Title: At The End Of Things
Author: Grasshopper (A.K.A. The Undertaker's Muse)
Rated: PG
Warnings: Future fic, of sorts. Character death. Implied shounen-ai.
Fandom: Gundam 00
Challenge: No True Pair
Prompt: Neil Dylandy and Tieria Erde have nothing left to lose
Spoilers: Up to 2x13, Battle to Capture Memento Mori.
Pairings: Lockon Stratos (Neil Dylandy) x Tieria Erde
Summary: And this is the way they end; one to vengeance, one to resolve.
Author's Notes: …and I just keep on writing this pairing. WTH? (Not to say I don't like it, I do. But I generally heartmark in different directions.)
Disclaimer: All things Gundam 00 belong to Sunrise and Bandai, with major props to Kouga Yun-sensei for the beautiful character designs. Grassy only lays claim to the plot.

Lockon knew there was no chance of him getting out of this alive. He had no way of cataloging all of his injuries, but years of life-or-death battles honed certain instincts. Even if, by chance, he made it safely back to the Ptolemaios, his chances were slim-to-none. And that man was so close. For his parents, for Amy; for all that he and Lyle had lost. He had to take this last chance at vengeance.

(And when the world washed white, all he could see were sad eyes hidden by impossibly purple hair and the harsh downturn of trembling lips.)

For all that Tieria had been created as a superior being, he'd always known that he would not be as long-lived as his design intended. Veda had shown him truth, had given him the cold reality of numbers and extrapolated probabilities. And after losing Veda, nothing was ever so certain as previously believed, leaving Tieria somewhat deaf and blind to the world around him in ways humans never noticed.

But this, at least, was a good way to go. No matter that Tieria held no real love for Lyle Dylandy, who had finally lived up to the name bestowed upon him. No matter that he could hear Regene Regetta's mind screaming at him, berating him for such a decision. No matter that Allelujah and Setsuna were moving ever-closer in a futile attempt to aid him.

For this last piece of Lockon Stratos - of Neil Dylandy - that was left in the world, Tieria was willing to give up his own existence. And maybe, in doing so, he felt just that bit more human.

("You're too early, Tieria. I thought I'd be seeing Setsuna and Allelujah long before you'd get here."

"Shut up. At least I made sure to complete my mission before leaving it all in everyone else's hands.")

The End