage of the moment," came the instant reply as Van pressed his lips to Irvine's.
~END~
Chan: *glaring at Moomu* I oughta fire you...
Moomu: What!? Why!? (please, please, please, PLEASE let her fire me...)
Chan: Coz you made me write slow and upset a lot of people!
Van: *from background* Damn right!
Chan: *grabs Irvine* You see this Moomu? This is the broken shell of a man! See what you put him through!?
Irvine: *whispering* Just nod your head, smile and say yes at random intervals; she's intesely pissed right now!
Moomu: *sweatdrops* Ri~ight...
Chan: *whacks Irvine on the butt* All done! Good work Irvine!
Irvine: Watch it! That's my butt!!
Chan: Ohoho!! I beg to differ!!
Van: *runs up* Hey that looks like fun! *whacks Irvine's butt also*
Irvine: Whoa! Down boy!
Chan: *sweatdrop* I've created a monster... Moomu, this is all your fault...
Moomu: What!? My fault!?
Chan: *sighs* Yeah! Look at these two deprived sexy bishounen! They would have jumped each other sooner if it weren't for you!
Moomu: *staring at the two* Maybe we should get them a room...
Chan: Nonsense! This is good watchin, ain't that right Moonbei?
Moonbei: *plonks onto couch with Chan and popcorn to watch the show* Damn right it is!!
Moomu: *sighs and walks off shaking head* My daddy wanted me to be a doctor but no~oo...had to persue my frickin dream of being a muse... *sigh* I need a hug...