The Shower Chronicles

Disclaimer: Only in my dreams do I own any part of Gundam Wing. Until that dream becomes reality, I'm forced to feed you all this disclaimer: Don't own, don't profit, don't sue. No pilots were hurt in the making of this ficlet, but a couple were morbidly embarrassed. ^_-

Pairings: 4x3x4

Warnings: Shonen ai, fluff, sap, all kinds of other fun things implied.

Author's Notes:

In this, the first of many drabbles under this title, Quatre's sweet gesture toward Trowa backfires. Big time.

Trowa loved this safehouse.

His room was adjacent to the only bathroom, which, along with various other conveniences, assured him first dibs on the shower in the mornings. In a house with five teenage boys, this made Trowa Barton a god among men, who garnered the envy of his companions. As a result, Trowa did his best to be considerate, and was always finished and out of the way by the time the others awoke.

On this morning, however, someone else was up much earlier.

The sound of the bedroom door opening and closing roused Trowa from his slumber, making him snap upright. Tiny tip-toed steps pitter-pattered across the floor as an intruder approached the foot of his bed, and then deftly wriggled in under the sheets almost as though they'd received a formal invitation. Even in the dark of the wee morning hours, Trowa could perfectly identify who his unexpected guest was. It could really only be one person, after all.

Sure enough, a head of disheveled platinum blonde hair emerged from underneath the comforter.

"Quatre?" The brunette was silenced by a finger to his lips.

"Shh," Quatre answered, "don't worry, love. I got up extra early so we could…you know…" His face began to tinge pink at the thoughts his comment evoked.

For Trowa, the presence of his mate in bed with him was certainly a special occasion, since Quatre never ventured into Trowa's quarters when other pilots were around. The pair had always done their best to keep their relationship private, and in all their months of dating, the Arabian never once made a move that could potentially expose their secret.

"What brought this on?" Trowa queried softly.

Quatre pressed a chaste kiss to the Heavyarms pilot's lips before smiling brightly back to him. "Do we really need a reason?"

There was the faintest hint of a grin on Trowa's face. "I suppose not."

Both of them lie back onto the mattress and Quatre nestled close to the taller boy, trailing soft kisses along his collarbone. Trowa's previously tensed body started to relax under the gentle ministrations of his companion and he heaved a contented sigh, curling an arm around the delicate frame of his love and tugging him nearer.

One benefit of hardly ever having a moment alone together was that it made the time they did have seem that much more special. As they lie together in the darkness, embracing in a way they so rarely were able to, Trowa was glad that Quatre picked that night to do what he did.

But all that was about to change…

…

A shadowy figure crept silently down the hallway, the look on his face that of a smug feline. He'd finally done it! He'd risen earlier than Heero and Trowa and was now about to claim the day's first shower for himself! Finally, no more damp towels, no more wet bathmats, no more fogged-up mirrors! Victory, sweet victory, at last!

Only a matter of steps stood between him and his coveted prize. Employing unrivaled stealth skills that made him nearly undetectable, the figure approached the door to Trowa's room.

…

Trowa managed to get the comforter over the top of he and Quatre a fraction of a second before his next unexpected guest made an appearance. Concealed underneath their makeshift shelter, Quatre had to stifle a giggle; partly at the absurdity and childishness of their hiding place, and partly at Trowa's serious, startled expression.

"You've got to-" the brunette mouthed, but Quatre halted him again, this time with his lips. Though Trowa would never admit it, the little blonde did drive a hard bargain…

Nearly to the bathroom door, the figure paused. He could've sworn he'd heard whispering. Was Trowa talking in his sleep? Couldn't be; he didn't even talk when he was awake.

Something was definitely amiss, and he intended to find out exactly what. Slinking soundlessly over to the adjacent bathroom, he flicked on the light and fan and shut the door, giving off the impression he'd gone inside.

Assuming the coast was clear Quatre peeled back the comforter…

…to see a pair of amethyst eyes that looked as though they'd been just waiting for him to do so.

The blonde visibly jumped, "Duo?"

"Quatre?" Duo blinked. His exclamation shifted mid-sentence as the appearance of an unruly shock of red-brown hair made him realize exactly what he'd stumbled upon. "What are you—oh my God!"

Quatre scrabbled for the sheets, pulling them up to cover his now alarmingly red face. Trowa internally sighed. Why, of all people, did it have to be Duo? The boisterous American would surely wake everyone in the safehouse, if he hadn't already. So much for keeping things private.

While the long-haired boy prattled on and on about his two companions being "secret lovers" and how his gut feeling was yet again correct, Heero brushed right past the display in typical passive fashion, making a beeline for the shower. Trowa was glad he could at least count on him to be indifferent on the matter.

"Hey, Heero—it's my turn!" The American spat.

Heero flipped a hand at him dismissively. Duo, unwilling to settle for that response, raced ahead of the Japanese boy, grasping his bare shoulders and attempting to shove him back in the direction from whence he came.

"You missed your chance. It's mine now," Heero stated flatly, shrugging off one of the braided pilot's hands.

"Nuh uh, I don't think so, pal! I cut into my precious beauty sleep for this!" Duo refuted.

Their bickering attracted the presence of another, who stood silently in the doorway looking rather irritated.

Wufei.

A dark eye cast toward the two faces in bed together, drifting from Trowa to Quatre.

"That's unexpected," Wufei commented, eyeing the blonde, "I didn't think you liked mutes."

Trowa hated this safehouse.

~OWARI~

I have an idea for a quasi-sequel centered on Duo and Heero, but I'm not gonna break away from my other fics to write it unless there's a demand for it! Anyone interested? Let me know!