FIC - Vampires Shouldn't Say "Never" (GW)
Title: Vampires Shouldn't Say "Never"
Fandom: Gundam Wing
Pairing: 4x1x2x3x5 overall
Rating: PG
Notes: 30_dogpile Snow's theme 2: Never
Beta: None
Previous
Summary: Sometimes you just have to go home, no matter how much you really don't want to.
Crashing into the sea with one person who was injured and one who really hated open water was probably not the best of ideas, Wufei thought as he tried to ignore the stinging salt water that had soaked through some of his bandages. Quatre was nearly hissing as he huddled into Trowa’s chest on the other side of the small cockpit of the mobile suit. Wufei’s legs were uncomfortably draped over Heero’s as the shifter checked bandages and stitches. Duo sat in the pilot seat of the only surviving Gundam - none of them could really be surprised that Deathscythe had been the last of the gundanium legend. He cackled as they watched the burning wreckage they had made of their transport, just one more loose end to be demolished and hidden away from the rest of the world.
“Where to now, Master Q?” Duo snickered.
“Duo,” Heero murmured, hands pausing and eyes flickering over an irritated blond. Duo whined, most likely pouted, and focused on the control panel.
“How long are we going to have to hide?” Wufei asked. He smacked Heero’s hand as the other man poked and prodded.
“A century, at the very least,” Quatre grumbled into Trowa’s shoulder. “We need somewhere secluded and unlikely to attract human attention.”
“There aren’t many uninhabited places left on Earth,” Trowa said, hands pulling a rough towel over Quatre’s hair. The blond growled softly and let himself be distracted.
“The general populace hasn’t seen our pictures, though,” Wufei said. He hissed as Heero moved them around so the shifter could sit at his back. The bandages across Wufei’s chest came off slowly, some falling wetly to the deck floor and some needing a gentle wiggle to peel away from seeping blood.
“Mine was popular for a few weeks,” Duo muttered.
“Mostly in the colonies,” Heero said. His fingers smoothed a fresh bandage around Wufei’s chest. The darker teen sighed and leaned back into the shifter’s heat. “It would be easier to hide if we spilt up.” Wufei raised an eyebrow as Quatre actually hissed. “Since that’s not happening,” Heero hid a small smile in Wufei’s hair, “we need to create new identities or find a community that will give us sanctuary.”
Duo turned in his chair and peered back at them. The sea and sky were dark in the main view, and Wufei dropped his head back to close his eyes.
“Community?” Duo cocked his head. “People like us live together?” Wufei opened one eye and frowned at Duo.
“Of course vamps and shifters live in communities,” Wufei huffed. “There’s less possibility of being revealed when all the residents in a small town are aware of the mystical nature of the universe.”
“Well, excuse me for not wanting anyone to know I talk to dead people,” Duo snarked. Wufei growled but didn’t move from Heero’s warning embrace.
“Shifters are generally pack creatures,” Heero said. Quatre laughed softly.
“Vampires are more power oriented,” the blond said. “We create familial clans along sire lines, but we gather lesser vampires into courts. It’s all politics and strength with most of them.” Duo frowned and reached out to rest his fingers on Quatre’s ankle. The blond smiled gently.
“Can we even find any of these communities?” Trowa asked.
“If we wanted to wander around for a few weeks, I could sniff out local shifters,” Heero said. “They would, however, be inclined toward suspicious dislike of a strong, established pack mentality such as ours.”
“That’s a no,” Duo nodded to himself.
“My people would have welcomed us,” Wufei whispered. “Since most of them were on L5, though, I have no idea how to find any possible survivors.” Heero rubbed his cheek against Wufei’s hair.
“Gypsies would take us in and hide us well,” Trowa said. “But it is an obvious place to look, for me at least.”
“Are we really going to try for a vampire court, then?” Duo asked. He sounded wary, nervous. Wufei could feel Heero’s muscles tightening and figured that none of them were pleased with the seemingly inescapable conclusion as Quatre sighed and slumped against Trowa. Duo frowned and turned back to the flight controls.
“My sire presides over the oldest court in the world,” Quatre said to the ceiling of their last secure space. “We’ll have to present a show of strength that bows before his power.” Trowa ran his hands down Quatre’s arms to lace their fingers together. Quatre sighed. “I swore that I would never sit at his feet again.”
“What do you mean?” Duo called over the seat. Quatre hunched his shoulders up defensively.
“He’s a controlling, manipulative old vamp who had no idea what to do with me once he had me,” Quatre said, face and body tense with challenge. Trowa calmly trailed his fingers down the hard lines of Quatre’s spine. Heero set his chin on Wufei’s shoulder and met the blond’s eyes. Then Heero dropped his gaze and tilted his head into Wufei’s, and though the smaller Chinese man resisted for a moment, both of their necks were bared. Quatre let himself be calmed.
“He wanted you, specifically?” Heero asked in the uneasy silence. Quatre nodded.
“Your empathy?” Trowa murmured, fingers still stroking Quatre’s stiff back.
“Natural gifts have a tendency to be,” Quatre paused, “augmented,” he sneered, “when refined by death.”
“Augmented?” Duo whispered.
“Most vampires chosen as gifted are insane when they wake again,” Quatre said, his voice flat. “If their gift is still functioning in any useful manner, they become their sire’s pretty little prize, pampered and spoiled and pranced through courts on the arm of their maker.” Quatre shifted closer to Trowa.
“If?” Heero asked.
“Some are too damaged to control,” Quatre said. He tucked his head under Trowa’s chin. “They get destroyed before anyone outside the clan sees them.” The soft vibrating rumble of the engines filled the silence.
“How old were you?” Wufei asked. Trowa lifted an eyebrow.
“Not even a hundred,” Quatre said. Duo made a small sound.
“Is that why you left?”Wufei asked. Quatre nodded.
“I learned after she tried to kill me that seers hardly ever survive the change,” Quatre murmured.
“Why did your sire even try it?” Duo asked.
“He’s ambitious,” Quatre shrugged. “All of his children were gifted humans.”
“How old was your sire then?” Heero asked. Wufei stretched out his leg against Trowa’s. Quatre blinked for a moment.
“Eight hundred?” The blond cocked his head to the side.
“Still young by vampire standards,” Heero said. Duo smothered his snickers.
“He didn’t have the power to see to your safety and growth or to keep your loyalty,” Wufei agreed. Quatre frowned.
“Quatre, have we chosen to kneel before you?” Heero asked with a small nod toward the group. Quatre nodded slowly, a small frown tightening his lips. “Are we weak?” The corner of Trowa’s lips curled up as Quatre, eyes wide, quickly shook his head. “Does our acceptance of your leadership make us weak?” Wufei leaned sideways and turned to look at Heero as Quatre shook his head again, slower. “We trust you to look to our needs, Quatre.”
“Yeah, we gave you the chance to bind us with your freaky eye because we want to follow you, Quat,” Duo chirped, one hand of fingers cheerily wiggling over the back of his chair.
“Gaining trust takes time,” Wufei added as he watched Quatre smile. “We are confident with you because you’ve proven yourself in difficult times.”
“Eh, whatever crazy situations we get into together, it’s always easier and less deadly with you guys than when I was alone,” Duo called over his chair.
“Yes,” Trowa said. He leaned back to look down into Quatre’s eyes. “Perhaps it is time to give your sire the chance to prove that he has learned from his mistakes.”
“Where is your sire’s court?” Heero asked. Quatre flicked his eyes over the three pilots he could see, his lips drawn together in hesitation before he took a deep breath.
“Head 45 degrees north by 25 degrees east, and we’ll see what’s changed since I’ve left,” Quatre said.
“So we’re headed for gypsy country anyway?” Trowa asked.
“Gotta teach you to never say never, Q-man,” Duo snickered. Wufei rolled his eyes and squirmed until he was comfortable against Heero’s chest, their legs stretched out alongside Trowa’s. Quatre dragged a thermal blanket out of a storage bin and tossed it over Duo’s head. The braid disappeared for a moment, Duo squawking in surprise before tugging it out of his face. He grumbled good-naturedly as he twisted to comfortably settle the blanket behind him. Running lights dimmed, blinking displays flashed various colors over the small group as they drifted into an exhausted rest, water rushed beneath them as they hurtled toward a questionable sanctuary.
~JJ~
Fandom: Gundam Wing
Pairing: 4x1x2x3x5 overall
Rating: PG
Notes: 30_dogpile Snow's theme 2: Never
Beta: None
Previous
Summary: Sometimes you just have to go home, no matter how much you really don't want to.
Crashing into the sea with one person who was injured and one who really hated open water was probably not the best of ideas, Wufei thought as he tried to ignore the stinging salt water that had soaked through some of his bandages. Quatre was nearly hissing as he huddled into Trowa’s chest on the other side of the small cockpit of the mobile suit. Wufei’s legs were uncomfortably draped over Heero’s as the shifter checked bandages and stitches. Duo sat in the pilot seat of the only surviving Gundam - none of them could really be surprised that Deathscythe had been the last of the gundanium legend. He cackled as they watched the burning wreckage they had made of their transport, just one more loose end to be demolished and hidden away from the rest of the world.
“Where to now, Master Q?” Duo snickered.
“Duo,” Heero murmured, hands pausing and eyes flickering over an irritated blond. Duo whined, most likely pouted, and focused on the control panel.
“How long are we going to have to hide?” Wufei asked. He smacked Heero’s hand as the other man poked and prodded.
“A century, at the very least,” Quatre grumbled into Trowa’s shoulder. “We need somewhere secluded and unlikely to attract human attention.”
“There aren’t many uninhabited places left on Earth,” Trowa said, hands pulling a rough towel over Quatre’s hair. The blond growled softly and let himself be distracted.
“The general populace hasn’t seen our pictures, though,” Wufei said. He hissed as Heero moved them around so the shifter could sit at his back. The bandages across Wufei’s chest came off slowly, some falling wetly to the deck floor and some needing a gentle wiggle to peel away from seeping blood.
“Mine was popular for a few weeks,” Duo muttered.
“Mostly in the colonies,” Heero said. His fingers smoothed a fresh bandage around Wufei’s chest. The darker teen sighed and leaned back into the shifter’s heat. “It would be easier to hide if we spilt up.” Wufei raised an eyebrow as Quatre actually hissed. “Since that’s not happening,” Heero hid a small smile in Wufei’s hair, “we need to create new identities or find a community that will give us sanctuary.”
Duo turned in his chair and peered back at them. The sea and sky were dark in the main view, and Wufei dropped his head back to close his eyes.
“Community?” Duo cocked his head. “People like us live together?” Wufei opened one eye and frowned at Duo.
“Of course vamps and shifters live in communities,” Wufei huffed. “There’s less possibility of being revealed when all the residents in a small town are aware of the mystical nature of the universe.”
“Well, excuse me for not wanting anyone to know I talk to dead people,” Duo snarked. Wufei growled but didn’t move from Heero’s warning embrace.
“Shifters are generally pack creatures,” Heero said. Quatre laughed softly.
“Vampires are more power oriented,” the blond said. “We create familial clans along sire lines, but we gather lesser vampires into courts. It’s all politics and strength with most of them.” Duo frowned and reached out to rest his fingers on Quatre’s ankle. The blond smiled gently.
“Can we even find any of these communities?” Trowa asked.
“If we wanted to wander around for a few weeks, I could sniff out local shifters,” Heero said. “They would, however, be inclined toward suspicious dislike of a strong, established pack mentality such as ours.”
“That’s a no,” Duo nodded to himself.
“My people would have welcomed us,” Wufei whispered. “Since most of them were on L5, though, I have no idea how to find any possible survivors.” Heero rubbed his cheek against Wufei’s hair.
“Gypsies would take us in and hide us well,” Trowa said. “But it is an obvious place to look, for me at least.”
“Are we really going to try for a vampire court, then?” Duo asked. He sounded wary, nervous. Wufei could feel Heero’s muscles tightening and figured that none of them were pleased with the seemingly inescapable conclusion as Quatre sighed and slumped against Trowa. Duo frowned and turned back to the flight controls.
“My sire presides over the oldest court in the world,” Quatre said to the ceiling of their last secure space. “We’ll have to present a show of strength that bows before his power.” Trowa ran his hands down Quatre’s arms to lace their fingers together. Quatre sighed. “I swore that I would never sit at his feet again.”
“What do you mean?” Duo called over the seat. Quatre hunched his shoulders up defensively.
“He’s a controlling, manipulative old vamp who had no idea what to do with me once he had me,” Quatre said, face and body tense with challenge. Trowa calmly trailed his fingers down the hard lines of Quatre’s spine. Heero set his chin on Wufei’s shoulder and met the blond’s eyes. Then Heero dropped his gaze and tilted his head into Wufei’s, and though the smaller Chinese man resisted for a moment, both of their necks were bared. Quatre let himself be calmed.
“He wanted you, specifically?” Heero asked in the uneasy silence. Quatre nodded.
“Your empathy?” Trowa murmured, fingers still stroking Quatre’s stiff back.
“Natural gifts have a tendency to be,” Quatre paused, “augmented,” he sneered, “when refined by death.”
“Augmented?” Duo whispered.
“Most vampires chosen as gifted are insane when they wake again,” Quatre said, his voice flat. “If their gift is still functioning in any useful manner, they become their sire’s pretty little prize, pampered and spoiled and pranced through courts on the arm of their maker.” Quatre shifted closer to Trowa.
“If?” Heero asked.
“Some are too damaged to control,” Quatre said. He tucked his head under Trowa’s chin. “They get destroyed before anyone outside the clan sees them.” The soft vibrating rumble of the engines filled the silence.
“How old were you?” Wufei asked. Trowa lifted an eyebrow.
“Not even a hundred,” Quatre said. Duo made a small sound.
“Is that why you left?”Wufei asked. Quatre nodded.
“I learned after she tried to kill me that seers hardly ever survive the change,” Quatre murmured.
“Why did your sire even try it?” Duo asked.
“He’s ambitious,” Quatre shrugged. “All of his children were gifted humans.”
“How old was your sire then?” Heero asked. Wufei stretched out his leg against Trowa’s. Quatre blinked for a moment.
“Eight hundred?” The blond cocked his head to the side.
“Still young by vampire standards,” Heero said. Duo smothered his snickers.
“He didn’t have the power to see to your safety and growth or to keep your loyalty,” Wufei agreed. Quatre frowned.
“Quatre, have we chosen to kneel before you?” Heero asked with a small nod toward the group. Quatre nodded slowly, a small frown tightening his lips. “Are we weak?” The corner of Trowa’s lips curled up as Quatre, eyes wide, quickly shook his head. “Does our acceptance of your leadership make us weak?” Wufei leaned sideways and turned to look at Heero as Quatre shook his head again, slower. “We trust you to look to our needs, Quatre.”
“Yeah, we gave you the chance to bind us with your freaky eye because we want to follow you, Quat,” Duo chirped, one hand of fingers cheerily wiggling over the back of his chair.
“Gaining trust takes time,” Wufei added as he watched Quatre smile. “We are confident with you because you’ve proven yourself in difficult times.”
“Eh, whatever crazy situations we get into together, it’s always easier and less deadly with you guys than when I was alone,” Duo called over his chair.
“Yes,” Trowa said. He leaned back to look down into Quatre’s eyes. “Perhaps it is time to give your sire the chance to prove that he has learned from his mistakes.”
“Where is your sire’s court?” Heero asked. Quatre flicked his eyes over the three pilots he could see, his lips drawn together in hesitation before he took a deep breath.
“Head 45 degrees north by 25 degrees east, and we’ll see what’s changed since I’ve left,” Quatre said.
“So we’re headed for gypsy country anyway?” Trowa asked.
“Gotta teach you to never say never, Q-man,” Duo snickered. Wufei rolled his eyes and squirmed until he was comfortable against Heero’s chest, their legs stretched out alongside Trowa’s. Quatre dragged a thermal blanket out of a storage bin and tossed it over Duo’s head. The braid disappeared for a moment, Duo squawking in surprise before tugging it out of his face. He grumbled good-naturedly as he twisted to comfortably settle the blanket behind him. Running lights dimmed, blinking displays flashed various colors over the small group as they drifted into an exhausted rest, water rushed beneath them as they hurtled toward a questionable sanctuary.
~JJ~