Disclaimer: I do not own the series or the characters.
My Brother In Battle
CH 000001
Wufei Chang. My brother in battle. The man who can't stand to look at me, much less speak to me. He hates me more than I think he hates any other person he's ever worked with. Even with that, I love him. I know that it's odd, weird, outlandish, etc. How can you love a man who thinks so little of you? I used to think that question was answered easily. I would simply state that I ignored his hatred and tried to make him love me anyway. This never worked. He would never acknowledge my existence, even if I had clearly sat down right in his lap. This type of behavior only landed me cuts, bruises, and once even a broken arm. I have given up, for I am a defeated man.
I still can't help but watch him. We are at breakfast, and he's having eggs and fruit. I watch his jaw line move with the rest of him, consuming that which will give him sustenance for the long day. I wish I could help drain him of a little energy. I smack my own hand, cursing myself or thinking such thoughts. He hates me, so I should just leave him alone. It will be a favor to the man I love.
He looks my way. I shudder. "Would you mind passing the orange juice, Maxwell?" I comply without a word. He seems extra steely these days. I bite my tongue before I foolishly ask him what is wrong. His reply is short and holds no answer to the question that I asked of him.
Throughout the week, I catch slight glances from him that only a lover gives to their beloved. But, I know that he hates me. So, I know that I am misreading the signs. He doesn't want to love me. He wants to kill me. Simply be rid of me and my pathetic attempts at loving him. If that is truly his wish… I had better get out of here. There's no way that I could possibly keep away from Wufei. He is far more experienced than me.
When I plan my venture to live elsewhere, I also decide that I will mention it abruptly at dinner so the others don't worry about me and then I get my ass out of there. Things do not go as planned. When I mention my leaving, Quatre wants to know where and why I'm going. I tell him it's personal. He doesn't seem to believe me. But, hell, it is the truth. Unrequited love is a bit of a personal matter, if you ask me.
When I am in my room that night, packing things away to take with me, I hear a knock at the door. I know that it is Quatre before I open the door. I am wrong. Wufei stands before me, looking angry. He's going to kill me before I get the chance to leave. I must admit that I am scared. He has never come to my room, and considering that he has chosen tonight to be the first time cannot be a coincidence. I take a step back into my room, and e follows, closing the door behind him. So no one can hear me scream.
"Maxwell, why are you leaving?"
"I just have some things to attend to," I reply, turning away from him, hoping he doesn't hear me clear my throat of the huge lump that is now lodged there.
"Maxwell, I can read you like a book. You're leaving because of me." After that, everything is quiet. I think that the planets may have stopped rotating around the sun even for just a moment. I don't understand how he found out. I said nothing to others, or to him for that matter.
"W-"
He cuts me off, "You have been avoiding me for days. I know that you and I don't normally get along anyway, but you don't have go through all that." He turns to leave, but I grab his wrist.
"Wufei?" he sigh, and it comes out in short breaths, "Will you miss me?"
"I will," this time when he turns to leave, I let him. I unpack my things and put my room back together.
Feeling like an idiot, I don't get to bed until around two in the morning, and lay in bed tossing and turning for hours after that. I'm still trying to sort out how the hell I'd decided that Wufei was going to kill me.
But, if that wasn't it, he was looking at me with longing glances because…
I smile and finally fall asleep.
---
In the morning, I can hear people downstairs getting breakfast together. Normally this excites me in the morning, but now I have to give a reason that I did not leave. I'll make up some bullshit when the time comes, it's no matter to really worry about.
I dress and run downstairs in my normal fashion, which is fast and pretty much uncontrollable. I have plowed into Quatre, tackled Trowa, and once took a tumble down the stairs with Wufei, which was always nice to look back on.
When I reach the breakfast table, everyone is already seated, "Duo?" Quatre pipes up, "I thought you were leaving."
"I got a phone call that made everything better." I grab some eggs, bacon, and a biscuit. I sit down and, in my normal fashion, eat very quickly and with much noise. I can feel Wufei's eyes on me, and I just smile. There's nothing to worry about now, right? Even if he can't stand me.
He did make me stay. He could have let me leave and be rid of me forever. He wanted me to stay. Maybe he feels the same that I do. Just maybe.
I finish breakfast and go into the hangar, where I simply try to get my mind off of the Chinese pilot by working with Deathscythe. It doesn't happen. By the time I give up, I have not accomplished anything with my gundam, and I am covered completely in oil and water.
I go to get a drink from the small break room attached to the hangar and spot him there, retrieving a water from the fridge. I don't say anything before I am on my way out of the room. I feel a hand grab me at the wrist, and turn to tell him to let go. When I see him though, I freeze. "Maxwell?"
I nod and gulp at the same time, creating an odd feeling in my throat, or is that just the feeling I always get when I'm in close proximity to the man of my dreams? I'd go with the latter, if I wasn't physically choking. He gives me his water bottle, and I take a drink and cough a little.
"What is it, Wu?" I ask.
"Never mind." He walks away without his water bottle. I decide to keep it as a souvenir.
The night ends with nothing happening. Except that know his secret.