Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing, it belongs to Bandai, Sotsu and associated parties. I just borrow the guys from time to time and return them a whole lot happier. I do own the plot and any other characters, especially the equines, that you will find in this fic. Please do not take them without permission. Written for pleasure not profit.
Pairing: 2x1x2, 3x4, 13x6, H+C
Warnings: Yaoi, lemon, sap, angst, vet themes, AU
Rating: NC 17
Betaed by Karina *snugs*
Summary: Set 2 years after Equus and Heero is doing so well in his own business that he's taken June on as a working pupil. The qualifying shows for the International teams are well underway and it looks like it will be a good year for Heero, his pupils and horses... until Mother Nature steps in.
AN: This fic, although a complete work of fiction is based partially on fact. I will add notes at the end of chapters where necessary to clarify events and provide links where needed.
Dedication: To Leslie and Karina. Leslie for giving me the original idea for Equinity and encouraging and supporting me through the writing of all the fics thus far in the arc. And Karina for not just taking over as my much needed beta, (poor woman needs a medal!), but for also poking and prodding Fred until he went on strike, refusing to work on anything at all until I let him start this. Needless to say, we managed to come to a compromise... Fred gets to write a chapter of this one week... the next week he has to write a chapter of 'Bound'... Did I ever tell you all I hate my muse? :-)
Fic 5 in the Equine Intervention Arc.
Commenced December 2013 – ShenLong
"Rival Riders"
Chapter 44
"Coming up after the break: The latest developments in the Equine Influenza Virus currently sweeping the country; why the cost of your car's registration is about to go up and how to beat those annoying telemarketer calls..."
"Duo? Duo?!" Heero called out from the lounge room.
"Yeah, what's up?" Duo replied, sticking his head around the door jamb.
"There's some more information coming up after the ad break regarding the EI virus," Heero said as he hit the mute button on the remote control.
"Okay, I'll be right there." Duo dashed back into the kitchen to quickly finish off making the coffees and carried them through to the lounge room. He passed one to Heero and flopped down on the couch next to his lover. "What did they say?"
"Nothing yet, just that there was more on the latest developments in the EI virus."
"Ah, okay. Might mean they're letting everyone know about the vaccine."
"I guess we're about to find out." Heero hit the volume button and the sound came back on as the adverts finished and the news reader's face returned to fill the screen.
"The Department of Agriculture held a press conference today in regards to the ongoing crisis with the Equine Influenza virus that is currently paralyzing the equine economy here in New South Wales and across the country."
The screen switched from the news reader to an interview that had obviously been recorded earlier. A man sat behind a desk in an office inside the Department of Agriculture headquarters, a couple of other men sitting just to either side of him. The press were obviously gathered around and several microphones stood on the desk directly in front of the man.
"Thank you all for coming. My name is Darren Coleman and I am the director of the Department of Agriculture here in New South Wales. As you are all well aware, the Equine Influenza virus is currently sweeping the states of New South Wales and Victoria and bringing serious problems to the equine industry. We have recently had reports of the virus now affecting horses in Queensland as well. The Department has had its top people working around the clock to try and find a way to prevent this virus from spreading further and ultimately hope to stop it completely. At this stage there is a complete ban on the movement of any and all equines within all states of Australia and all infected properties are under strict quarantine until further notice.
"At this point in time the Biosecurity section has managed to produce a vaccine which we hope will bring an end to this epidemic. The vaccine is currently being made as quickly as humanly possible and as it's produced the Department is sending it out to as many veterinary clinics as we can. I must stress though that given how suddenly this virus appeared and has infected the equine population, the vaccine has not been tested or put through the usual protocols associated with a new vaccine or drug before being released to be used in the general, animal populace. We do, however, have a strong faith that this vaccine will work and prevent any horse that is currently EI free from catching the disease. We hope to have the vaccine available and dispensed to every veterinary clinic in New South Wales within the week. Victoria and the other states will receive the vaccine as more is produced. All equine owners are urged to contact their usual vet if they wish to have their animal vaccinated. Those people that choose to have their animals vaccinated do so at their own risk."
Coleman finished his speech and looked to the gathered reporters, waiting for the inevitable questions. Several hands raised and Coleman began the arduous task of wading through the many queries fired his way.
"Mr. Coleman, how can you be sure this vaccine will work if you haven't tested it?"
"We can't be sure it will work, but the vaccine has been cultivated and produced in exactly the same way all vaccines have been cultivated and produced for years. All of those other vaccines are effective in preventing the various diseases they were produced to protect against and we expect this one to do the same."
"Why haven't you field tested it?"
"As you can appreciate, given the rapid spread of this virus the sooner we can get the vaccine out there, the sooner we can stop the spread of the virus. Given the stringent testing normally done it would be several weeks, if not months before we could release the vaccine and by that time it would be too late to prevent the virus from spreading further and the entire equine economy would be in tatters."
"Mr. Coleman, why hasn't the Department had a vaccine for this virus before now? Why wait until we have an epidemic of this size on our hands? Surely prevention is better than cure?"
Coleman narrowed his eyes at the man who had asked the questions. "Firstly, we've never had the need to vaccinate our horses against this disease as the disease has never been in the country. Secondly; with our country being as isolated as it is, a lot of diseases that run rampant through other countries are never seen here due to our strict quarantine and importation rules and regulations. Rabies is a classic example. We do not have that disease in our country and therefore none of our animals are vaccinated against it."
"That might be all well and good, but obviously the quarantine laws didn't work in this case. That disease got into the country somehow and now the industry is paying the price. Just how did it get here, Mr. Coleman?"
Coleman sighed. He knew the truth had to come out at some stage and whilst there had been several hints, rumors and the like going around, no one had actually come out and confirmed the origin of the disease. "The Equine Influenza virus was found to have come into the country with a small group of horses from Japan. Some of the horses were here to compete in the Nations Cup showjumping competition, the others were imported breeding stock for the thoroughbred racing industry."
"But surely that should have been picked up whilst the horses were in quarantine? Isn't that the whole idea of having animals quarantined for several weeks before admitting them into the general populace, to prevent any diseases they may have from infecting our livestock here?"
"Yes, you are correct and the horses in question spent the recommended amount of time in quarantine. None of them showed any symptoms of the disease whilst in quarantine, nor did they show any symptoms of any other disease and thus they were released from the quarantine station once their term of quarantine was up."
"In that case I'd say the government needs to re-think its policy on the length of time animals remain in quarantine."
"The government does not take this issue lightly I can assure you, and the quarantine laws, rules and regulations are all currently under revision by the government so that something like this can not happen again," Coleman stated coldly.
"Isn't that a bit like closing the stable door after the horse has bolted? The virus is here now and seriously affecting the equine population. Aside from the horses, what about all those people employed in the industry? What will happen to the jockeys, stable hands, grooms, saddlers, farriers, trainers? And that's just in the racing industries. What about the stud farms, the pleasure horses? This disease has already cost millions of dollars in lost revenue for the racing and pacing industries. How many more race meetings are going to be canceled?"
Coleman rubbed a weary hand over his face and gave a soft sigh. "I know this is tough, everyone is doing it tough and we understand that. Our first priority though is to the horses and stopping this disease – and if that means we have to cancel race meetings then so be it."
"What about the Melbourne Cup?"
A silence fell over the room as everyone considered the ramifications of canceling the richest race in the Nation.
"I am hoping it won't come to canceling the Cup race. Depending on the vaccine and the rate of infection, numbers of horses infected and several other factors, the running of the Melbourne Cup may have to be postponed; but that is ultimately something that only the Victorian Racing Club and the Government of Victoria can decide. At this stage though, the Cup is scheduled to be run as normal in November." Deciding he'd had enough of the press for now, Coleman cleared his throat and pointedly ignored those reporters still trying to ask him questions.
"I'm afraid we will have to call a stop to this conference now. As you can appreciate, my time and that of my colleagues is very precious right now and we need to get back to work. Thank you for your time." Coleman stood, the other two men following his lead and making their way from behind the desk.
The face of the news reader appeared on the television screen again. "More information regarding the Equine Influenza Virus can be found on our web site. In further news, the State Government is looking to increase the cost of motor vehicle registrations by..." Heero hit the mute button and turned to his partner.
"At least they are doing their best to try and stop this virus," Heero said quietly.
"Yeah, I have to give them points on this one, they didn't mess around and waste valuable time. Now we have a vaccine against it, the tide just might turn in our favor." Duo snuggled a little closer to his partner.
"If it can be contained to just the three states it's infected so far, then that has to count for something."
"Very true."
"How long do you think it will be before we know if the vaccine is working or not?"
"Tough question, Heero." Duo thought for a moment. "It's a difficult one to call. My best, educated guess would be if Wing, Missy or Zero are to contract the virus we should have either seen evidence of it by now, or they should show signs in the next three to five days. If they still show no symptoms at all after seven days I'd be betting the vaccine has worked. If they're still EI free after ten to fourteen days then I'd be certain it's worked."
"In that case, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they're all still EI free after another seven days. Don't you have to let the Department know what happens with the horses you've vaccinated?"
"Yes, I do, Heero. I'll call them tomorrow and let them know those horses I've vaccinated so far and then I'll keep in touch, updating them weekly with the details of any other horses I've vaccinated plus the state of health of those already vaccinated."
"Sounds complicated to me," Heero sighed and wrapped his arms a little tighter around his husband.
"It might sound that way, but in reality it's a bit more simple."
"Rather you than me that has to keep up with it all." Heero began to feather kisses along Duo's neck and jaw.
"Ah," Duo groaned.
Heero gave an evil smirk and latched onto an ear lobe to nibble gently. The vet in his arms began to squirm. Licking along the shell of the ear, Heero pressed a few kisses to that creamy jaw and worked his way to Duo's mouth where he seized his partner's lips in a warm kiss.
Both men desperately needed the distraction of each other after the recent events that had consumed them. With Heero having been even more busy with his sick horses and looking after them, and Duo flat out with treating the many cases of EI that had surfaced in the local area, neither man had had any spare time to spend with the other.
That was something Heero intended to rectify – and now.
The kisses deepened, mouths being explored, tender spots sought out and exploited. Duo was helpless under the assault from his partner. His blood began to warm, the familiar ache settled in his gut as his body responded to the heat that was building between them.
"Care to take this to the bedroom?" Heero asked as he toyed with a nipple through the fabric of Duo's T-shirt.
"Mmmm, I think that might be a good idea," Duo groaned in response.
Reluctantly, Heero pulled away and stood up. He reached fro his partner's hand and pulled Duo to his feet. Kissing those tempting lips yet again, Heero slowly navigated them through the lounge room, along the hallway and into the master bedroom. When he reached the bed, Heero broke the kiss and gently pushed his lover to the mattress.
A soft exhalation of air left Duo as his back met with the mattress. Hooded eyes darkened further with lust as Heero began a slow strip tease.
Inch by slow inch the golden skin of Heero's chest was revealed. Muscle groups stood out in clear definition, a slight sheen of sweat covered the smooth skin. Duo ran his tongue across his lower lip as his desire for his partner continued to rise.
With the shirt now gone, Heero started on the button and zipper to his jeans. The button popped open, the zipper making a slow descent and fabric began to part. A line of dark hair appeared and began to thicken as more of the denim gave way to reveal Heero's skin.
Jeans were coaxed open and pulled from hips to slide along golden thighs and pool at Heero's ankles where he stepped out of them. Standing beside the bed in just his boxer briefs, he stretched languidly.
"Gorgeous," came the husky voice from the bed.
"You're overdressed." Heero gave an evil smirk and then pounced.
Duo let go a squeal as he was attacked. His T-shirt was yanked over his head and tossed to the floor, jeans opened swiftly to nimble fingers and were soon tugged down over lean hips to join the rapidly growing pile of discarded clothing. Clad only in his boxers, Duo felt the heat rush to his cheeks.
"I'd say someone is happy to see me," Heero purred and lowered himself to the bed beside his lover and began to mouth the growing bulge he found in Duo's boxers.
"More than happy," Duo agreed and then moaned wantonly.
Nuzzling at his husband's groin, Heero smiled to himself as he felt the heat begin to harden further and the tent in the boxers grow. "Mine," he murmured and reached forth to tug at the elastic of the waistband.
"Yours,' Duo replied and lifted his hips to aid in the boxers' removal.
With the last barrier now gone, Heero quickly pulled his own briefs from his hips and once more lay next to his husband. Fingers began a journey of discovery, both men reacquainting themselves with the skin of their partner. Touches light and teasing ghosted across thighs, stomachs and chests. Moans and gasps were exchanged along with deepening kisses.
Wriggling a hand under the pillow, Heero snagged the lube and flipped the cap open. "Prep me?" he asked and passed the tube over.
"Gladly," Duo replied and took the offered tube. A small amount was squirted onto his fingers, tube being tossed to the side for the moment. Heero rolled onto his back and spread his legs in invitation, Duo accepting the invitation and sliding his hand between those golden thighs and along Heero's crevice.
The small hole was located, fingers spread the slick lube around the outside and tormented the rider until Heero thought he would go insane. Then a finger slipped inside and began to work the tight muscles.
"So tight," Duo murmured and pressed kisses to Heero's neck as his finger worked on the tense muscle. Gradually the muscles began to relax and Duo could add a second finger. Both digits moved gently in and out, occasionally Duo would scissor them, loosening the muscle even more.
It wasn't too long before Duo had three fingers buried inside his love and Heero was a writhing, moaning mess of hormones on the bed.
"Take me," Heero begged. "I need you so much."
"Patience, Heero," Duo teased and pushed his fingers in a little deeper; this time he connected with Heero's prostate and it was all Heero could do to not scream with the pleasure that suddenly flooded his system.
"Now, Duo; I need you in me now," Heero demanded.
"Impatient bugger, aren't you?" Duo snickered and removed his fingers.
Heero just growled in response.
Still chuckling to himself, Duo found the tube and coated his length from root to tip with the slippery substance. Once he was satisfied that he was coated well enough, he tossed the tube to the floor and settled himself between Heero's thighs.
"Ready for me?"
"More than ready."
"Good." Grasping the base of his cock, Duo guided the tip to Heero's entrance and began to push steadily forward. The muscles had been well prepared and relaxed to allow Duo's cock to enter. Taking it slow, Duo eased himself into his lover's body, inch by agonising inch.
Moving slowly, he pushed in a little, then pulled back a little to allow the lube to do its work. Each forward push made a little more headway into Heero's passage until at last he was fully seated and panting heavily.
Cracking open an eye, Duo gazed at his lover beneath him. Heero's eyes were closed, a soft smile on his lips and a look of utter contentment on his face. To Duo he was the most beautiful thing in the world. He leaned in and stole a kiss.
"You okay?" Duo asked as he waited for Heero's body to adjust.
"Perfect," came the husky reply. "Or at least it will be once you start to move."
"Ah, movement. I guess that could be arranged," Duo replied with a cheeky grin.
Just as Heero was about to make a comment, Duo withdrew and plunged back in sharply, the head of his cock hitting Heero's prostate and sending all coherent thought from his mind.
"Ahhh... More," he managed to cry out once his brain had returned.
Drawing his knees underneath him, Duo reached for Heero's legs and wrapped them around his waist. Hands firmly on Heero's hips, he began to thrust, building up a steady rhythm that soon had them both panting and gasping with the sheer pleasure of their coupling.
Sweat began to build and run down Duo's back, his pelvis constantly moving as he drove himself deeper into Heero's willing body. Beneath him Heero moaned and thrust his own hips up to meet his lover's, Duo's cock hitting his prostate every so often and drowning him in pleasure.
It had been a while since they'd made love and both men knew they wouldn't be able to last long, no matter how hard they tried to stave off the inevitable.
Feeling his own end rapidly approaching, Duo worked his hand between their heaving bodies and curled his fingers around Heero's shaft.
It wasn't easy to try and pump his lover when his own body demanded satisfaction, but somehow Duo managed to retain enough of his brain function to continue to pump that stiff organ.
"Ah, Duo... Not gonna last much longer," Heero ground out.
"Me either," Duo managed around gritted teeth.
A few more thrusts, several tugs to Heero's cock and the rider felt the beginning of the end rising fast in his gut. He gave himself over to the pleasure, welcoming the rush of heat that engulfed him from head to toe and left him tinging all over.
A grunt was all the warning Duo got and then Heero's cock was swelling in his hand, creamy seed jetting from the tip and dripping to coat their stomachs. With Heero's climax, the passage surrounding him began to tighten, those muscles clamping down on his length and making it harder for Duo to thrust.
Releasing the now spent cock, Duo's hands grasped tightly to Heero's hips and he began to thrust with abandon. He was so close...
"Come for me, Duo," Heero whispered.
The soft words penetrated Duo's mind and with a sharp cry, he let go. Heat flared in his groin and stomach, burning along his length and shooting deep into Heero's passage. Three more thrusts and Duo was spent. He collapsed against Heero, the rider's strong arms enveloping his shaking frame and holding him close as he rode the last vestiges of his orgasm.
When heart and breathing rates returned to normal, Duo pulled his now soft cock from inside Heero and rolled to the side, Heero's arms still wrapped around him. He sought out his partner's lips and kissed him deeply. "Thank you," he murmured against Heero's mouth.
"Thank you," Heero whispered in reply. "That was incredible, you're incredible."
"I suppose we should clean up."
"Mmmm, a shower sounds good. Care to join me?"
"Just give me a couple more minutes, Heero. I have to convince my legs that they can move."
Heero snorted. "I think I have the same problem."
Duo chuckled and stole another kiss.
# # #
"Mr. Coleman... Mr. Coleman..." several journalists continued to call out and try to get Coleman's attention but the director completely ignored them. Mouth set in a grim line he walked out of the room and closed the door firmly behind himself.
Once they were in the elevator and riding the car to the floor where the Department's labs were situated, Coleman let a loud sigh escape his lips and his shoulders sagged. "I hate those things," he muttered.
"I don't think any one of us is overly fond of them," Eric replied.
"It didn't go too badly," Oliver commented.
"I guess not. At least now the public will have a better understanding of where we are with this virus and what we're up to in regards to fighting it." Coleman sighed. "I just hope the press don't twist things around like they're apt to do when it suits them."
"In this case I don't think they would be game to, there's way too much riding on the outcome of this vaccine," Oliver stated.
"And what if the vaccine doesn't work?" Coleman questioned with a raise of his eyebrow.
"If it doesn't then we will have to weather the storm ahead and be prepared to deal with a lot of backlash, sick horses and a major blow to the equine industry here."
"I must say, that cheers me up a lot," Coleman snapped sarcastically.
Oliver sighed. "Darren, the Department is doing all it can with the resources it has to bring a stop to the spread of this virus. We need to think positive, trust in your staff and keep the public updated regularly. In all my career as a public relations officer I've found that keeping the public informed of all latest developments is the best way to keep them on side. People fear what they don't understand, it's our job to reassure them that everything that can be done is being done. The public rely on Government departments to keep them safe. If they can see the measures the Department is putting into place to combat whatever it is at the time, the people feel safe, start to relax a bit and trust that the powers that be are onto it."
"I suppose so."
"Being open and honest – to a point – with the general public means they will support the Government and its departments; and right now we can do with all the support we can get."
"And the press? What if they twist things around?"
"Leave the press to me. I'll be closely monitoring what they report," Oliver stated with a glint in his eye.
Coleman relaxed a bit. He had a good team, one that was working damn hard to save the industry from ruin and he was proud of them all. The last thing they needed was negative influence from the public caused by incompetent reporting from the media. He held no doubt in his mind that Oliver would remain true to his word and make certain the media didn't step out of line with this. "Thank you."
"No thanks needed, Darren," Oliver smiled. "The vaccine will work, those horses that haven't caught the virus will be safe from it and those that already have it will recover. It will take time, but the industry will survive and come back even stronger than before."
Brave words Coleman knew, but they had to have something to focus on and trust in their capabilities. "We will see," was all he could manage by way of reply.
tbc...