This is my first fanfic, so please be gentle. I haven't read much fanfiction for this pairing, but I had this idea stuck in my head and I had to write it down.

Summary: Lyle wasn't his brother, but for now that was okay. Oneshot.

Pairings: Neil/Tieria, Lyle/Tieria

Warnings: Slash, angst

Rating: T, to be safe

Comfort

He hated Lyle Dylandy, the imposter Lockon Stratos.

It had been four years since Neil's death, but some days the scars felt so raw that he could have died only yesterday. Today was one of those days, Tieria thought miserably. He had hidden himself in the observation room, not able to remain in his own because even now, four years later, it still held too many painful memories of Lockon.

Lyle had been on board the Ptolemaios for over a month now. Although he looked like Lockon, had Lockon's voice, and even smelled like Lockon, he was not the real Lockon Stratos. Whereas his Lockon had been easy going and kind to everyone, this Lockon was a manipulative bastard. His Lockon had fought to protect others, so that no one else would have to experience war. He had become his most hated enemy, a terrorist, so that he could help bring peace to the world. He had been driven by revenge, yes, but deep down Tieria knew that Lockon's greatest wish was for peace, so it was okay. What did this new Lockon fight for?

Tieria used to believe that it did not matter what the motivation was, so long as the meisters all carried out their duties according to Veda's orders. Tieria's own motivation had been to act as an instrument for Veda, to carry out Aeolia's plan regardless of the consequences. Because Aeolia's plan led to peace. After Veda abandoned them, abandoned him, Lockon had told him that they could still bring peace to the world. Because they still had their Gundams. Lockon had tried to teach him that he, Tieria, had to find his own reason to fight. That he had to fight of his own will, not the will of Veda or Aeolia. Tieria recognized now that Lockon had been right, but if Lockon himself had not been so selfishly motivated, perhaps he would still be alive. However, Tieria was sure Lockon would not have been able to live with himself if he had not escaped that locked room and sortied in Dynames one last time. Lockon had been stubborn when it came to fighting, always willing to put the lives of others ahead of his own.

As far as Tieria knew, Lyle did not have a noble reason to fight. This new Lockon Stratos did not care about his past, did not believe he needed to avenge his murdered family. He, himself, had admitted he had no one he needed to protect. So why was he here?

Tieria wrapped his arms more tightly around himself and wished they were Lockon's. Not the imposter's, but his Lockon's.

Lyle made his way down the corridor, intending to find somewhere quiet to think. 'This is as good a place as any,' he thought to himself as he approached the observation room.

In his abject misery Tieria had failed to lock the door. He was so lost in his memories of Lockon that he also failed to notice when said door opened, revealing the Lockon imposter.

Lyle immediately spotted the mop of purple hair floating in the observation room and regretted his decision to come there. Of all the people on board the Ptolemaios, Tieria Erde had been the most hostile toward him. Lyle knew that Tieria had been attached to his brother like the rest of the crew, but had figured that the younger man would eventually forgive him for whatever it was that he had done to offend him.

As he turned to leave, he noticed something sparkling in the room. Surprised, he realized that they were tears. Tears? Coming from Tieria Erde, the cold-hearted bastard? For some strange reason, he felt a pang of guilt at the thought of leaving. Lyle had never been a bleeding heart like his brother, but that didn't mean he didn't feel guilty from time to time. Lyle stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. In a small act of kindness, he also locked it. He had a feeling that Tieria didn't want anyone else to see him in his current state.

Tieria's senses registered a door closing behind him. Confused, he opened his eyes and glanced at the reflection in the glass. He was slightly horrified to see Lyle floating just inside the doorway. Under more normal circumstances, Tieria would have simply given him the iciest look he could manage and left the room. 'But these are not normal circumstances,' he dejectedly thought to himself. Of all the people to find him, why did it have to be him? And suddenly he could not hold it in any longer. His shoulders shook and he let out a barely audible sob. Although he knew that the new Lockon wasn't his Lockon, that he, himself, had as well as killed his Lockon, the resemblance was just too much for him to handle in his fragile state.

Lyle didn't know what to do. The most arrogant, stuck up bastard he had ever met was feet away from him, sobbing quietly. Lyle barely knew Tieria, but based on what he knew he was very surprised to find that Tieria cried just like everyone else. Deciding that just standing there was becoming unbearably awkward, Lyle reached out a gloved hand and placed it gently on Tieria's shoulder.

"Tieria."

Lyle had expected Tieria to shove his hand away with some angry retort, but Tieria only flinched a little and sobbed harder. Suddenly, everything made sense to Lyle. The icy looks, the avoidance, the angry remarks whenever Tieria was forced to converse with him.

He gently asked, "You loved my brother, didn't you?" He wasn't sure how to handle a crying Tieria, but this course of action seemed no less unwise than any other at that moment.

At that, Tieria stilled. Still hiding in the cover his hair afforded him, he responded in a very icy tone, voice breaking at the end, "It is none of your business." He then shoved Lyle's hand away and, wiping angrily at his face, he made to leave.

'Yup,' Lyle thought. 'He was in love with my brother.' He hadn't known that his brother preferred men, but then again, he and Neil hadn't exactly been on friendly terms.

He knew he didn't have any duty to comfort Tieria, but for once felt obligated since it appeared that his presence had triggered Tieria's outburst.

With an inward sigh, Lyle reached out and grabbed the smaller man's hand before he could reach the door. Tieria, caught off guard by the action, gasped in surprise as the chestnut-haired man gathered him in his arms and crushed him to his chest. Tieria breathed in the smell that was Lockon and buried his face in Lyle's chest as he began to cry again. Tieria knew that this man wasn't his Lockon, but everything about him reminded Tieria too painfully of the man he had lost – even Lyle's arms, wrapped tightly around Tieria, felt like Lockon's. He and Lockon had shared an embrace like this only hours before Lockon had died. They had both known that Lockon would end up fighting, but if Tieria had known that Ali al-Saachez would be there he would have done more to keep Lockon contained in the ship. He could have protected him.

As he held Tieria, Lyle felt an odd need to protect the younger man in his arms, although he knew that Tieria needed no protecting. He revised that thought with, 'Tieria needs protection from me.' Lyle knew how painful it was to lose someone, and imagined it would be worse if there were daily reminders of what had been unwillingly taken from him. After all, Lyle had lost his family just like Neil. Although Tieria hadn't admitted it, the older man knew that the purple-haired man in his arms had been in love with his brother. And judging from Tieria's reaction, Neil had probably been in love with Tieria too. He had suspected from the beginning that his presence on the ship was more harmful than helpful to Tieria, but regardless Tieria was stuck with him. They were both Gundam meisters and Celestial Being had need of them both. Lyle wasn't Neil, could never be Neil. He couldn't take Tieria's pain away, but perhaps he could lessen it somehow.

Tieria had quieted by then. He knew that Lyle was not Lockon, but for now he was willing to forget about that. For now, it was his Lockon that was holding him, rubbing his back, smoothing his hair. Not Lyle. He tilted his head up and tentatively closed the gap between them, softly brushing his lips against Lockon's. Lockon returned the kiss because he was Lockon, not Lyle.

Lyle was surprised by the sudden contact with Tieria, but found that he liked it. He kissed the red-eyed man with a passion he hadn't known he felt. He knew that Tieria was kissing his brother, not him, and for a second felt a twinge of sadness. But then he remembered that he wasn't exactly doing this out of the kindness of his heart. After all, he had always been more selfish than Neil. Now that he had seen underneath Tieria's icy exterior, he had decided that he didn't want to let the other meister go. Maybe someday Tieria would see him for him, not Neil.

He wasn't his brother, he thought, but for now that was okay.