Title: Metal Gear Solid: Elements of Destruction- Chapter 25: Homecoming
Author: The Ice Goddess (FrozenBlueIce)
Fandom: Metal Gear Solid
Feedback: All feedback is welcome, whether it be negative or positive. I'm trying to improve on my writing so, please be honest: frozenblueice@yahoo.com
Pairing: The main pairing of this story is Snake/Otacon, which is obvious to anyone who knows of my fondness for Hal Emmerich, so therefore alright to disclose. There are others, but if I told you what they were, it'd ruin the story.
Series: No. There may be sequels in the future, but right now that is looking unlikely due to time constraints.
Rating: PG for language. (this chapter only)
Disclaimer: All characters appearing in previous Metal Gear Solid video games are the property of Konami Computer Entertainment of Japan, and of their creator, Mr. Hideo Kojima. All new characters are the property of The Ice Goddess. This is a work of fanfiction, and in no way, shape, or form will I receive any monetary compensation for it. It is for entertainment purposes only.
Type: Action/Shounen-ai
Summary: This story takes place one year after the events of "The Big Shell." New information found by Otacon sends Snake back into action. (That's all I'm revealing!)
Chapter 25: Homecoming
The ride home aboard the small rental boat was near silent, save for the gentle purring of the engines and the light slapping of waves against the hull. Mei Ling, who had found the pod drifting nearly ten miles from the expected rendezvous, sat in the cabin, beside the still unconscious Raiden, stroking his soft, blonde hair. She regarded his face with a certain curiosity as she watched the indicator lights on his cybernetic implants blink in a recycling pattern. Slow, steady streams of condensation billowed up from his slightly parted lips as he breathed.
Otacon stood leaning on the railing at the bow, letting the cool sea air ruffle his somewhat unruly brown hair. Though he was no longer crying, his eyes were still red and glossed over with wetness. He watched the shore slowly approach the horizon as he lamented over the grim outcome of their mission.
Solid Snake was driving the boat. He couldn't help but look out the window at the lone figure on the deck every now and then. His partner seemed to have regained some composure, but Snake knew that he was probably dying inside. He frowned. "Hal must hate this," he thought. "It's his destiny after all…" His frown lightened a bit. "No. It's our destiny."
Behind him, a soft moan escaped Raiden's somewhat bluish-tinted lips.
"Jack?" Mei called to him.
He opened his eyes, a friendly face coming into focus. "Princess?"
She giggled at the use of her nickname, "Yeah, it's me."
Raiden held the back of his buzzing head as he sat up slowly. He closed and reopened his eyes a few times to clear his vision. "I must look like Hell."
"I've seen worse," Mei Ling replied, kissing his cheek. Shivers ran their way up her spine at the direct lip contact with his unnaturally cold skin. "Aren't you cold at all?" the question finally came up.
"No. I feel fine. I'll explain it to you all later."
She nodded. "Glad to have you back."
"See?" Raiden started with a grin, "I promised I'd return and I did."
Mei Ling's eyes welled up with tears of joy. "I never doubted it for a second."
"Not even one tenth of a second?"
"Not even one millionth of a second," she answered him.
He wrapped her in his arms. Mei Ling ignored the chills that ran through her body and concentrated on the warmth of his love.
"Thank you for believing in me."
***
Snake and Otacon walked slowly up the stairs and down the hall to their apartment door. Hal fumbled with the many keys on his ring, trying to find the right one. When he finally singled out the key he wanted, he turned it in the lock and went inside.
It felt good to be home, he thought, or what had been home for them for the past year. Unfortunately, after all that had happened, they would soon have to pack up and find a new home. He sighed at that thought. Such was the life of men like him and Solid Snake.
The mercenary followed in behind him, dropping his equipment to the floor and closing the door. He limped his way into his bedroom, then plopped down on the bed, grabbing his wounded thigh. Dave sharply drew in his breath with a hiss, gritting his teeth.
Otacon thought he heard a grunt from the room next to him. "Snake, are you alright?"
"I'm just fine!" he answered quickly so as not to worry his partner.
Hal headed quickly for the bathroom and grabbed the first aid kit out of the cabinet. Checking that it contained what he needed, he closed the box back up and went to Dave's side.
"Otacon…"
"Just be quiet! I need to clean and stitch this before infection sets in," Hal cut him off before he could lecture him about being able to take care of himself.
Snake held up his hands in defeat.
Otacon peeled away the sticky, oozing bandages from his leg. After further examination of the wound, the scientist found that it was deeper than he had originally thought. First, he had to clear all obstructions. He reached to the clasp between his partner's thighs and began to undo the over layer of the sneaking suit. He slid it up over Snake's head, moving to remove the skin-tight under layer. He swallowed hard, knowing that he was naked underneath that suit.
Dave lay completely still as Hal undressed him, anticipation teasing him as he knew that this time Hal saw him naked, it would be with lover's eyes. A wave of heat washed over his cheeks, tinting them pink. He bit his bottom lip as something burned his skin.
The suit, thrown aside, left Solid Snake bare and vulnerable to the hands of the one with the bottle of hydrogen peroxide and a sewing needle. Otacon tried his best to keep his eyes focused on the wound as he flushed it out, a fizzing foam spewing from the gash as the chemical began to kill the bacteria that had made their homes there for several hours. "Sorry…" he apologized as he began to dab the area dry with a clean towel.
Snake looked down at his partner, who was still diligently cleaning his wound. "You know, you don't have to do that."
"Yes, I do," he replied, threading his needle with the thick, black, wiry material. Hal reached back down into the kit, pulling out a syringe filled with a clear liquid labeled "local anesthetic". The scientist opened the cap and tapped on the side to get out a few air bubbles that were left in it. He lightly pushed the plunger, spraying the surface first. He then took the remainder of the substance, and injected it into key points around the opening.
Dave began to relax, as the pain began to disappear. Otacon took cue from this that the local anesthetic was working, and began his careful stitching of the area.
***
"There," Otacon said getting up from his knees. "You're all fixed up."
Snake looked down at his wound, admiring the masterpiece of his partner's skilled stitching. "Looks good. Feels a Hell of a lot better too."
"That's the anesthetic still working. It'll wear off in about 3 hours, so you should try to get some sleep while you can." Otacon said, readjusting his glasses up the bridge of his nose with his index finger.
The engineer caught himself looking over the exposed body of the mercenary again. He blushed feverishly, then turned around to leave the room. A strong hand clasped itself around his wrist.
"Would you stay here with me for awhile?"
Otacon was caught off guard by Snake's words. "Huh?"
"Would you stay here with me for awhile?" he repeated himself. "I don't think I'll be getting much sleep. I never usually do. I have too much on my mind to even try."
Otacon sat down on the edge of the bed next to him. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.
"No," Snake answered him. "I really don't know how to go about that. I've never been good at talking about these things.
Otacon blushed again. These things… So Snake was thinking about his feelings for him. Maybe he was reconsidering them? Could he have just given into love in the heat of battle?
With a touch of Dave's hand to his, all of his questions were answered, and relief came over him. "What about you? Aren't you tired?"
"Yeah…" Hal said simply.
Snake slid over against the wall and patted the bed space next to him. Otacon timidly lay down beside his still unclothed partner. He felt the warm, muscular figure snuggle up against him, wrapping a strong arm around his waist.
"I love you," Otacon said in a whisper.
"I love you too," Snake returned, surprised at his lack of hesitation in saying such emotionally powerful words.
It was just natural, and that was why it was said with such ease. Snake's meeting with Otacon was fate. And fate is what joined them in love.
***
Mei Ling stood up on her tiptoes to kiss her boyfriend goodbye. "I'll see you later, right?"
"Yeah. I'll be right over," Raiden replied. "I just want to gather up a few things here and take a shower."
"Alright. See ya!" she said, parting with a wave.
Raiden closed the door and removed his pants. He went over to the full-length mirror on the back of the door in the bathroom to look at himself. The cybernetically altered man felt he looked like something out of a bad science fiction film. Showering was going to be a little odd too with these foreign parts on him. He sighed, turning on the water…
There was a knock at the door.
Raiden wrapped his towel around him, grabbing for his High Frequency Blade. He looked out the peephole.
Nobody was there.
Jack frowned, then turned the doorknob quietly and carefully. He cracked the door open, sword ready.
The hall window next to him was open, curtains fluttering in the breeze. He walked over to it and looked out, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. He shut it so as not to let all of the air-conditioning out of the building.
Making his way back into his apartment, he noticed something next to his door that wasn't there when he had first arrived back home. It was a small, woven basket.
Author's Notes:
At this point there is only the Epilogue to go. I think I'm leaving it open for a sequel, but only time will tell whether or not I will be able to come up with a good enough storyline. A lot of times, sequels do not live up to the original and it would be a shame to ruin about 9 months of hard work! J What do you think?