Gundam 00; Fault and Flaw
Series: Gundam 00
Characters: Setsuna, Allelujah, Lockon (Neil), Tieria
Pairing: Setsuna/Allelujah
Rating: PG
Prompt:"I think your flaw isn't so much your fault as a charm."
Summary:Comfort in intervals of two years.
AD 2305
As Meisters, each of them had lost something in order to find Celestial Being. It was unspoken, unasked, yet Tieria, Lockon, Allelujah, Setsuna knew. Perhaps that was the beginning.
"Allelujah Haptism." Allelujah turns at the sound of his code name. It's the new Meister, Setsuna F. Seiei. Seeing him, Allelujah is reminded of his own entrance into Celestial Being when he thought he could still smell metal and blood and toxins, when he was slow in reacting when called by something else than 'Test Subject E57'. Yet, he has noticed that this boy - Setsuna - never fails to respond when addressed by his code name and has already learnt the code names of every other Meister and crew member.
"Hello, Setsuna." They are standing near the bridge and Allelujah thinks that he knows why Setsuna has sought him out.
Setsuna doesn't speak. Allelujah doesn't either. He isn't sure how to interact with this Meister - Allelujah still sees him as a boy despite his seriousness and intensity. He thinks that Setsuna is here to ask why one of the Agents they had met to exchange intelligence with had been startled and shocked to hear the name 'Setsuna F. Seiei' that Setsuna had so thoroughly absorbed into himself. How and why the Agent had reacted with the opposite of the acknowledgment and recognition and acceptance that Setsuna - and Allelujah, now something more than Test Subject E57 - had come to associate with his code name. Allelujah decided to speak.
"The code names for the four Meisters remain the same for each generation of Meisters." No response from Setsuna. He didn't expect one, as he has also observed that Setsuna is not Lockon, quick and at ease amongst conversation, or Tieria, quick to highlight any deviation from the plan or any perceived error. He reminds Allelujah of himself, when he was somewhere in between Allelujah Haptism and Test Subject E57. Test Subject Allelujah Haptism, trying to find his way through Celestial Being. "It means that it is possible for the Agent to have known the previous Setsuna F. Seiei."
"Oh." Setsuna's expression changes and then resettles. "I'm going to go check on Exia now. Allelujah." Allelujah watches Setsuna's blue form floating off, led by the handrail. Setsuna's face after he had realised what Allelujah was telling him - the impression of a shifting of changeable, temporary emotions underlaid by some constant (the screams of those experiencing the quantum brain waves for the first time, the presence of another in his mind or the rapidfire of artillery amidst the light patter of children while parents bleed). Allelujah recognises it.
AD 2307
As Meisters, each of them have made errors. Tieria, certain in the infallibility of Celestial Being regardless of circumstance, did not feel it necessary to fully disclose his interpretation of vital information from Veda. Lockon's over-reliance on the sniping unit results in preventable damage to Dynames. Allelujah in Kyrios, hearing the soldier's pleas for life in the emptiness of the cockpit, hesitates. Setsuna, faced with a man he had never expected again to see, steps out of Exia in the middle of a battlefield.
Allelujah comes across Lockon and Setsuna seated at one of the tables. Or rather, Allelujah sees the two of them as he is coming out from one of the corridors of the Ptolemaios. They don't seem to see him or notice him. He listens, unknown, to one line of their conversation and stops.
"I think your flaw isn't so much your fault as a charm." Lockon's voice. He must be speaking about the incident with the man from PMC Trust. He doesn't think he hears anything else in Lockon's voice save for friendly concern and somewhat idle observation. Still.
Allelujah remembers: Waking from a sort of not-conciousness that is different from unconsciousness and in his head, a voice that is his and not his. Hallelujah. He doesn't tell any of the other crew or Meisters, how every time Hallelujah 'interferes' it tires him and makes him feel disorientated, wrung and stretched-out like passing through a vacuum. He imagines that Lockon and Sumeragi and the other crew would express their worry over his health and the effect of this on his piloting while Tieria would immediately demand for his replacement. Stumbling in mid-air despite the low gravity, Allelujah grips the railing and laughs to himself. Take him off Kyrios? Before they did that, they would have to - Allelujah stops. He recognises Hallelujah in the tone of that thought and he is frightened. Not so much at Hallelujah's presence - which, despite suffering the aftereffects of - he has become accustomed to. Instead, it is how there was in the length of that thought, an interval where he was unable to distinguish between himself and Hallelujah. He doesn't know what it means. He feels nauseous. 10 Gs of nausea and fear and savage joy. He can't see.
"Allelujah?" He doesn't answer. Instead, he feels before him a small body, rough hair, tight and compact. Setsuna. His limbs move with weighted slowness and he doesn't have the effort to stop his head from slumping onto the rounded shoulder in front of him. "You are unwell."
"You always mess up, Setsuna. Time and time again." It's his voice, roughened and the words are disjointed. Yet, they're not completely Hallelujah's words either - Hallelujah is oblivious and forgetful of other people who are unrelated to Test Subject E57. He has said this before to the other Meisters but not to Setsuna himself. He wonders why now, wonders if it is the combination of Lockon's comment and his own delirium or if there is more.
"So do you." Setsuna's reply is even, the stress falling equally on every word. Allelujah thinks there is something heavy about it, but everything feels like pressure to him right now. Setsuna looks him in the eye while saying this, which is possible because Allelujah is hunched over as if their meeting in this place is something illicit. Allelujah laughs softly in response, murmuring "It's true, it's true." He wouldn't have admitted this normally. There is not enough gravity and so Setsuna does not feel the warmth of Allelujah's breath on his neck. The warm particles of air linger in the space between them.
Allelujah's body falls further forward and his forehead touches the indent at Setsuna's collarbone. There's a layer of fabric between skin and skin. No words pass between them. Allelujah doesn't think he can move anymore. In his mind, there is a blankness, though he is unsure about whether or not this is from weariness. A hand comes up, and this time he feels the brush of skin now as it comes up to support his upper arm while Setsuna's body shifts to brace his own unmoving one. There will be marks on both of them later - a lattice of thin lines on Setsuna's neck from Allelujah's hair, the imprint of Setsuna's fingers on Allelujah's arm. But for now, they sink further into each other.
Flaw, fault. Setsuna's obstinacy and confusion and belief. Charm. Persistence and strength and memory. The memory of the streams of green light above a brown and black battlefield, the memory of unasked for camaraderie. This, as Setsuna waits for Allelujah to regain control of himself and as time continues to pass, Setsuna slings the arm that he had been holding over his shoulder. Setsuna is now the one who stumbles as he pulls himself and Allelujah to Allelujah's room. It's an awkward passage as Allelujah is so much taller than him, and that much heavier.
"The code?"
"5-9-2-5-6."
Memory as Setsuna lays him, half-lucid, down on the pallet.
AD 2309
As Meisters, each of them thought that they had already reconciled themselves to loss. But Tieria feels hot tears run from his eyes and then remain trapped in his helmet as he sees, senses, the explosion. Yet Allelujah stretches his fingers out towards the reflection that is not quite a mirror image, trying to reach, trying to reach. And Setsuna screams and screams as he sees the floating wreckage of both man and Gundam before him.
Afterwards, they come together like it is natural. They already bear marks. Allelujah's eye is bloodied and his fingers are torn from trying to scratch at the glass that had borne his, Hallelujah's, reflection. Setsuna is in silence but will not emit sound even if he is able to. This time, both of them give and both of them receive. Hallelujah, Lockon. Setsuna, Allelujah. The past and the present intertwine and with this, they try to fill each other's hollows.
Characters: Setsuna, Allelujah, Lockon (Neil), Tieria
Pairing: Setsuna/Allelujah
Rating: PG
Prompt:"I think your flaw isn't so much your fault as a charm."
Summary:Comfort in intervals of two years.
AD 2305
As Meisters, each of them had lost something in order to find Celestial Being. It was unspoken, unasked, yet Tieria, Lockon, Allelujah, Setsuna knew. Perhaps that was the beginning.
"Allelujah Haptism." Allelujah turns at the sound of his code name. It's the new Meister, Setsuna F. Seiei. Seeing him, Allelujah is reminded of his own entrance into Celestial Being when he thought he could still smell metal and blood and toxins, when he was slow in reacting when called by something else than 'Test Subject E57'. Yet, he has noticed that this boy - Setsuna - never fails to respond when addressed by his code name and has already learnt the code names of every other Meister and crew member.
"Hello, Setsuna." They are standing near the bridge and Allelujah thinks that he knows why Setsuna has sought him out.
Setsuna doesn't speak. Allelujah doesn't either. He isn't sure how to interact with this Meister - Allelujah still sees him as a boy despite his seriousness and intensity. He thinks that Setsuna is here to ask why one of the Agents they had met to exchange intelligence with had been startled and shocked to hear the name 'Setsuna F. Seiei' that Setsuna had so thoroughly absorbed into himself. How and why the Agent had reacted with the opposite of the acknowledgment and recognition and acceptance that Setsuna - and Allelujah, now something more than Test Subject E57 - had come to associate with his code name. Allelujah decided to speak.
"The code names for the four Meisters remain the same for each generation of Meisters." No response from Setsuna. He didn't expect one, as he has also observed that Setsuna is not Lockon, quick and at ease amongst conversation, or Tieria, quick to highlight any deviation from the plan or any perceived error. He reminds Allelujah of himself, when he was somewhere in between Allelujah Haptism and Test Subject E57. Test Subject Allelujah Haptism, trying to find his way through Celestial Being. "It means that it is possible for the Agent to have known the previous Setsuna F. Seiei."
"Oh." Setsuna's expression changes and then resettles. "I'm going to go check on Exia now. Allelujah." Allelujah watches Setsuna's blue form floating off, led by the handrail. Setsuna's face after he had realised what Allelujah was telling him - the impression of a shifting of changeable, temporary emotions underlaid by some constant (the screams of those experiencing the quantum brain waves for the first time, the presence of another in his mind or the rapidfire of artillery amidst the light patter of children while parents bleed). Allelujah recognises it.
AD 2307
As Meisters, each of them have made errors. Tieria, certain in the infallibility of Celestial Being regardless of circumstance, did not feel it necessary to fully disclose his interpretation of vital information from Veda. Lockon's over-reliance on the sniping unit results in preventable damage to Dynames. Allelujah in Kyrios, hearing the soldier's pleas for life in the emptiness of the cockpit, hesitates. Setsuna, faced with a man he had never expected again to see, steps out of Exia in the middle of a battlefield.
Allelujah comes across Lockon and Setsuna seated at one of the tables. Or rather, Allelujah sees the two of them as he is coming out from one of the corridors of the Ptolemaios. They don't seem to see him or notice him. He listens, unknown, to one line of their conversation and stops.
"I think your flaw isn't so much your fault as a charm." Lockon's voice. He must be speaking about the incident with the man from PMC Trust. He doesn't think he hears anything else in Lockon's voice save for friendly concern and somewhat idle observation. Still.
Allelujah remembers: Waking from a sort of not-conciousness that is different from unconsciousness and in his head, a voice that is his and not his. Hallelujah. He doesn't tell any of the other crew or Meisters, how every time Hallelujah 'interferes' it tires him and makes him feel disorientated, wrung and stretched-out like passing through a vacuum. He imagines that Lockon and Sumeragi and the other crew would express their worry over his health and the effect of this on his piloting while Tieria would immediately demand for his replacement. Stumbling in mid-air despite the low gravity, Allelujah grips the railing and laughs to himself. Take him off Kyrios? Before they did that, they would have to - Allelujah stops. He recognises Hallelujah in the tone of that thought and he is frightened. Not so much at Hallelujah's presence - which, despite suffering the aftereffects of - he has become accustomed to. Instead, it is how there was in the length of that thought, an interval where he was unable to distinguish between himself and Hallelujah. He doesn't know what it means. He feels nauseous. 10 Gs of nausea and fear and savage joy. He can't see.
"Allelujah?" He doesn't answer. Instead, he feels before him a small body, rough hair, tight and compact. Setsuna. His limbs move with weighted slowness and he doesn't have the effort to stop his head from slumping onto the rounded shoulder in front of him. "You are unwell."
"You always mess up, Setsuna. Time and time again." It's his voice, roughened and the words are disjointed. Yet, they're not completely Hallelujah's words either - Hallelujah is oblivious and forgetful of other people who are unrelated to Test Subject E57. He has said this before to the other Meisters but not to Setsuna himself. He wonders why now, wonders if it is the combination of Lockon's comment and his own delirium or if there is more.
"So do you." Setsuna's reply is even, the stress falling equally on every word. Allelujah thinks there is something heavy about it, but everything feels like pressure to him right now. Setsuna looks him in the eye while saying this, which is possible because Allelujah is hunched over as if their meeting in this place is something illicit. Allelujah laughs softly in response, murmuring "It's true, it's true." He wouldn't have admitted this normally. There is not enough gravity and so Setsuna does not feel the warmth of Allelujah's breath on his neck. The warm particles of air linger in the space between them.
Allelujah's body falls further forward and his forehead touches the indent at Setsuna's collarbone. There's a layer of fabric between skin and skin. No words pass between them. Allelujah doesn't think he can move anymore. In his mind, there is a blankness, though he is unsure about whether or not this is from weariness. A hand comes up, and this time he feels the brush of skin now as it comes up to support his upper arm while Setsuna's body shifts to brace his own unmoving one. There will be marks on both of them later - a lattice of thin lines on Setsuna's neck from Allelujah's hair, the imprint of Setsuna's fingers on Allelujah's arm. But for now, they sink further into each other.
Flaw, fault. Setsuna's obstinacy and confusion and belief. Charm. Persistence and strength and memory. The memory of the streams of green light above a brown and black battlefield, the memory of unasked for camaraderie. This, as Setsuna waits for Allelujah to regain control of himself and as time continues to pass, Setsuna slings the arm that he had been holding over his shoulder. Setsuna is now the one who stumbles as he pulls himself and Allelujah to Allelujah's room. It's an awkward passage as Allelujah is so much taller than him, and that much heavier.
"The code?"
"5-9-2-5-6."
Memory as Setsuna lays him, half-lucid, down on the pallet.
AD 2309
As Meisters, each of them thought that they had already reconciled themselves to loss. But Tieria feels hot tears run from his eyes and then remain trapped in his helmet as he sees, senses, the explosion. Yet Allelujah stretches his fingers out towards the reflection that is not quite a mirror image, trying to reach, trying to reach. And Setsuna screams and screams as he sees the floating wreckage of both man and Gundam before him.
Afterwards, they come together like it is natural. They already bear marks. Allelujah's eye is bloodied and his fingers are torn from trying to scratch at the glass that had borne his, Hallelujah's, reflection. Setsuna is in silence but will not emit sound even if he is able to. This time, both of them give and both of them receive. Hallelujah, Lockon. Setsuna, Allelujah. The past and the present intertwine and with this, they try to fill each other's hollows.