G Gundam (multiple)
Title: Chains
Pairing: Natasha/Argo
Rating: PG-13
Wordcount: 458
Notes: Prompt was "freedom."
Summary: Argo prepares for a new life, but something is missing.
Argo had expected that it would feel good to have the weight of the bomb off his chest. It did, but it also felt strange. He had grown used to being chained in one way or another. Had he even grown to like it? That would have defeated the whole point of everything he had done. As he worked to rebuild his ship and restore the spirits of his crew, the thought weighed on him as heavily as the chains binding him once had.
But the work itself wasn't so bad. It felt good to use his hands to create something and not destroy it. He'd been doing the latter for too long--first in his former life as a pirate, and then, even after he'd repented that, against enemies in the Gundam Fight. He didn't know when he'd grown to appreciate the other things his body could do.
Perhaps it had been with Natasha, alone together in the darkness, with her on top of him. Perhaps, too, that was where he'd gathered up a lingering desire for chains.
Before he knew it, Argo's ship and his crew were ready to go again. But he wasn't sure what he was meant to do now. He knew he was never meant to be a fully law-abiding man--he had pirate too deep in his blood. But now he was also the Black Joker, and he had responsibilities.
He waited alone in his room for the answer to come to him, as he knew it would. Sometimes he just needed a while in thought.
In this case, though, he needed something more. Actually, that wasn't entirely correct. He needed someone more.
"Not sure what to do with your new freedom, are you?" Natasha had not asked before entering his room. She never did. The only announcement of her approach was, as always, the solid whack of her riding crop against her palm. "You'd better decide fast. I pulled enough strings to get it for you."
"Natasha," Argo said. "I want to spend it with you."
"Of course you do," she said impatiently. "I hope it didn't take you this long to figure that out."
"Are you sure you're suited for a life with me?" he asked. "I am a pirate."
"You're also a Gundam Fighter," she said, "and I'm your handler. I won't forget those times." She meant the fights as well as the time alone together, the crowds as well as the darkened room and the chains.
"Fine," Argo said. "Then you can come if you want."
"Did you seriously think you could tell me not to?" The crack of the riding crop resounded through the room. "I'll be the pirate captain here, Argo. Let's go already, shall we?"
Title: Another Kind of Mastery
Characters: Domon, Fuun Saiki. Mentions of Master Asia and Rain.
Rating: G
Wordcount: 358
Notes: Don't blame me. I was prompted.
Summary: Domon wonders about his memories, and then he talks to a horse.
For as long as Domon could remember, Master Asia had ridden one horse and only one horse: Fuun Saiki. Domon had watched in awe as a boy as Master Asia balanced effortlessly atop the horse's back and took out enemies both real and imagined with a single scarf. As a man, he'd wondered how it was that Fuun Saiki still lived, healthy and combat-ready despite his age. He'd wondered if Fuun Saiki was a normal horse, or if maybe, just maybe, he had a choice in what he was doing, and he chose to follow and fight with Master Asia of his own will.
It was one of those doubts that he stuffed into the back of his mind as he fought.
After the fighting, though, he'd made peace with his doubts. It was okay to communicate insecurity and uncertainty as well as bravado and toughness sometimes, he now knew. Especially since he had Rain to back him up.
So sometimes, after they'd found a place for Fuun Saiki to stay for the time being (he didn't always stay with them, but he never stayed in an ordinary stables, because he was no ordinary horse), Domon would creep back there and sit in silence with Fuun Saiki. Together, they would remember Master Asia.
One day, Domon broke the silence. "I wish you could tell me," he said. "What you thought about fighting with Master Asia. Why you followed him." By now he had no doubt that Fuun Saiki had his own will and could choose which fights to fight. He'd helped Domon and Rain, after all. And still he stayed with them, even if he sometimes kept his distance--they were not Master Asia. "I'd really like to hear it."
Fuun Saiki simply tossed his mane.
"Yeah, you're right," Domon said. "Master Asia found his own way of communicating with you, so it's my job to find a way, if I want to. Not yours." He held up his fists. "We'll fight someday," he said. "Or maybe we'll find another way. That would really be something."
Fuun Saiki agreed. It was too bad Domon didn't know it yet.
Title: Common Decisions
Pairing: Domon/Rain/Allenby
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 448
Notes: I've been meaning to write threesome fic for this series. This is pretty gen as far as that goes, but I think it counts.
Summary: Allenby trains when she no longer needs to, and she thinks of a certain couple as she does.
The waterfall was a tricky foe. It didn't respond to a punch properly; instead of fighting back, it just flowed around her fist. Allenby couldn't communicate with it. She missed having someone to communicate with.
"No, that's not true," she told herself over a foraged dinner one night. "I miss having Domon to communicate with, and that's the plain truth. But he's gone off with Rain now, and you can't mope over him forever, Allenby."
She slept fitfully that night, and she fought the waterfall again in the morning. At night, she thought of Domon--and Rain, too. She thought of what it had been like to fight Domon to a draw, and what it had been like to lose to Rain the one time she most needed to lose. "This is a bad habit!" she told herself. "You'd better break it already."
She practiced some more under the waterfall. But the days were shortening, and it was growing too cold for practicing in waterfalls. So the next day, when she emerged from its rushing waters, she found herself shivering. Resolutely, she dried off and went to bed anyway.
But when she woke, she was shivering more, and it was with fever this time. She tossed and turned in her sleeping bag before getting up in the darkness. "Y-you're pretty stupid, Allenby," she said to herself. "G-getting sick s-so you can fight better, when you d-don't need to fight anymore!"
A voice greeted her out of the darkness. "I wouldn't say stupid," Domon said. "You just made a bad decision. We've all done that."
Obviously she was imagining things, in her fever. That was even more embarrassing. "Now I'm making things up! This is just awful," she said. "Anyway, that's not true! You've never made a bad decision like that."
"Are you kidding?" She could see Domon now, approaching her campsite. He seemed awfully real for a hallucination. "You were the one who told me to stop pushing Rain away, remember? If you hadn't done that, I'd have kept being stupid forever."
"Well, after that!" Allenby said. "You don't make stupid decisions anymore."
"We both do," Rain said. Allenby blinked, surprised to see that she was hallucinating Rain as well. "We let you run off on your own. We wouldn't make that decision again. Now lie down. You need a doctor's attention."
"I don't want to lie down," Allenby confessed. "I'll fall asleep, and you'll be gone when I wake up. Both of you."
"We wouldn't leave you," Domon said. "Now get some sleep."
When Allenby woke up again, this time she was warm, because on one side of her was Domon, and on the other was Rain.
Pairing: Natasha/Argo
Rating: PG-13
Wordcount: 458
Notes: Prompt was "freedom."
Summary: Argo prepares for a new life, but something is missing.
Argo had expected that it would feel good to have the weight of the bomb off his chest. It did, but it also felt strange. He had grown used to being chained in one way or another. Had he even grown to like it? That would have defeated the whole point of everything he had done. As he worked to rebuild his ship and restore the spirits of his crew, the thought weighed on him as heavily as the chains binding him once had.
But the work itself wasn't so bad. It felt good to use his hands to create something and not destroy it. He'd been doing the latter for too long--first in his former life as a pirate, and then, even after he'd repented that, against enemies in the Gundam Fight. He didn't know when he'd grown to appreciate the other things his body could do.
Perhaps it had been with Natasha, alone together in the darkness, with her on top of him. Perhaps, too, that was where he'd gathered up a lingering desire for chains.
Before he knew it, Argo's ship and his crew were ready to go again. But he wasn't sure what he was meant to do now. He knew he was never meant to be a fully law-abiding man--he had pirate too deep in his blood. But now he was also the Black Joker, and he had responsibilities.
He waited alone in his room for the answer to come to him, as he knew it would. Sometimes he just needed a while in thought.
In this case, though, he needed something more. Actually, that wasn't entirely correct. He needed someone more.
"Not sure what to do with your new freedom, are you?" Natasha had not asked before entering his room. She never did. The only announcement of her approach was, as always, the solid whack of her riding crop against her palm. "You'd better decide fast. I pulled enough strings to get it for you."
"Natasha," Argo said. "I want to spend it with you."
"Of course you do," she said impatiently. "I hope it didn't take you this long to figure that out."
"Are you sure you're suited for a life with me?" he asked. "I am a pirate."
"You're also a Gundam Fighter," she said, "and I'm your handler. I won't forget those times." She meant the fights as well as the time alone together, the crowds as well as the darkened room and the chains.
"Fine," Argo said. "Then you can come if you want."
"Did you seriously think you could tell me not to?" The crack of the riding crop resounded through the room. "I'll be the pirate captain here, Argo. Let's go already, shall we?"
Title: Another Kind of Mastery
Characters: Domon, Fuun Saiki. Mentions of Master Asia and Rain.
Rating: G
Wordcount: 358
Notes: Don't blame me. I was prompted.
Summary: Domon wonders about his memories, and then he talks to a horse.
For as long as Domon could remember, Master Asia had ridden one horse and only one horse: Fuun Saiki. Domon had watched in awe as a boy as Master Asia balanced effortlessly atop the horse's back and took out enemies both real and imagined with a single scarf. As a man, he'd wondered how it was that Fuun Saiki still lived, healthy and combat-ready despite his age. He'd wondered if Fuun Saiki was a normal horse, or if maybe, just maybe, he had a choice in what he was doing, and he chose to follow and fight with Master Asia of his own will.
It was one of those doubts that he stuffed into the back of his mind as he fought.
After the fighting, though, he'd made peace with his doubts. It was okay to communicate insecurity and uncertainty as well as bravado and toughness sometimes, he now knew. Especially since he had Rain to back him up.
So sometimes, after they'd found a place for Fuun Saiki to stay for the time being (he didn't always stay with them, but he never stayed in an ordinary stables, because he was no ordinary horse), Domon would creep back there and sit in silence with Fuun Saiki. Together, they would remember Master Asia.
One day, Domon broke the silence. "I wish you could tell me," he said. "What you thought about fighting with Master Asia. Why you followed him." By now he had no doubt that Fuun Saiki had his own will and could choose which fights to fight. He'd helped Domon and Rain, after all. And still he stayed with them, even if he sometimes kept his distance--they were not Master Asia. "I'd really like to hear it."
Fuun Saiki simply tossed his mane.
"Yeah, you're right," Domon said. "Master Asia found his own way of communicating with you, so it's my job to find a way, if I want to. Not yours." He held up his fists. "We'll fight someday," he said. "Or maybe we'll find another way. That would really be something."
Fuun Saiki agreed. It was too bad Domon didn't know it yet.
Title: Common Decisions
Pairing: Domon/Rain/Allenby
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 448
Notes: I've been meaning to write threesome fic for this series. This is pretty gen as far as that goes, but I think it counts.
Summary: Allenby trains when she no longer needs to, and she thinks of a certain couple as she does.
The waterfall was a tricky foe. It didn't respond to a punch properly; instead of fighting back, it just flowed around her fist. Allenby couldn't communicate with it. She missed having someone to communicate with.
"No, that's not true," she told herself over a foraged dinner one night. "I miss having Domon to communicate with, and that's the plain truth. But he's gone off with Rain now, and you can't mope over him forever, Allenby."
She slept fitfully that night, and she fought the waterfall again in the morning. At night, she thought of Domon--and Rain, too. She thought of what it had been like to fight Domon to a draw, and what it had been like to lose to Rain the one time she most needed to lose. "This is a bad habit!" she told herself. "You'd better break it already."
She practiced some more under the waterfall. But the days were shortening, and it was growing too cold for practicing in waterfalls. So the next day, when she emerged from its rushing waters, she found herself shivering. Resolutely, she dried off and went to bed anyway.
But when she woke, she was shivering more, and it was with fever this time. She tossed and turned in her sleeping bag before getting up in the darkness. "Y-you're pretty stupid, Allenby," she said to herself. "G-getting sick s-so you can fight better, when you d-don't need to fight anymore!"
A voice greeted her out of the darkness. "I wouldn't say stupid," Domon said. "You just made a bad decision. We've all done that."
Obviously she was imagining things, in her fever. That was even more embarrassing. "Now I'm making things up! This is just awful," she said. "Anyway, that's not true! You've never made a bad decision like that."
"Are you kidding?" She could see Domon now, approaching her campsite. He seemed awfully real for a hallucination. "You were the one who told me to stop pushing Rain away, remember? If you hadn't done that, I'd have kept being stupid forever."
"Well, after that!" Allenby said. "You don't make stupid decisions anymore."
"We both do," Rain said. Allenby blinked, surprised to see that she was hallucinating Rain as well. "We let you run off on your own. We wouldn't make that decision again. Now lie down. You need a doctor's attention."
"I don't want to lie down," Allenby confessed. "I'll fall asleep, and you'll be gone when I wake up. Both of you."
"We wouldn't leave you," Domon said. "Now get some sleep."
When Allenby woke up again, this time she was warm, because on one side of her was Domon, and on the other was Rain.