Started: 7-17-00
Finished: 7-23-00
Archive? Please do! Just ask me first =^_^=
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing in any way, shape, or form. The Biltmore isn't mine either, although if it were, I'd be insanely rich and I could probably buy the rights to Gundam Wing, thus making it mine. I do, however, own Shiree the waitress, the mopping guy in the Main Ball Room, and Hikaru, Quatre's personal assistant. If Sunrise is especially nice to me maybe I'll sell them for the rights to at least one of those drool-worthy Gundam Boys. ::sigh:: Dare I dream.
Warnings: This fic contains YAOI (male/male relationships), some offensive language, and is a lime. Lime meaning it contains sexual situations, but not enough to make it a lemon. This being said, please read, by all means! =^_^=
Notes: Woohoo! The fully revised version! Does that make it "My Mistake Version 2.0"? *shrugs* Whatever, ne? Also, I went and stuck my hometown in the fic(I don't think I mentioned that before). I'm just too proud, heehee! =^_^=
~*My Mistake*~
by Shinigami Baby
~A.C. 203, March~
"Man, how do you think Trowa is taking this?" Duo asked Wufei in a hushed whisper as he played with his long braid in his fingers. The two young men stood by the bar as they watched Quatre dance with his new wife, Dorothy Cata... Winner. Duo took another drink of his beer. "Think we had Quatre pegged wrong all these years, Wu-man?"
Wufei shrugged as he continued to watch the newlyweds dance. His hair was a lot longer now and the end of his ponytail fell over his shoulders as he shrugged. "Maybe, Duo... maybe." He scratched the back of his neck, feeling a slight breeze there. He looked behind himself to find Sally standing there. She hadn't changed much... "Hey Sally. Having fun?"
Sally took a seat by Wufei. "Yeah, nice wedding. How about you two?"
Duo shrugged. "Just dandy."
Wufei smirked. "I'll have more fun once it's over that's for sure."
Sally blushed. "How subtle of you." She teased.
"Oi, look who just came up to the bar." Duo interrupted Wufei and Sally's flirting and motioned his head over to Trowa who was seated on the far end. He was even taller now, his shoulders had broadened a bit, and he seemed a bit built muscularly from spending so much time at the circus. He looked like he didn't want to be bothered by anyone.
Sally's expression softened. "Poor guy. If he wasn't going to be able to take it, why did he show up?"
"Because he wants to see Quatre happy, I guess." Wufei said with a shrug.
"Well Quatre looks ecstatic to me." Duo said with a frown. "God, if I were Trowa, I wouldn't be able to take this at all."
The three of them sat there, pretending not to watch Trowa drink like there was no tomorrow...
Later...
"Are either of you keeping count?" Sally asked.
Wufei held up 6 fingers.
"I'b gudda go talk to hib." Duo said, hardly sober himself. He stood up and went to walk over to Trowa.
"Maxwell, wait!" Wufei warned him.
Duo raised his hand in a dismissive gesture and stumbled over to where Trowa was at the bar, almost tripping over his braid twice. He took the seat next to Trowa's and ordered another beer.
"What is it, Duo?" Trowa asked calmly.
"Jusht cubin' ober t'shay hi..." Duo started drunkenly.
"Well hi. Now please leave me alone. I don't want any company right now, if you don't mind."
"I do mime, mamb. I know wut you're feelin'... it'sh Quatre ain' id?" Duo asked, gripping the beer the bartender brought over, but not opening it.
Trowa let out a deep breath and shook his head. "Why her? What made him up and marry the girl that damn near tried to end his life?"
Duo tried in vain to open the beer, but his fingers weren't quite agreeing with him. "Id'll bee okay mamb." He knew what he was saying was not comforting at all, but it never hurt to try, right?
Trowa turned his head sharply, facing Duo. " 'It'll be okay'?!" He shouted. He leaned forward and threw his fist into Duo's stomach. Maybe it DID hurt to try. "How can you even say that? It won't be okay, Duo. Not for me." Trowa took an extra long swing from his beer. "Think about this for a second... you fall so completely for Heero, right... you go away for a little while to see someone like Hirde or Howard, then when you come back, Heero tells you that he doesn't want to be gay anymore, then up and marries Relena. How would you feel, Duo? Would you feel okay?"
Duo, still clutching his stomach, shook his head.
Trowa stood up and threw some money on the counter. "I didn't think so." Then he walked away.
'Well fuck, Trowa... you didn't have to hit me.' Duo thought. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and saw Heero.
"Want me to kick his ass, koi?" Heero asked, quite serious.
Duo shook his head. "No. It'sh okay... I'b okay." Heero helped him up off the stool and they walked back over to Wufei and said their goodbyes.
"I'm taking him home, he reeks of alcohol." Heero said, referring to his half-asleep braided lover. "I'll call you guys sometime. We'll all get together like old times."
Sally smiled. "Sounds fun, Heero."
Wufei shook Heero's hand and patted Duo's back. "Ja."
"Jar deey..." Duo hollered drunkenly to Wufei and Sally.
Heero nodded and left for the parking lot with Duo's arm draped over his shoulder. They made it to the car and Heero propped Duo up against the passenger's side door. "You gonna be okay?" Heero asked. Duo nodded, then shook his head. He fell forward onto his hands and knees and made a motion for Heero to move out of the way. Heero took a step back and held Duo's braid as he threw up. After a few minutes, Duo stood up and clung to Heero.
"Shorry I puked on your shoesh, Hee-shan." Duo slurred.
Heero stroked Duo's bangs back and kissed his sweaty forehead. "It's okay. Just get in the car, alright?"
Duo nodded and let himself in the car. Heero walked around the car to the driver's side. He was about to open the door when he heard a loud banging sound. "Duo, I'll be right back, don't go anywhere, okay?"
Duo gave him a thumbs-up, half-asleep. Heero walked away from the car toward the banging noises, his hand ready to draw his gun, if needed. Some things never change. He rounded the corner and found Trowa slamming his fists into a dumpster repeatedly. 'God, he must feel awful...' Heero thought. "Trowa..." he started softly, as not to scare Trowa.
Trowa looked up from his bruised fists. "What do you want? Have you come to tell me that it'll be okay, too? Or maybe you're here to get even with me for hitting Duo?"
Heero shook his head. "No." He walked toward Trowa. "I'm not going to pretend to know what you're going through, and even if I can't comfort you, at least know that you can go to any of us to talk about this."
Trowa looked down at his hands, then at the imprints he'd been leaving on the dumpster. "No. I can't go to any of you. I can't go to Quatre about this..." His shoulders shook a bit, then he fell to his knees, holding his face in his hands. "What happened, Heero? Why did he do this?" Trowa asked, trying to stifle the sobs. Heero's heart wrenched at the sight. He'd never seen his normally stoic friend so emotional. He reached a hand out and rubbed Trowa's shoulder. "Didn't he love me enough not to care that I'm a guy?" Trowa asked quietly.
"I don't know, Trowa... I don't know." Heero said softly. Trowa reeked of hard alcohol. "I know that you're a damn wreck though. Want to stay with me and Duo tonight?"
Trowa nodded and stood up, supported by Heero's weight. "Yeah, you owe me anyway from when I took care of you."
Heero let out a small chuckle. "God, that feels like it was yesterday, doesn't it?"
"Yeah... 8 years really fly, ne?" Trowa mumbled as he got into the back seat.
Duo peered over his seat back at Trowa. "You're shleeping ober, Tro?"
Trowa nodded. Duo smiled. "I'm really shorry about earlier. Try dot to feel doo bad abou' id, we shtill lub you."
Trowa leaned his head back and shut his eyes. 'Didn't you love me, Little One?' He wondered.
"Quat-chan... Quat-chan..." Dorothy said, waving her hand in front of Quatre's face. Quatre blinked a few times, then realized he was daydreaming. "Are you okay, darling?" She asked. Her sky blue eyes studied her new husband as she fidgeted with the beautiful, yet all-too uncomfortable wedding dress.
Quatre gave her a weak smile and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine, just thinking, that's all." He brushed his bangs off his face and lightly kissed her cheek.
Dorothy smiled. "Well stop thinking and start dancing with me before one of those men out there steals your new wife away!" She smacked him playfully on his shoulder.
"I think they can have you for one dance, Dorothy. I need to go to the men's room. Don't let anyone steal you away from me now." He gave her a quick kiss, and then walked to the restroom. Dorothy just smiled and shook her head at her love, her hands on her hips.
"The bride not dancing at her own wedding? That's an injustice if I ever saw one." Wufei said, smirking.
Dorothy looked behind and saw Wufei standing there. "Yare yare, if it isn't Mr. Justice Avenger himself. And to what do I owe thee the pleasure?" She curtsied.
"How about one dance?" Wufei held up one finger.
Dorothy nodded and walked over to him. "Are you enjoying yourself tonight, Mr. Chang?" She asked.
Wufei placed his hands on her hips. "Yeah, you could say that. First time I've seen Sally in quite a while."
Dorothy wrapped her arms around Wufei's neck and they began to dance. "So is it still there?"
"Is what there?" Wufei asked.
"You know... that old feeling." She smiled.
Wufei shrugged. "I think so, but I'm not too sure about her. I've been flirting with her all night."
"And then you ask ME to dance? For shame! Go dance with Sally!" Dorothy laughed.
"Well, Sally's indisposed right now... ladies' room." Wufei winked.
"Ohhh, I see." Dorothy said.
'Allah, what am I doing...? Is this right? Am I doing the right thing? And Dorothy... I've lied to her. I don't love her... not like that. Trowa... I lied to him too.' Quatre sighed and blinked back his tears. Every time he thought of Trowa, he'd always think of the last time they were intimate. Something he missed very much, as much as he tried not to admit it to himself...
*****A. C. 197, December*****
A knock came to Quatre's bedroom door.
"It's open..." Quatre said tiredly. It had been a long day at the office and he had wanted to be left alone, but he couldn't ever seem to bring himself to dismiss company, as unwanted as it may have been. The door slowly opened and closed.
"Hey Quatre... I'm home now." Trowa said softly. God, how he had missed him. Trowa had been away for almost 3 months visiting his sister, Catherine at the circus. Now he was home.
Quatre ran across the room and threw himself into Trowa's arms. "Trowa!" He squeezed his tall lover affectionately. "How was the circus? Is Catherine well? Was the ride home okay? Did you miss me? Ohhh I missed you so much!" Trowa was hit at all angles with questions and such. He only smiled his Only-For-My-Quatre smile and held Quatre tighter, then pulled him away a bit to look at his face. He rested his forehead on Quatre's and kissed his nose.
"The circus was fine, Catherine's doing well, the ride home was long, and I missed you terribly." Trowa said, answering all of Quatre's questions at once.
Quatre blinked a few times, then nuzzled his face into Trowa's chest. "Are you tired, koi?" he asked.
Trowa gave a sexy smirk. "I want to go to bed, if that's what you mean."
Quatre blushed. After all that time, he could still make his Little One blush. "How forward of you!" Quatre teased, slapping Trowa on his ass. Trowa backed Quatre against the wall and began raining soft kisses on him while removing his small lover's clothes. "Nnnn... Trowa..."
Trowa missed many things about Quatre while he was away, but what he missed most was hearing him say his name like that... with such a need, yet with such love. "What do you want, tenshi?" Trowa breathed into Quatre's ear, causing him to shiver.
Quatre tugged on Trowa's shirt. "Oh... don't make me say it..." he begged, his lips leaving Trowa's neck for a moment.
"You said you could always tell me anything..." Trowa teased, rubbing himself against Quatre.
Quatre reached a hand down and stroked Trowa's erection though the all-too tight jeans. "Well... that would be nice"
"Hn... I see..." Trowa said, removing his own shirt now. He threw it somewhere, not caring where it landed at this point. "3 Months is a very long time, Quatre... especially without you there." Trowa's hands reached down and unhitched Quatre's belt. "It was Hell without you there with me..." he slid Quatre's pants down his legs. "I missed everything about you." He slid his fingers inside the silk boxers Quatre was wearing. He kissed Quatre forcefully on the lips, his tongue seeking Quatre's. A small moan escaped Quatre's throat. "Yes, I missed that..." Trowa said, then he nipped at Quatre's earlobe. "Tell me what you missed..."
Quatre ran his hands down Trowa's muscular chest and his fingers began sliding Trowa's jeans off. He flicked a nipple with his tongue, causing Trowa to make a low guttural groan. "That sexy groan..." Quatre said quietly as Trowa's pants and boxers fell to the floor at the same time. Trowa grabbed Quatre by both shoulders and guided him over to the bed, making him sit down. Trowa knelt down in front of him and slid the blonde's shorts off quickly. He ran his hands slowly up Quatre's thighs and stopped at his waist while he kissed the inside of his left leg from the knee up. Quatre grabbed a chunk of Trowa's hair. "Don't you dare stop." Quatre panted.
*****Present*****
"Quat-chan!" Dorothy called into the bathroom, but not daring to step inside. "Did you fall in, darling?"
Quatre snapped out of his trance. "No, I'm fine. I'll be out in a minute." he called back to her.
"Hurry up, I miss you terribly!" Dorothy said sweetly.
* "I missed you terribly." * Trowa's words rang in Quatre's head. 'I am making a mistake...' He thought.
Trowa trudged down the stairs of Heero and Duo's apartment complex the following day. He'd taken a few aspirin and thanked the couple for letting him spend the night. He walked the crowded street, his jacket from the night before slung over his shoulder. 'God I feel like shit...' He thought, stopping in front of a small diner. He shrugged and then walked inside. He ducked into a small booth and waited for a waitress.
"Hi, I'm Shiree, what can I get for you this morning, handsome?" She pulled out her pad and pulled the pencil out of the bun in her hair.
"Just some coffee for now, please." Trowa said quietly.
"Gotcha." She scribbled in her pad and came back shortly with coffee for Trowa. "Lemme know if you need anything else, 'k?"
Trowa nodded, then rolled his eyes when she left. He hated waitresses. He took a sip of the black coffee and made a face. 'How can Heero drink it like this?' He wondered as he grabbed for the cream and sugar packets on the table. Once his coffee was to his liking, Trowa drank it again. 'Ah, much better now... well, as good as it can get, anyway.' He sighed heavily and thought about Quatre... again. It seemed like that was all he'd been doing for the past few months since he received the wedding invitation, but he just couldn't get the small blonde out of his head. Then, he thought about THAT day.
*****A.C. 197, January*****
Trowa shyly stepped into the huge office that once belonged to Quatre's father. The large painting of Mr. Winner always seemed like it was looking down on him, and it always made Trowa very conscious of what he did or said in that office. It made him feel like Quatre's father was watching them. He looked ahead and saw Quatre seated behind the desk, looking very small in the oversized leather chair.
"You wanted to see me, Quat-chan?" Trowa asked, closing the door gently.
Quatre nodded. "Hai."
"Go ahead." Trowa encouraged, his eyes wandering from Quatre's to his father's portrait. 'Stop watching us...'
Quatre took a deep breath. This was going to take every bit of strength he had. "Trowa... I can't love you. I'm sorry."
Trowa could have been knocked over with a feather. "W...what!? What the hell do you mean?"
"I mean exactly that, Trowa. For a while I thought that I loved you, but I was wrong. All of it was misplaced affection." Quatre looked at his father's portrait. "See my father, Trowa?"
'How can't I? The painting takes up one whole wall...' Trowa thought. 'That and the fact that I always feel like that damn thing is watching me...' "Yes, I see him."
"Do you see how you resemble my father? Same eyes, same hair...?" Quatre cleared his throat. "I thought that if I tried hard enough, that my father would feel my affection for him through you. I know it sounds silly but-"
"What about when we made love? Was that for your father too?" Trowa asked coldly with disgust.
"That was experimentation... I'm sorry." Quatre said quietly.
"No. I'm the one who's sorry. I'm sorry for believing you every time you told me you loved me. I'm sorry for letting myself be used like some whore. But isn't that what I am anyway? First those mercenaries, now you. It kills me to know you thought of me the same way they did, Quatre."
"It's not like that..." Quatre said, blinking back tears. 'I don't want to do this... but I need to... Allah Trowa, I'm so sorry...'
"It's not like that? Then how is it?" Trowa demanded, his voice raising in volume.
Quatre looked away. Trowa slammed his fists against the wall. "Fucking answer me!" Trowa shouted this time.
"That wasn't... isn't how it is, Trowa. You're my best friend. I... I was confused. I can't take back what I did to you and I'm sorry. I can understand if you hate me now-"
Trowa shook his head. "I can't hate you, it just isn't in me." Trowa said quietly. "But," he started, his tone hardening, "I DO hate what you've done to me. I know you don't feel the same way, Quatre, but I love you. You may find it unnatural, or even perverse, but that's how I feel........ I'll go now." With that, Trowa left the office, closing the door behind him.
*****Present*****
'I need to stop thinking about him...' Trowa thought. He reached over and grabbed the newspaper. There on the front page was Quatre and Dorothy running out of a church, holding hands and smiling. Trowa crumpled the newspaper in his hands and finished his coffee.
~A. C. 203, April~
Upon returning from their honeymoon, Quatre and Dorothy settled into Quatre's desert estate on Earth. While visiting America alone on business, Quatre noticed a hauntingly familiar face on a flier. His heart leapt into his throat as he grabbed it from the telephone pole. "Trowa... " The date on the flier had expired though. He'd missed the circus by two days. Quatre shook his head and headed back to The Biltmore, where he was staying. He trudged through the crowd of photographers and reporters and made it to the glass elevator.
The view of Providence was stunning at night. Buildings rose from the ground and the city reminded him of one of Duo's "Christmas Trees" with the lights all over the place. And the best view of Providence was from that elevator. It carried Quatre to his room on the 14th floor. With a heavy sigh he stepped out. He'd get to see the city again tomorrow morning, but it was so much more beautiful at night. Quatre walked down the hallway and swiped his card through the lock, granting him access to his room.
He plopped down on the bed and picked the remote control up off the night table. He toed his shoes off and turned the television on. More about his wedding. 'Don't people get tired of hearing about the same pointless shit over and over?' Quatre wondered. 'I got married, big deal.' He got up off the bed and went into the adjoining bathroom and began to brush his teeth, while listening to the repetitive newscast.
"... and in other news, The Barton Circus has been held over for three more nights, due to popular demand. Get those tickets now for this show, they're gonna sell fast. Again, it will be held at The Providence Civic Center in Downtown Providence." The news lady said.
"Have you gone to that circus, Karin?" The male anchor asked.
"Spectacular show, just spectacular. Bring the kids, bring a date, whatever. It was a fantastic show." She said.
'So you're still here, Trowa...' Quatre thought, getting into his pajamas. 'Maybe if I can meet with you just once, I could... no, that's silly.' He left the bathroom and got into bed.
"Trowa… Troooooowaaaaaa…. Yo! Earth to Trowa!" Catherine called.
Trowa snapped out of his trace. "Hn? Oh. Gomen, nee-chan."
"Geez, you think you'd never seen a city at night before." Catherine teased.
"Har har." Trowa retorted. "Maybe you should take a stab at comedy, sister dear."
Catherine smiled. "You were thinking about what's-his-name again, huh?"
"You know that his name is Quatre."
"Someone who did so much to hurt you doesn't deserve to be called by his own name." Catherine said.
Trowa shrugged, then continued to stare out at the city below.
"Why did you go to his wedding? Did you think you could change his mind?"
"Why are you ask-"
"Just answer me." Catherine said seriously, folding her arms across her chest. "Well…?"
"To see if I still felt… you know, and I did. Seeing him so happy… and with her. It killed me. I had tried several times to talk to him at the reception, but she always managed to get him away from me before I could say anything important." Trowa noticed there were other people on the elevator now, so he decided to shut up about his private life for now.
"Hey! You're that guy from the circus, aren't you? And you're the knife lady!!!" The small child with his mother exclaimed.
"That's right, little boy." Catherine smiled and knelt down.
The elevator stopped and Trowa promptly got out.
"Trowa?" Catherine called to her brother. "Trowa, this isn't our floor!"
He just kept going.
"Is he okay?" The little boy asked.
Catherine frowned. "He will be, eventually." 'At least I hope so…'
Trowa wandered the hotel aimlessly for the better part of an hour until he came across the Main Ball Room. He pushed the two huge doors open and stepped inside. A young man, about 18 or so, looked up from mopping the floor.
"Excuse me sir, but you- Wow! Trowa Barton!" He said, dropping his mop.
Trowa arched an eyebrow. "Hn?" 'Is the circus that popular?'
"You do that Circus, right?"
Trowa nodded. "Hai."
"I went the other night with my girlfriend, it was a great show! Hey, how do you do that thing with…"
The young man's words were drowned out as Trowa walked toward the window. He looked up at the sky. 'Would I have been better off if I never came back to Earth? I wonder what Quatre's doing right now…'
Trowa got a horrible mental picture of Quatre and Dorothy in bed together. He made a fist and shook his head. 'I need to stop torturing myself. It's better this way, he's happy now. That's all I care about.'
The next morning Quatre was rushed off to yet another damn business meeting. He sighed inwardly as his assistant Hikaru went over the day's schedule. He just wanted to be home playing his violin with Tr… playing his violin. Or maybe just laying in bed all day with Tr… Dorothy. 'Allah, it's getting worse everyday. I can't do a single thing without thinking about him…' Quatre thought.
"Mister W… are ya listenin'?" Hikaru asked, hands on her hips, her green eyes narrowed behind a pair of thin-framed glasses.
Quatre's eyes widened as he realized he was daydreaming again. "Oh, sorry Hikaru. I must have been thinking about something. Go on…"
Hikaru scratched her head with her pen. "Like I was sayin', I made reservations for tickets so ya could go to th' circus."
"N-nani? Why?"
"Becauuuuuse, you are absolutely overworked, Mister W. I figured ya could use a break, y'know? Yer always daydreamin' and whatnot, I thought maybe ya needed a little distraction." Hikaru smiled.
Quatre sighed. "Why can't you just sleep with me like regular assistants do as a distraction?" He joked.
"Because yer not my type, if ya catch my drift." Hikaru winked.
"Huh?" Quatre didn't quite get it. Then it hit him. "Ohhhhh, okay… sorry, I didn't know. "Isn't that like, 'being in the closet' or something?"
"Not really, it's not like I flaunt my sexuality. But if someone were to ask me about it, I'd tell them."
"Are you embarrassed of what you are?" Quatre asked quietly.
"Nope!" Hikaru smiled.
The two of them boarded the elevator and pressed the ground floor button. Quatre noticed Hikaru staring out. "It's a nice view, ne?" he asked. She nodded.
"Yeah, very lovely." Her green eyes squinted as the sun's reflection bounced off one of the buildings and into her eyes. "The water makes it look even prettier. I bet it's a sight to see it at night."
Quatre nodded and continued to stare out as the elevator stopped to let some people on.
"Quat-ch… Quatre?"
Quatre didn't need to turn around to know who it was. "T-Trowa?!"
Hikaru smirked at Quatre's reaction to the young man's voice. Catherine did the same. She extended her hand to Catherine. "I'm Hikaru, Mister W's assistant."
Catherine smiled. "I'm Catherine Bloom. I'm Trowa's sister. It's nice to meet you."
Hikaru smiled. "Same here… So Mister W, ain't ya gonna introduce me to yer friend?"
Quatre blushed. "Hikaru, this is my friend Trowa Barton, Trowa this is my assistant Hikaru."
Trowa nodded and Hikaru smirked. 'He could change a girl's mind… then again, his sister over there…' Hikaru thought as she shook Trowa's hand. "It's a real pleasure, Mister W mentions you quite often."
Quatre wanted to die. "She means the circus! I mention the circus quite often…" 'Hikaru, you are so dead…'
Hikaru smirked. 'Geez Mister W, have a secret er somethin'?' She thought.
'He still talks about me?' Trowa wondered.
Catherine rolled her eyes. 'You could cut the sexual tension in this elevator with a knife.' "Is it quiet enough or what?!" She laughed.
Trowa scratched the back of his head, Quatre laughed nervously. Hikaru just watched the city the rest of the ride down.
"So Quatre… how's Dorothy?" Catherine asked.
Quatre shrugged. "She's okay, I guess. I haven't seen her for about a month now. I'm always out on business in some country or colony."
"She doesn't go with you?" Catherine asked.
"The first few times she did, but traveling with her was just too irritating." Quatre covered his mouth, not fully realizing he let that slip out. Catherine and Hikaru laughed, Trowa only showed the smallest hints of a smile.
Catherine smirked. 'Gotcha, Quatre…' "Did you ever feel that way when you took Trowa with you out on business trips?"
Quatre and Trowa's jaws collectively dropped. Hikaru wasn't sure what she just heard. She turned around and stared at her boss wide-eyed. "You mean you two-?"
"Yep. Quatre and my brother were lovers." Catherine said.
"Mister W! Wow!" Hikaru was at a loss for words. "So what happened?"
"It's not importa-"
"He told Trowa he didn't want to love him anymore because he was a guy and it was wrong. Right Quatre?" Catherine asked.
"Well I-"
"Am I right or not?" Catherine asked, more demanding this time.
"Cathy…" Trowa started.
"I'm asking him a question, Trowa, not you."
"Well I'm asking YOU to stop it." Trowa said.
"Why?" Catherine asked, folding her arms across her chest.
Trowa stared at her coldly. "You know damn well why." He stopped the elevator and grabbed Catherine by the wrist, dragging the both of them out.
"This isn't the ground floor!" Catherine protested.
"I feel like walking..." Trowa said coldly to his sister. "Now, as for what you said..."
Quatre just stood there, watching as Trowa started to scold his sister for talking to him in such a manner. The doors began to close as Trowa began his tirade. 'He still…'
"Uh, Mister W?"
"What is it, Hikaru?" Quatre asked, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Can I ask you a personal question, not as an employee, but as a friend?"
"Go ahead, Hikaru."
"You're in love with that guy, ain't ya?" She nudged him with her elbow. Quatre only blushed and hit her over the head with a manila folder. She straightened her auburn hair back out and smirked. "Ya never said 'No'…" She said as the elevator stopped at the ground floor.
"Trowa, will you let go!" Catherine shouted.
Trowa released his grip on his sister's wrist and stood in front of her, his arms folded across his chest.
"What?" Catherine asked.
"..."
"Trowa, don't look at me like that."
"..."
"Okay, okay, FINE! I'm sorry, are you happy now?" Catherine threw her hands up in the air as she complained.
Trowa nodded. "Mm-hmm."
The siblings began to walk down the staircase to the main lobby. "So... are you going to tell him?" Catherine asked.
Trowa gave a thoughtful look. "I've thought about it, but what if he doesn't-"
"Did you catch the look on his face when he heard your voice? He's still thinking about you, don't pretend that you don't notice it." Catherine nudged her brother in the ribs. He playfully pushed her away. "Anyway, just try to talk to him about it, see how he fells and stuff, you know? It would get a huge weight off your chest to just get all this pent up frustration out in the open."
Trowa shrugged. "Maybe."
Catherine slapped Trowa lightly on the arm, motioning for him to stop. "Looky here..."
"Damn, it's her..."
Quatre and Hikaru made their way out of the elevator and were about to walk out of the hotel when Quatre was rushed by a tall blonde woman with two big shopping bags. He fell instantly to the floor, with the woman on top of him.
"Quat-chan!" She smiled and hugged him tightly.
Hikaru stepped over her boss and his wife and started to pick up the papers that fell out of the manila folder Quatre was carrying. "Well hi Mrs. W." She said.
Dorothy stood up and smoothed out her skirt. "Hello Hikaru, I trust you're watching my husband closely in this big city?"
Hikaru smirked, remembering the events in the elevator only moments ago. "I sure am."
Quatre stood up and took the folder from Hikaru. "We were just heading out to a meeting, Dorothy. There won't be much for you to do up in the hotel room so-"
"I'll just go do some more shopping then." Dorothy said with a smile as she dug into one of the bags. "Look at what I bought you!" She held a dark blue silk shirt over Quatre's chest. "Ooh, it looks great! How about if you wear this out to dinner tonight, darling?"
Quatre shrugged. "I would, Dorothy, but I just want to stay in tonight and work on this stuff." He waved the folder in front of himself.
Dorothy frowned for a minute. "I know! We can order room service and eat in the room! I'll even feed you grapes." She winked at that last statement.
Quatre blushed. "Dorothy..."
Dorothy clamped herself onto his arm. "Oh now, now, Quatre... no need to be shy, it's only Hikaru. You don't mind, do you Hikaru?"
Hikaru tried her best not to laugh. "That's right Mrs. W..."
"See?" Dorothy said.
"Oh Trowa, calm down now..." Catherine scolded her brother as the two made their way down the stairs. Trowa only grunted in response and continued walking. They were just about out the door when Dorothy stopped them.
"Oi, aren't you Trowa?" Dorothy asked.
Trowa turned around to face her. "Yes, that is my name." 'Well... not really...'
"Thanks for coming to the wedding... I know it must have been hard for you, since you and Quatre... well... you know." Dorothy winked and wrapped her arms around Quatre while smirking.
Catherine rolled her eyes. "Come on, Trowa, let's go." She grabbed Trowa's wrist. He wasn't budging. "Trowa, I said let's go..."
"Yes, Dorothy, it was hard. You know what else was hard? Quatre's-"
"Ah Dios mio!" Catherine screamed. She grabbed Trowa by the wrist. "Let's GO, Trowa..." She dragged him out the door, leaving a giggling Hikaru, a shocked Dorothy, and a blushing Quatre. "What the HELL were you thinking in there?"
Trowa shrugged. "I don't know... that was sort of off that I'd say something like that, but I can't stand the woman."
"So don't go flaunting your past at her!"
"Why not? She's flaunting her present at me."
Catherine sighed. "Trowa... seriously now, stop it. It's apparently over, so forget about it. I know you two shared something, but he's moved on. You should too."
The two siblings decided to walk to the Civic Center since the walk was short and it was so nice out.
"Catherine... do you accept, you know... what I am?" Trowa asked quietly.
Catherine turned her head. " 'What you are'? Trowa, what are you getting at?"
"You know..." Trowa had to think of the right word for it "my... lifestyle." Even that sounded kind of off, but whatever.
Catherine arched an eyebrow. "Why wouldn't I accept it? You're my brother and I love you no matter what."
"But Quatre's father saw it as wrong. That's why Quatre left me... well that and other reasons too..." Trowa kicked a rock across the street.
Catherine nodded. "I know. You've told me about them. Well, if you want my opinion, I don't think it's wrong at all. Love is beautiful no matter who it's between. Right?"
Trowa only shrugged. "You may be right, but-"
"But?"
"But why doesn't he think so?"
"Trowa, Trowa, Trowa..." Catherine sighed, rubbing her temples. "You give me such a headache, you know that? If you want to know all these things about Quatre, why don't you try talking to him?"
"I can't. Everytime I try to, *she* shows up. Never fucking fails."
"Whoa... my brother just swore. Shame on you!" Catherine teased.
Trowa shook his head as the pair crossed the street. "I'm sorry, but she just makes me so... so..."
"Pissy?" Catherine offered with a wry smile.
Trowa shrugged. "Sure. Pissy. Dorothy makes me pissy."
Seeing her brother like this and using such colorful adjectives was something Catherine found quite intresting. 'He's *never* like this. Geez, he must *really* hate that Dorothy...'
Later on that night...
"Quatre... come to bed." Dorothy beckoned.
"I'll be out in a minute..." Quatre called from the bathroom. He looked at his reflection. Not too much had changed since the war, he noticed. His eyes were not as big as they used to be and his hair was a bit longer, but if he looked hard enough, he could still see that 15-year old boy. He finished getting ready for bed and left the bathroom.
Dorothy pulled the blankets back and Quatre climbed into the bed, then buried his face in a pillow.
"Rough day?" She asked, rubbing his arm.
"Mm-hmm." Came the stifled response. He rolled onto his back and stared at the cieling. Dorothy inched over and rested her head on his chest.
"What are you thinking about, darling?" She asked quietly.
"Another damnable meeting tomorrow." Quatre replied tiredly. He closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep, but he couldn't. Too many things weighed on his mind at the moment. "Dorothy..." He pushed her off of his chest and sat up. "I'm going out for a walk, I'll be back shortly."
Dorothy nodded and rolled over, going back to sleep. "Okay." She yawned.
Quatre threw on some casual clothes and left his hotel room. He made his way to the elevator and hit the ground floor button. He yawned quietly as the doors opened to let some more people on.
"Well, it wouldn't hurt you to at least ACT scared, nii-chan."
"Yeah, yeah. I just had a lot on my mind tonight, Cathy."
Quatre turned around and saw Trowa and Catherine standing there in their circus clothes. Catherine offered a smile and Trowa just nodded at him. The new silence was killing Quatre, so he decided to speak up.
"Have a good show tonight?" He asked.
Catherine made a so-so gesture with her hand. "We've had better ones... 'course, we've had worse ones too."
Trowa shrugged. 'I can't act obvious...' "And did your meeting thingy go okay?"
Quatre rolled his eyes. "It was Hell, these Americans are very pushy."
"And here we thought it was just Duo that was like that." Trowa said.
Quatre cracked a smile. He missed being like this with Trowa, just talking. He almost forgot Catherine was in the elevator too until she cleared her throat.
"Well, you two have some catching up to do, so I'll just go up to bed now. 'Night you two." She got off the elevator and waved. The doors closed once again. Now they were alone.
"So, what are you up to?" Trowa asked. "Aren't you supposed to be warming your wife's bed or something right about now?"
Quatre sighed. "Trowa, please don't start."
There was a long slience as the elevator sank to the ground floor. Quatre got out of the elevator and looked back at Trowa. "I'm going out for some coffee. If you want to come with me, I'd like the company."
"Why don't you ask your wife?" Trowa asked, trying not to sound TOO jealous.
Quatre cracked a smile. "I'm going there to get away from her. Do you want to come or not?"
Trowa looked down at his clothes. "You sure you want me to go like this?"
Quatre tore his eyes from Trowa's face for a moment to notice that he was still in his circus clothes. "Hn. You may be right about that. Well, I'll wait for you while you run back upstairs and change."
Trowa considered it for a moment, then nodded. "Okay. I'll be down in a few minutes." He hit the elevator button and the doors closed.
Quatre waited down in the lobby for Trowa, then after what seemed like forever, he emerged from the elevator. Quatre smiled, noting how handsome Trowa had grown. Trowa walked over to him. 'He's still taller than me, even though the height difference is a bit less.' Quatre noticed.
"Are we ready now?" Quatre asked.
Trowa nodded. "Yeah."
The two of them left the hotel and walked along the street until they came to a relatively small coffee shop. Well, small considering what Quatre was used to, anyway. Out of old habit, Quatre ordered for the both of them. Trowa didn't seem to mind, though. The two of them settled into a booth in the far corner of the shop and drank their coffee.
"Hey Quatre?"
"Hmm?" Quatre put his coffee down.
"Don't think I'm trying to start trouble or anything by asking this, but why of all people did you marry Dorothy?" Trowa did his best not to sound too mean.
Quatre was caught a bit off-guard. "I... do you really want to know? You'll be really mad."
Trowa shook his head. "I'll try not to be. Just tell me, I seriously want to know."
Quatre let out a deep breath. "I married Dorothy because I thought it would make you hate me. And if you hated me, then I wouldn't have to worry about hurting you because you'd be too angry."
"Well, your little plan failed." Trowa sat back a bit and draped an arm over the back of his chair. "It didn't make me hate you and it DID hurt me. A lot. To tell the truth, it still hurts. I just try to ignore it."
"Allah, I'm sorry, Trowa." Quatre said, placing a hand on Trowa's.
Trowa looked up at him. "Better watch out what you do out in public, Quatre. People may get the wrong idea about us. And since we're both pretty well known, think of the scandal that could result." Trowa pulled his hand back.
Quatre looked into his coffee before taking a sip. "They wouldn't be totally wrong, you know."
Trowa shrugged. "True, but think of what bad press could do to Winner Enterprises. Do you really want that?"
Quatre shook his head. "No."
"You know... it's kind of funny." Trowa said.
"What's funny?" Quatre cocked his head to the side.
'He's so adorable when he does that...' Trowa thought. "You know... this. My situation. Here I am with the only person I could feel totally comfortable around. He threw me out of his life, and yet I keep coming back for more. I must really love y- torture..."
"Trowa..."
Trowa shrugged it off. "Oh well, love will do that to you. Not that you know, of course."
'He's trying to piss me off... well, I'll just play this little game too...' Quatre thought. "Yeah, I'm a cold-hearted bastard." He said casually, putting his coffee down.
"Quatre, I didn't mean it like *that*." Trowa defended himself.
Quatre shrugged. "I did. Hell, look at me, I don't even love my own wife. I guess war does that to you."
"That isn't true, you were the kindest out of all of us pilots. Don't ever say things like that. Besides, it was you who... nevermind, I don't want to talk about this here." Trowa said, standing up.
'Gotcha, Trowa.' Quatre grinned to himself as he stood up as well. "Well where do you suppose we talk about this, then?"
"My room maybe?" Trowa asked.
Quatre nodded. "That's fine."
The two left the coffee house and made it up to Trowa's room shortly after. Trowa kicked his shoes off when they got into the room. Quatre looked around and noticed only one bed.
"You don't share a room with Catherine?" He asked.
Trowa shook his head. "Nah. Rooming with her is just too irritating. She's always bitching about one thing or another. Last time we shared a room, she was complaining that the towels weren't fluffy enough."
Quatre laughed.
'God, I miss hearing that...' Trowa thought. "Sure, it's funny until it happens to you." He sat down on the bed, then laid back. He felt Quatre's weight settle next to him on the bed. Looking over, he saw the blonde looking down at him. 'He's smiling...' Trowa removed his gaze from Quatre and fixed his eyes on the ceiling. "So anyway, like I was saying back at that coffee place, I know you're not really a cold person."
"Oh?" Quatre asked.
"Yeah. After all, it was you who showed me how to feel again." Trowa cursed himself. 'Maybe I shouldn't have said it quite like *that*. Now he'll think I'm trying to come on to him.'
Quatre laid down as well. "Maybe you're right... Hey Trowa?"
"Hn?"
"How often do you think about me?" Quatre asked.
"Why are you asking, Lit-erm, Quatre?" Trowa bit his bottom lip.
Quatre smiled. "You can still call me that, I don't mind."
"No. It isn't right." Trowa refused, putting his arms behind his head.
Quatre shrugged. "So? You never answered me."
Trowa sighed. "Too often. Happy now?"
Quatre folded his hands on his stomach. "Well, I got my answer." He grinned cutely.
Trowa rolled his eyes. "So you did." 'Why is he doing this?'
Quatre rolled onto his stomach, looking down at Trowa.
'If he doesn't leave right now, I may live to regret this...' Trowa thought. "Quatre... maybe it's time for you to leave."
"Why? Don't you miss me, too?" Quatre asked.
Quatre's words hit a nerve. "What do you mean 'too'?" Trowa asked.
"Well I miss you, you know." Quatre's eyes saddened. "Don't you miss me at all?"
"Well... yes, but this isn't right. You're married now and if this ever leaked out to the press-"
"To Hell with the press!" Quatre shouted. "Don't you love me?"
Trowa sat up. "Quatre, it's time for you to leave."
Quatre grabbed Trowa by the shoulder. "Answer me." He demanded quietly.
"... whether I love you or not is irrelevant. I can't have you anyway, so I shouldn't torture myself." Trowa said.
Quatre's eyes glazed over a bit. "But do you?"
'Don't cry, Little One...' Trowa thought. He moved Quatre's bangs out of his eyes a bit and tilted his chin up so their faces met. "Of course I do."
Quatre threw his arms around Trowa. "And I still love you as well." He squeezed him a bit. Trowa was about to push him away, but once Quatre said that, he gave up and wrapped his arms around him and kissed his hair.
"Quatre, I thought that-" Trowa started.
"I know. I said what I did back then because I was afraid of how the public would judge us. But I don't care anymore, I just want to be with you."
"You should have thought about that before you married Dorothy." Trowa said.
"Yes, that was my mistake. I know it was stupid. All I care about now is you."
Trowa shook his head. "You'll go back home in a few days and forget all about me..."
Quatre clung tighter to his old lover. "No! No I won't! You're going to come home with me and we can be happy, just like we used to be."
"What about Dorothy?" Trowa asked.
"She'll understand. Everything will be okay. We can work everything out, Rashid will come and pack your stuff and Catherine can even come live with us so she won't be lonely and-"
"Slow down, Little One." Trowa said, covering Quatre's fast mouth with his hand. "You've forgotten one tiny little detail."
"What's that?" Quatre asked.
"A little word called 'scandal'."
"Screw scandal, screw the press. We'll work something out, we always did and we still can."
Trowa shook his head. "No we can't, Quatre. As much as I want to, we can't."
"But Trowa-" Quatre felt his eyes stinging.
"Shh... don't you cry either. I don't want to see you cry." Trowa rocked back and forth, trying his best to comfort Quatre. When he felt that Quatre had calmed down a little, he laid him down on the bed, then laid beside him.
The next morning...
Quatre stepped out of Trowa's room and quietly shut the door behind himself. He headed for the elevator when he saw Dorothy. She stood in the middle of the hallway with her hands on her hips. 'Shit...' Quatre thought.
"Why didn't you come back last night? Catching up on 'old times' with Trowa?" She didn't sound too happy.
"Dorothy what are you-"
"Did you sleep with him or not?!"
"Well yes, but no. We slept together but we didn't *sleep* together." Quatre said, trying to calm his wife down.
Dorothy eyed him with suspicion. "Why don't I believe you?"
"You should." Trowa said, stepping out of his room. "Nothing happened last night, Dorothy."
"And I should believe you?" She asked.
Trowa nodded.
"Well I don't. I think you're both lying. How long have you been carrying on this torrid affair, Quatre?" Dorothy asked.
"I'm NOT having an affair!" Quatre hollered. "Look... can we please discuss this in private before someone from the press decides to show up?"
Dorothy shrugged. "Fine. I think I'll steer clear of the bed though."
Trowa sighed as he opened the door to his room. "Ladies first..." He grumbled.
Dorothy "HMPH"-ed as she walked past him. Trowa shook his head and rolled his eyes, then waited for Quatre to walk into the room before going in as well. Dorothy took a seat in the chair by the door, Quatre sat on the still un-made bed, and Trowa stood, leaning against a wall.
"So if you weren't having an affair, why did I see you come out of his room a few minutes ago?" Dorothy asked, getting right to the point.
"I went out last night for a walk and I saw him on the elevator. He was just getting in from the circus and I asked if he wanted to join me." Quatre explained.
"Hn. Sounds innocent enough... so far." Dorothy said.
"Will you let him explain?" Trowa asked coldly. Dorothy shrugged.
"Continue." She said.
"We went out for coffee and-"
"You went out on a date then?" Dorothy interrupted again. Trowa shot her a look. She quickly shut up. "Go on."
"...and then came back here to talk about some stuff like what we've been doing with our lives. We never could before because YOU would always drag me off to someplace or another to get me away from him." Quatre finished.
Dorothy sighed. "I still don't believe you."
"Look, Dorothy. Quatre and I didn't do anything last night. I would have wanted to, but he's married now. So get over it. Nothing happened."Trowa said.
Quatre looked like he was in deep thought. "Dorothy... why were you down here anyway? You didn't know where Trowa's room was."
Dorothy's eyes widened. "I was looking for the manager so he could check the sink in our room, dear." She said quickly.
"That's funny. The sink worked just fine the night before... and wouldn't the manager be on the ground floor and not the 9th floor?" Quatre asked.
"Well I..." Dorothy sat there looking at the floor.
"Just what were you doing, Dorothy?" Quatre asked again. "Were you seeing someone down here?"
"A-absolutely not! I am your loyal wife, I would never dream of being unfaithful to you." Dorothy said.
"Hmm, that's funny. Why were you in front of Catherine's room then?" Quatre asked.
Trowa's mouth was hanging open. "My sister, Catherine!?"
Dorothy was speechless.
"Well?" Quatre asked.
"... It was only once." Dorothy said quietly.
"So you admit it. You were with Catherine last night?" Quatre asked.
Dorothy nodded.
"So this whole time it was YOU who was cheating on ME..." Quatre said.
"It was only once!" Dorothy defended herself.
"It still happened though, didn't it?" Quatre asked.
"I... I..." Dorothy began.
"*I* want a divorce." Quatre said sternly. He looked at Trowa and smiled. "My own wife... can you beleive it?"
Trowa could only shake his head. He was still getting over the fact that Catherine was a lesbian.
~A.C. 204, January~
Duo and Trowa sat there talking about old times over drinks as they watched Wufei and Sally dance. Duo let out a small sigh.
"What is it, Duo?" Trowa asked his friend.
"Alwaysh the bribeshmaib, but neber the bribe... I'll neber get married." Duo pouted and took another swig from his beer.
Trowa couldn't help but let out a small chuckle.
"You dink ish funny now. Jusht wait 'dill we're 30 and shtill udmarrieb. I'll be an ode maib..." Duo rested his head on the bar counter. Trowa patted his back in some comforting gesture. Duo always got like this at weddings. He let out a small whine. "Where's Hee-shan?"
"Right here, baka." Heero said from behind him.
Duo looked over his shoulder and smiled. "I'b ready to go hobe dow." He hiccuped.
"You guys are gonna leave me?" Trowa asked.
Heero helped Duo off his stool. "If he drinks anymore, he's gonna slip into a damn coma." Heero said. Duo's only response was flinging his arms around Heero's neck and resting his head on his shoulder.
Quatre walked over with Wufei. "You guys are leaving?" Wufei asked. Quatre joined Trowa at the bar. Heero nodded and Duo tried to, but his head never came back up.
"Well, goodnight then." Trowa said.
"Ja." Heero said, shaking Wufei's hand. "Omedeto."
Wufei smiled. "Arigatou."
Quatre nudged Trowa. Trowa looked at him questioningly, then Quatre raised an eyebrow and smirked. Trowa nodded and smiled. "Yeah, we've got to go too."
Wufei frowned. "You mean you're going to leve me alone with these women!?" He asked sarcastically. He didn't notice Sally was right behind him.
"What would be so bad about *that*, dear?" She asked Wufei.
Wufei jumped a bit, surprised that his new wife was standing there behind him. "I said 'get the Hell out of here so me and Sally can leave for our honeymoon'... heh heh..."
"That's what I *thought* you said." Sally smirked.
Trowa stood up. "Well, we're off." He snaked his arm around Quatre's waist once he was off the stool. "Oyasumi Wufei, Sally."
"'Night..." Sally said.
Wufei nodded and shook hands with Trowa and Quatre. "Nice seeing you guys again. Keep in touch, huh?"
"We will." Quatre said with a smile. "Ja."
"Ja." Wufei and Sally replied in unison, then looked at eachother funny.
On their way out to their car, Trowa and Quatre passed Heero and Duo. Duo was hunched over a dumpster and Heero was holding his braid back for him. It was nice to know somethings never change. Quatre found himself smiling as he and Trowa got into their car. He was finally happy, even if it meant going against his father. He was sure his dad would be happy as long as he was.
Trowa looked over at Quatre, who was seated in the passenger's seat. "What are you thinking about, Quat-chan?"
"Just how happy you make me." Quatre yawned in response.
Trowa only smiled and ruffled his hair with one hand while he drove with the other. "Go to sleep, you're exhausted."
Quatre yawned again. "Nu-uh..." He closed his eyes and was asleep in seconds.
END
Finished: 7-23-00
Archive? Please do! Just ask me first =^_^=
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing in any way, shape, or form. The Biltmore isn't mine either, although if it were, I'd be insanely rich and I could probably buy the rights to Gundam Wing, thus making it mine. I do, however, own Shiree the waitress, the mopping guy in the Main Ball Room, and Hikaru, Quatre's personal assistant. If Sunrise is especially nice to me maybe I'll sell them for the rights to at least one of those drool-worthy Gundam Boys. ::sigh:: Dare I dream.
Warnings: This fic contains YAOI (male/male relationships), some offensive language, and is a lime. Lime meaning it contains sexual situations, but not enough to make it a lemon. This being said, please read, by all means! =^_^=
Notes: Woohoo! The fully revised version! Does that make it "My Mistake Version 2.0"? *shrugs* Whatever, ne? Also, I went and stuck my hometown in the fic(I don't think I mentioned that before). I'm just too proud, heehee! =^_^=
~*My Mistake*~
by Shinigami Baby
~A.C. 203, March~
"Man, how do you think Trowa is taking this?" Duo asked Wufei in a hushed whisper as he played with his long braid in his fingers. The two young men stood by the bar as they watched Quatre dance with his new wife, Dorothy Cata... Winner. Duo took another drink of his beer. "Think we had Quatre pegged wrong all these years, Wu-man?"
Wufei shrugged as he continued to watch the newlyweds dance. His hair was a lot longer now and the end of his ponytail fell over his shoulders as he shrugged. "Maybe, Duo... maybe." He scratched the back of his neck, feeling a slight breeze there. He looked behind himself to find Sally standing there. She hadn't changed much... "Hey Sally. Having fun?"
Sally took a seat by Wufei. "Yeah, nice wedding. How about you two?"
Duo shrugged. "Just dandy."
Wufei smirked. "I'll have more fun once it's over that's for sure."
Sally blushed. "How subtle of you." She teased.
"Oi, look who just came up to the bar." Duo interrupted Wufei and Sally's flirting and motioned his head over to Trowa who was seated on the far end. He was even taller now, his shoulders had broadened a bit, and he seemed a bit built muscularly from spending so much time at the circus. He looked like he didn't want to be bothered by anyone.
Sally's expression softened. "Poor guy. If he wasn't going to be able to take it, why did he show up?"
"Because he wants to see Quatre happy, I guess." Wufei said with a shrug.
"Well Quatre looks ecstatic to me." Duo said with a frown. "God, if I were Trowa, I wouldn't be able to take this at all."
The three of them sat there, pretending not to watch Trowa drink like there was no tomorrow...
Later...
"Are either of you keeping count?" Sally asked.
Wufei held up 6 fingers.
"I'b gudda go talk to hib." Duo said, hardly sober himself. He stood up and went to walk over to Trowa.
"Maxwell, wait!" Wufei warned him.
Duo raised his hand in a dismissive gesture and stumbled over to where Trowa was at the bar, almost tripping over his braid twice. He took the seat next to Trowa's and ordered another beer.
"What is it, Duo?" Trowa asked calmly.
"Jusht cubin' ober t'shay hi..." Duo started drunkenly.
"Well hi. Now please leave me alone. I don't want any company right now, if you don't mind."
"I do mime, mamb. I know wut you're feelin'... it'sh Quatre ain' id?" Duo asked, gripping the beer the bartender brought over, but not opening it.
Trowa let out a deep breath and shook his head. "Why her? What made him up and marry the girl that damn near tried to end his life?"
Duo tried in vain to open the beer, but his fingers weren't quite agreeing with him. "Id'll bee okay mamb." He knew what he was saying was not comforting at all, but it never hurt to try, right?
Trowa turned his head sharply, facing Duo. " 'It'll be okay'?!" He shouted. He leaned forward and threw his fist into Duo's stomach. Maybe it DID hurt to try. "How can you even say that? It won't be okay, Duo. Not for me." Trowa took an extra long swing from his beer. "Think about this for a second... you fall so completely for Heero, right... you go away for a little while to see someone like Hirde or Howard, then when you come back, Heero tells you that he doesn't want to be gay anymore, then up and marries Relena. How would you feel, Duo? Would you feel okay?"
Duo, still clutching his stomach, shook his head.
Trowa stood up and threw some money on the counter. "I didn't think so." Then he walked away.
'Well fuck, Trowa... you didn't have to hit me.' Duo thought. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and saw Heero.
"Want me to kick his ass, koi?" Heero asked, quite serious.
Duo shook his head. "No. It'sh okay... I'b okay." Heero helped him up off the stool and they walked back over to Wufei and said their goodbyes.
"I'm taking him home, he reeks of alcohol." Heero said, referring to his half-asleep braided lover. "I'll call you guys sometime. We'll all get together like old times."
Sally smiled. "Sounds fun, Heero."
Wufei shook Heero's hand and patted Duo's back. "Ja."
"Jar deey..." Duo hollered drunkenly to Wufei and Sally.
Heero nodded and left for the parking lot with Duo's arm draped over his shoulder. They made it to the car and Heero propped Duo up against the passenger's side door. "You gonna be okay?" Heero asked. Duo nodded, then shook his head. He fell forward onto his hands and knees and made a motion for Heero to move out of the way. Heero took a step back and held Duo's braid as he threw up. After a few minutes, Duo stood up and clung to Heero.
"Shorry I puked on your shoesh, Hee-shan." Duo slurred.
Heero stroked Duo's bangs back and kissed his sweaty forehead. "It's okay. Just get in the car, alright?"
Duo nodded and let himself in the car. Heero walked around the car to the driver's side. He was about to open the door when he heard a loud banging sound. "Duo, I'll be right back, don't go anywhere, okay?"
Duo gave him a thumbs-up, half-asleep. Heero walked away from the car toward the banging noises, his hand ready to draw his gun, if needed. Some things never change. He rounded the corner and found Trowa slamming his fists into a dumpster repeatedly. 'God, he must feel awful...' Heero thought. "Trowa..." he started softly, as not to scare Trowa.
Trowa looked up from his bruised fists. "What do you want? Have you come to tell me that it'll be okay, too? Or maybe you're here to get even with me for hitting Duo?"
Heero shook his head. "No." He walked toward Trowa. "I'm not going to pretend to know what you're going through, and even if I can't comfort you, at least know that you can go to any of us to talk about this."
Trowa looked down at his hands, then at the imprints he'd been leaving on the dumpster. "No. I can't go to any of you. I can't go to Quatre about this..." His shoulders shook a bit, then he fell to his knees, holding his face in his hands. "What happened, Heero? Why did he do this?" Trowa asked, trying to stifle the sobs. Heero's heart wrenched at the sight. He'd never seen his normally stoic friend so emotional. He reached a hand out and rubbed Trowa's shoulder. "Didn't he love me enough not to care that I'm a guy?" Trowa asked quietly.
"I don't know, Trowa... I don't know." Heero said softly. Trowa reeked of hard alcohol. "I know that you're a damn wreck though. Want to stay with me and Duo tonight?"
Trowa nodded and stood up, supported by Heero's weight. "Yeah, you owe me anyway from when I took care of you."
Heero let out a small chuckle. "God, that feels like it was yesterday, doesn't it?"
"Yeah... 8 years really fly, ne?" Trowa mumbled as he got into the back seat.
Duo peered over his seat back at Trowa. "You're shleeping ober, Tro?"
Trowa nodded. Duo smiled. "I'm really shorry about earlier. Try dot to feel doo bad abou' id, we shtill lub you."
Trowa leaned his head back and shut his eyes. 'Didn't you love me, Little One?' He wondered.
"Quat-chan... Quat-chan..." Dorothy said, waving her hand in front of Quatre's face. Quatre blinked a few times, then realized he was daydreaming. "Are you okay, darling?" She asked. Her sky blue eyes studied her new husband as she fidgeted with the beautiful, yet all-too uncomfortable wedding dress.
Quatre gave her a weak smile and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine, just thinking, that's all." He brushed his bangs off his face and lightly kissed her cheek.
Dorothy smiled. "Well stop thinking and start dancing with me before one of those men out there steals your new wife away!" She smacked him playfully on his shoulder.
"I think they can have you for one dance, Dorothy. I need to go to the men's room. Don't let anyone steal you away from me now." He gave her a quick kiss, and then walked to the restroom. Dorothy just smiled and shook her head at her love, her hands on her hips.
"The bride not dancing at her own wedding? That's an injustice if I ever saw one." Wufei said, smirking.
Dorothy looked behind and saw Wufei standing there. "Yare yare, if it isn't Mr. Justice Avenger himself. And to what do I owe thee the pleasure?" She curtsied.
"How about one dance?" Wufei held up one finger.
Dorothy nodded and walked over to him. "Are you enjoying yourself tonight, Mr. Chang?" She asked.
Wufei placed his hands on her hips. "Yeah, you could say that. First time I've seen Sally in quite a while."
Dorothy wrapped her arms around Wufei's neck and they began to dance. "So is it still there?"
"Is what there?" Wufei asked.
"You know... that old feeling." She smiled.
Wufei shrugged. "I think so, but I'm not too sure about her. I've been flirting with her all night."
"And then you ask ME to dance? For shame! Go dance with Sally!" Dorothy laughed.
"Well, Sally's indisposed right now... ladies' room." Wufei winked.
"Ohhh, I see." Dorothy said.
'Allah, what am I doing...? Is this right? Am I doing the right thing? And Dorothy... I've lied to her. I don't love her... not like that. Trowa... I lied to him too.' Quatre sighed and blinked back his tears. Every time he thought of Trowa, he'd always think of the last time they were intimate. Something he missed very much, as much as he tried not to admit it to himself...
*****A. C. 197, December*****
A knock came to Quatre's bedroom door.
"It's open..." Quatre said tiredly. It had been a long day at the office and he had wanted to be left alone, but he couldn't ever seem to bring himself to dismiss company, as unwanted as it may have been. The door slowly opened and closed.
"Hey Quatre... I'm home now." Trowa said softly. God, how he had missed him. Trowa had been away for almost 3 months visiting his sister, Catherine at the circus. Now he was home.
Quatre ran across the room and threw himself into Trowa's arms. "Trowa!" He squeezed his tall lover affectionately. "How was the circus? Is Catherine well? Was the ride home okay? Did you miss me? Ohhh I missed you so much!" Trowa was hit at all angles with questions and such. He only smiled his Only-For-My-Quatre smile and held Quatre tighter, then pulled him away a bit to look at his face. He rested his forehead on Quatre's and kissed his nose.
"The circus was fine, Catherine's doing well, the ride home was long, and I missed you terribly." Trowa said, answering all of Quatre's questions at once.
Quatre blinked a few times, then nuzzled his face into Trowa's chest. "Are you tired, koi?" he asked.
Trowa gave a sexy smirk. "I want to go to bed, if that's what you mean."
Quatre blushed. After all that time, he could still make his Little One blush. "How forward of you!" Quatre teased, slapping Trowa on his ass. Trowa backed Quatre against the wall and began raining soft kisses on him while removing his small lover's clothes. "Nnnn... Trowa..."
Trowa missed many things about Quatre while he was away, but what he missed most was hearing him say his name like that... with such a need, yet with such love. "What do you want, tenshi?" Trowa breathed into Quatre's ear, causing him to shiver.
Quatre tugged on Trowa's shirt. "Oh... don't make me say it..." he begged, his lips leaving Trowa's neck for a moment.
"You said you could always tell me anything..." Trowa teased, rubbing himself against Quatre.
Quatre reached a hand down and stroked Trowa's erection though the all-too tight jeans. "Well... that would be nice"
"Hn... I see..." Trowa said, removing his own shirt now. He threw it somewhere, not caring where it landed at this point. "3 Months is a very long time, Quatre... especially without you there." Trowa's hands reached down and unhitched Quatre's belt. "It was Hell without you there with me..." he slid Quatre's pants down his legs. "I missed everything about you." He slid his fingers inside the silk boxers Quatre was wearing. He kissed Quatre forcefully on the lips, his tongue seeking Quatre's. A small moan escaped Quatre's throat. "Yes, I missed that..." Trowa said, then he nipped at Quatre's earlobe. "Tell me what you missed..."
Quatre ran his hands down Trowa's muscular chest and his fingers began sliding Trowa's jeans off. He flicked a nipple with his tongue, causing Trowa to make a low guttural groan. "That sexy groan..." Quatre said quietly as Trowa's pants and boxers fell to the floor at the same time. Trowa grabbed Quatre by both shoulders and guided him over to the bed, making him sit down. Trowa knelt down in front of him and slid the blonde's shorts off quickly. He ran his hands slowly up Quatre's thighs and stopped at his waist while he kissed the inside of his left leg from the knee up. Quatre grabbed a chunk of Trowa's hair. "Don't you dare stop." Quatre panted.
*****Present*****
"Quat-chan!" Dorothy called into the bathroom, but not daring to step inside. "Did you fall in, darling?"
Quatre snapped out of his trance. "No, I'm fine. I'll be out in a minute." he called back to her.
"Hurry up, I miss you terribly!" Dorothy said sweetly.
* "I missed you terribly." * Trowa's words rang in Quatre's head. 'I am making a mistake...' He thought.
Trowa trudged down the stairs of Heero and Duo's apartment complex the following day. He'd taken a few aspirin and thanked the couple for letting him spend the night. He walked the crowded street, his jacket from the night before slung over his shoulder. 'God I feel like shit...' He thought, stopping in front of a small diner. He shrugged and then walked inside. He ducked into a small booth and waited for a waitress.
"Hi, I'm Shiree, what can I get for you this morning, handsome?" She pulled out her pad and pulled the pencil out of the bun in her hair.
"Just some coffee for now, please." Trowa said quietly.
"Gotcha." She scribbled in her pad and came back shortly with coffee for Trowa. "Lemme know if you need anything else, 'k?"
Trowa nodded, then rolled his eyes when she left. He hated waitresses. He took a sip of the black coffee and made a face. 'How can Heero drink it like this?' He wondered as he grabbed for the cream and sugar packets on the table. Once his coffee was to his liking, Trowa drank it again. 'Ah, much better now... well, as good as it can get, anyway.' He sighed heavily and thought about Quatre... again. It seemed like that was all he'd been doing for the past few months since he received the wedding invitation, but he just couldn't get the small blonde out of his head. Then, he thought about THAT day.
*****A.C. 197, January*****
Trowa shyly stepped into the huge office that once belonged to Quatre's father. The large painting of Mr. Winner always seemed like it was looking down on him, and it always made Trowa very conscious of what he did or said in that office. It made him feel like Quatre's father was watching them. He looked ahead and saw Quatre seated behind the desk, looking very small in the oversized leather chair.
"You wanted to see me, Quat-chan?" Trowa asked, closing the door gently.
Quatre nodded. "Hai."
"Go ahead." Trowa encouraged, his eyes wandering from Quatre's to his father's portrait. 'Stop watching us...'
Quatre took a deep breath. This was going to take every bit of strength he had. "Trowa... I can't love you. I'm sorry."
Trowa could have been knocked over with a feather. "W...what!? What the hell do you mean?"
"I mean exactly that, Trowa. For a while I thought that I loved you, but I was wrong. All of it was misplaced affection." Quatre looked at his father's portrait. "See my father, Trowa?"
'How can't I? The painting takes up one whole wall...' Trowa thought. 'That and the fact that I always feel like that damn thing is watching me...' "Yes, I see him."
"Do you see how you resemble my father? Same eyes, same hair...?" Quatre cleared his throat. "I thought that if I tried hard enough, that my father would feel my affection for him through you. I know it sounds silly but-"
"What about when we made love? Was that for your father too?" Trowa asked coldly with disgust.
"That was experimentation... I'm sorry." Quatre said quietly.
"No. I'm the one who's sorry. I'm sorry for believing you every time you told me you loved me. I'm sorry for letting myself be used like some whore. But isn't that what I am anyway? First those mercenaries, now you. It kills me to know you thought of me the same way they did, Quatre."
"It's not like that..." Quatre said, blinking back tears. 'I don't want to do this... but I need to... Allah Trowa, I'm so sorry...'
"It's not like that? Then how is it?" Trowa demanded, his voice raising in volume.
Quatre looked away. Trowa slammed his fists against the wall. "Fucking answer me!" Trowa shouted this time.
"That wasn't... isn't how it is, Trowa. You're my best friend. I... I was confused. I can't take back what I did to you and I'm sorry. I can understand if you hate me now-"
Trowa shook his head. "I can't hate you, it just isn't in me." Trowa said quietly. "But," he started, his tone hardening, "I DO hate what you've done to me. I know you don't feel the same way, Quatre, but I love you. You may find it unnatural, or even perverse, but that's how I feel........ I'll go now." With that, Trowa left the office, closing the door behind him.
*****Present*****
'I need to stop thinking about him...' Trowa thought. He reached over and grabbed the newspaper. There on the front page was Quatre and Dorothy running out of a church, holding hands and smiling. Trowa crumpled the newspaper in his hands and finished his coffee.
~A. C. 203, April~
Upon returning from their honeymoon, Quatre and Dorothy settled into Quatre's desert estate on Earth. While visiting America alone on business, Quatre noticed a hauntingly familiar face on a flier. His heart leapt into his throat as he grabbed it from the telephone pole. "Trowa... " The date on the flier had expired though. He'd missed the circus by two days. Quatre shook his head and headed back to The Biltmore, where he was staying. He trudged through the crowd of photographers and reporters and made it to the glass elevator.
The view of Providence was stunning at night. Buildings rose from the ground and the city reminded him of one of Duo's "Christmas Trees" with the lights all over the place. And the best view of Providence was from that elevator. It carried Quatre to his room on the 14th floor. With a heavy sigh he stepped out. He'd get to see the city again tomorrow morning, but it was so much more beautiful at night. Quatre walked down the hallway and swiped his card through the lock, granting him access to his room.
He plopped down on the bed and picked the remote control up off the night table. He toed his shoes off and turned the television on. More about his wedding. 'Don't people get tired of hearing about the same pointless shit over and over?' Quatre wondered. 'I got married, big deal.' He got up off the bed and went into the adjoining bathroom and began to brush his teeth, while listening to the repetitive newscast.
"... and in other news, The Barton Circus has been held over for three more nights, due to popular demand. Get those tickets now for this show, they're gonna sell fast. Again, it will be held at The Providence Civic Center in Downtown Providence." The news lady said.
"Have you gone to that circus, Karin?" The male anchor asked.
"Spectacular show, just spectacular. Bring the kids, bring a date, whatever. It was a fantastic show." She said.
'So you're still here, Trowa...' Quatre thought, getting into his pajamas. 'Maybe if I can meet with you just once, I could... no, that's silly.' He left the bathroom and got into bed.
"Trowa… Troooooowaaaaaa…. Yo! Earth to Trowa!" Catherine called.
Trowa snapped out of his trace. "Hn? Oh. Gomen, nee-chan."
"Geez, you think you'd never seen a city at night before." Catherine teased.
"Har har." Trowa retorted. "Maybe you should take a stab at comedy, sister dear."
Catherine smiled. "You were thinking about what's-his-name again, huh?"
"You know that his name is Quatre."
"Someone who did so much to hurt you doesn't deserve to be called by his own name." Catherine said.
Trowa shrugged, then continued to stare out at the city below.
"Why did you go to his wedding? Did you think you could change his mind?"
"Why are you ask-"
"Just answer me." Catherine said seriously, folding her arms across her chest. "Well…?"
"To see if I still felt… you know, and I did. Seeing him so happy… and with her. It killed me. I had tried several times to talk to him at the reception, but she always managed to get him away from me before I could say anything important." Trowa noticed there were other people on the elevator now, so he decided to shut up about his private life for now.
"Hey! You're that guy from the circus, aren't you? And you're the knife lady!!!" The small child with his mother exclaimed.
"That's right, little boy." Catherine smiled and knelt down.
The elevator stopped and Trowa promptly got out.
"Trowa?" Catherine called to her brother. "Trowa, this isn't our floor!"
He just kept going.
"Is he okay?" The little boy asked.
Catherine frowned. "He will be, eventually." 'At least I hope so…'
Trowa wandered the hotel aimlessly for the better part of an hour until he came across the Main Ball Room. He pushed the two huge doors open and stepped inside. A young man, about 18 or so, looked up from mopping the floor.
"Excuse me sir, but you- Wow! Trowa Barton!" He said, dropping his mop.
Trowa arched an eyebrow. "Hn?" 'Is the circus that popular?'
"You do that Circus, right?"
Trowa nodded. "Hai."
"I went the other night with my girlfriend, it was a great show! Hey, how do you do that thing with…"
The young man's words were drowned out as Trowa walked toward the window. He looked up at the sky. 'Would I have been better off if I never came back to Earth? I wonder what Quatre's doing right now…'
Trowa got a horrible mental picture of Quatre and Dorothy in bed together. He made a fist and shook his head. 'I need to stop torturing myself. It's better this way, he's happy now. That's all I care about.'
The next morning Quatre was rushed off to yet another damn business meeting. He sighed inwardly as his assistant Hikaru went over the day's schedule. He just wanted to be home playing his violin with Tr… playing his violin. Or maybe just laying in bed all day with Tr… Dorothy. 'Allah, it's getting worse everyday. I can't do a single thing without thinking about him…' Quatre thought.
"Mister W… are ya listenin'?" Hikaru asked, hands on her hips, her green eyes narrowed behind a pair of thin-framed glasses.
Quatre's eyes widened as he realized he was daydreaming again. "Oh, sorry Hikaru. I must have been thinking about something. Go on…"
Hikaru scratched her head with her pen. "Like I was sayin', I made reservations for tickets so ya could go to th' circus."
"N-nani? Why?"
"Becauuuuuse, you are absolutely overworked, Mister W. I figured ya could use a break, y'know? Yer always daydreamin' and whatnot, I thought maybe ya needed a little distraction." Hikaru smiled.
Quatre sighed. "Why can't you just sleep with me like regular assistants do as a distraction?" He joked.
"Because yer not my type, if ya catch my drift." Hikaru winked.
"Huh?" Quatre didn't quite get it. Then it hit him. "Ohhhhh, okay… sorry, I didn't know. "Isn't that like, 'being in the closet' or something?"
"Not really, it's not like I flaunt my sexuality. But if someone were to ask me about it, I'd tell them."
"Are you embarrassed of what you are?" Quatre asked quietly.
"Nope!" Hikaru smiled.
The two of them boarded the elevator and pressed the ground floor button. Quatre noticed Hikaru staring out. "It's a nice view, ne?" he asked. She nodded.
"Yeah, very lovely." Her green eyes squinted as the sun's reflection bounced off one of the buildings and into her eyes. "The water makes it look even prettier. I bet it's a sight to see it at night."
Quatre nodded and continued to stare out as the elevator stopped to let some people on.
"Quat-ch… Quatre?"
Quatre didn't need to turn around to know who it was. "T-Trowa?!"
Hikaru smirked at Quatre's reaction to the young man's voice. Catherine did the same. She extended her hand to Catherine. "I'm Hikaru, Mister W's assistant."
Catherine smiled. "I'm Catherine Bloom. I'm Trowa's sister. It's nice to meet you."
Hikaru smiled. "Same here… So Mister W, ain't ya gonna introduce me to yer friend?"
Quatre blushed. "Hikaru, this is my friend Trowa Barton, Trowa this is my assistant Hikaru."
Trowa nodded and Hikaru smirked. 'He could change a girl's mind… then again, his sister over there…' Hikaru thought as she shook Trowa's hand. "It's a real pleasure, Mister W mentions you quite often."
Quatre wanted to die. "She means the circus! I mention the circus quite often…" 'Hikaru, you are so dead…'
Hikaru smirked. 'Geez Mister W, have a secret er somethin'?' She thought.
'He still talks about me?' Trowa wondered.
Catherine rolled her eyes. 'You could cut the sexual tension in this elevator with a knife.' "Is it quiet enough or what?!" She laughed.
Trowa scratched the back of his head, Quatre laughed nervously. Hikaru just watched the city the rest of the ride down.
"So Quatre… how's Dorothy?" Catherine asked.
Quatre shrugged. "She's okay, I guess. I haven't seen her for about a month now. I'm always out on business in some country or colony."
"She doesn't go with you?" Catherine asked.
"The first few times she did, but traveling with her was just too irritating." Quatre covered his mouth, not fully realizing he let that slip out. Catherine and Hikaru laughed, Trowa only showed the smallest hints of a smile.
Catherine smirked. 'Gotcha, Quatre…' "Did you ever feel that way when you took Trowa with you out on business trips?"
Quatre and Trowa's jaws collectively dropped. Hikaru wasn't sure what she just heard. She turned around and stared at her boss wide-eyed. "You mean you two-?"
"Yep. Quatre and my brother were lovers." Catherine said.
"Mister W! Wow!" Hikaru was at a loss for words. "So what happened?"
"It's not importa-"
"He told Trowa he didn't want to love him anymore because he was a guy and it was wrong. Right Quatre?" Catherine asked.
"Well I-"
"Am I right or not?" Catherine asked, more demanding this time.
"Cathy…" Trowa started.
"I'm asking him a question, Trowa, not you."
"Well I'm asking YOU to stop it." Trowa said.
"Why?" Catherine asked, folding her arms across her chest.
Trowa stared at her coldly. "You know damn well why." He stopped the elevator and grabbed Catherine by the wrist, dragging the both of them out.
"This isn't the ground floor!" Catherine protested.
"I feel like walking..." Trowa said coldly to his sister. "Now, as for what you said..."
Quatre just stood there, watching as Trowa started to scold his sister for talking to him in such a manner. The doors began to close as Trowa began his tirade. 'He still…'
"Uh, Mister W?"
"What is it, Hikaru?" Quatre asked, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Can I ask you a personal question, not as an employee, but as a friend?"
"Go ahead, Hikaru."
"You're in love with that guy, ain't ya?" She nudged him with her elbow. Quatre only blushed and hit her over the head with a manila folder. She straightened her auburn hair back out and smirked. "Ya never said 'No'…" She said as the elevator stopped at the ground floor.
"Trowa, will you let go!" Catherine shouted.
Trowa released his grip on his sister's wrist and stood in front of her, his arms folded across his chest.
"What?" Catherine asked.
"..."
"Trowa, don't look at me like that."
"..."
"Okay, okay, FINE! I'm sorry, are you happy now?" Catherine threw her hands up in the air as she complained.
Trowa nodded. "Mm-hmm."
The siblings began to walk down the staircase to the main lobby. "So... are you going to tell him?" Catherine asked.
Trowa gave a thoughtful look. "I've thought about it, but what if he doesn't-"
"Did you catch the look on his face when he heard your voice? He's still thinking about you, don't pretend that you don't notice it." Catherine nudged her brother in the ribs. He playfully pushed her away. "Anyway, just try to talk to him about it, see how he fells and stuff, you know? It would get a huge weight off your chest to just get all this pent up frustration out in the open."
Trowa shrugged. "Maybe."
Catherine slapped Trowa lightly on the arm, motioning for him to stop. "Looky here..."
"Damn, it's her..."
Quatre and Hikaru made their way out of the elevator and were about to walk out of the hotel when Quatre was rushed by a tall blonde woman with two big shopping bags. He fell instantly to the floor, with the woman on top of him.
"Quat-chan!" She smiled and hugged him tightly.
Hikaru stepped over her boss and his wife and started to pick up the papers that fell out of the manila folder Quatre was carrying. "Well hi Mrs. W." She said.
Dorothy stood up and smoothed out her skirt. "Hello Hikaru, I trust you're watching my husband closely in this big city?"
Hikaru smirked, remembering the events in the elevator only moments ago. "I sure am."
Quatre stood up and took the folder from Hikaru. "We were just heading out to a meeting, Dorothy. There won't be much for you to do up in the hotel room so-"
"I'll just go do some more shopping then." Dorothy said with a smile as she dug into one of the bags. "Look at what I bought you!" She held a dark blue silk shirt over Quatre's chest. "Ooh, it looks great! How about if you wear this out to dinner tonight, darling?"
Quatre shrugged. "I would, Dorothy, but I just want to stay in tonight and work on this stuff." He waved the folder in front of himself.
Dorothy frowned for a minute. "I know! We can order room service and eat in the room! I'll even feed you grapes." She winked at that last statement.
Quatre blushed. "Dorothy..."
Dorothy clamped herself onto his arm. "Oh now, now, Quatre... no need to be shy, it's only Hikaru. You don't mind, do you Hikaru?"
Hikaru tried her best not to laugh. "That's right Mrs. W..."
"See?" Dorothy said.
"Oh Trowa, calm down now..." Catherine scolded her brother as the two made their way down the stairs. Trowa only grunted in response and continued walking. They were just about out the door when Dorothy stopped them.
"Oi, aren't you Trowa?" Dorothy asked.
Trowa turned around to face her. "Yes, that is my name." 'Well... not really...'
"Thanks for coming to the wedding... I know it must have been hard for you, since you and Quatre... well... you know." Dorothy winked and wrapped her arms around Quatre while smirking.
Catherine rolled her eyes. "Come on, Trowa, let's go." She grabbed Trowa's wrist. He wasn't budging. "Trowa, I said let's go..."
"Yes, Dorothy, it was hard. You know what else was hard? Quatre's-"
"Ah Dios mio!" Catherine screamed. She grabbed Trowa by the wrist. "Let's GO, Trowa..." She dragged him out the door, leaving a giggling Hikaru, a shocked Dorothy, and a blushing Quatre. "What the HELL were you thinking in there?"
Trowa shrugged. "I don't know... that was sort of off that I'd say something like that, but I can't stand the woman."
"So don't go flaunting your past at her!"
"Why not? She's flaunting her present at me."
Catherine sighed. "Trowa... seriously now, stop it. It's apparently over, so forget about it. I know you two shared something, but he's moved on. You should too."
The two siblings decided to walk to the Civic Center since the walk was short and it was so nice out.
"Catherine... do you accept, you know... what I am?" Trowa asked quietly.
Catherine turned her head. " 'What you are'? Trowa, what are you getting at?"
"You know..." Trowa had to think of the right word for it "my... lifestyle." Even that sounded kind of off, but whatever.
Catherine arched an eyebrow. "Why wouldn't I accept it? You're my brother and I love you no matter what."
"But Quatre's father saw it as wrong. That's why Quatre left me... well that and other reasons too..." Trowa kicked a rock across the street.
Catherine nodded. "I know. You've told me about them. Well, if you want my opinion, I don't think it's wrong at all. Love is beautiful no matter who it's between. Right?"
Trowa only shrugged. "You may be right, but-"
"But?"
"But why doesn't he think so?"
"Trowa, Trowa, Trowa..." Catherine sighed, rubbing her temples. "You give me such a headache, you know that? If you want to know all these things about Quatre, why don't you try talking to him?"
"I can't. Everytime I try to, *she* shows up. Never fucking fails."
"Whoa... my brother just swore. Shame on you!" Catherine teased.
Trowa shook his head as the pair crossed the street. "I'm sorry, but she just makes me so... so..."
"Pissy?" Catherine offered with a wry smile.
Trowa shrugged. "Sure. Pissy. Dorothy makes me pissy."
Seeing her brother like this and using such colorful adjectives was something Catherine found quite intresting. 'He's *never* like this. Geez, he must *really* hate that Dorothy...'
Later on that night...
"Quatre... come to bed." Dorothy beckoned.
"I'll be out in a minute..." Quatre called from the bathroom. He looked at his reflection. Not too much had changed since the war, he noticed. His eyes were not as big as they used to be and his hair was a bit longer, but if he looked hard enough, he could still see that 15-year old boy. He finished getting ready for bed and left the bathroom.
Dorothy pulled the blankets back and Quatre climbed into the bed, then buried his face in a pillow.
"Rough day?" She asked, rubbing his arm.
"Mm-hmm." Came the stifled response. He rolled onto his back and stared at the cieling. Dorothy inched over and rested her head on his chest.
"What are you thinking about, darling?" She asked quietly.
"Another damnable meeting tomorrow." Quatre replied tiredly. He closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep, but he couldn't. Too many things weighed on his mind at the moment. "Dorothy..." He pushed her off of his chest and sat up. "I'm going out for a walk, I'll be back shortly."
Dorothy nodded and rolled over, going back to sleep. "Okay." She yawned.
Quatre threw on some casual clothes and left his hotel room. He made his way to the elevator and hit the ground floor button. He yawned quietly as the doors opened to let some more people on.
"Well, it wouldn't hurt you to at least ACT scared, nii-chan."
"Yeah, yeah. I just had a lot on my mind tonight, Cathy."
Quatre turned around and saw Trowa and Catherine standing there in their circus clothes. Catherine offered a smile and Trowa just nodded at him. The new silence was killing Quatre, so he decided to speak up.
"Have a good show tonight?" He asked.
Catherine made a so-so gesture with her hand. "We've had better ones... 'course, we've had worse ones too."
Trowa shrugged. 'I can't act obvious...' "And did your meeting thingy go okay?"
Quatre rolled his eyes. "It was Hell, these Americans are very pushy."
"And here we thought it was just Duo that was like that." Trowa said.
Quatre cracked a smile. He missed being like this with Trowa, just talking. He almost forgot Catherine was in the elevator too until she cleared her throat.
"Well, you two have some catching up to do, so I'll just go up to bed now. 'Night you two." She got off the elevator and waved. The doors closed once again. Now they were alone.
"So, what are you up to?" Trowa asked. "Aren't you supposed to be warming your wife's bed or something right about now?"
Quatre sighed. "Trowa, please don't start."
There was a long slience as the elevator sank to the ground floor. Quatre got out of the elevator and looked back at Trowa. "I'm going out for some coffee. If you want to come with me, I'd like the company."
"Why don't you ask your wife?" Trowa asked, trying not to sound TOO jealous.
Quatre cracked a smile. "I'm going there to get away from her. Do you want to come or not?"
Trowa looked down at his clothes. "You sure you want me to go like this?"
Quatre tore his eyes from Trowa's face for a moment to notice that he was still in his circus clothes. "Hn. You may be right about that. Well, I'll wait for you while you run back upstairs and change."
Trowa considered it for a moment, then nodded. "Okay. I'll be down in a few minutes." He hit the elevator button and the doors closed.
Quatre waited down in the lobby for Trowa, then after what seemed like forever, he emerged from the elevator. Quatre smiled, noting how handsome Trowa had grown. Trowa walked over to him. 'He's still taller than me, even though the height difference is a bit less.' Quatre noticed.
"Are we ready now?" Quatre asked.
Trowa nodded. "Yeah."
The two of them left the hotel and walked along the street until they came to a relatively small coffee shop. Well, small considering what Quatre was used to, anyway. Out of old habit, Quatre ordered for the both of them. Trowa didn't seem to mind, though. The two of them settled into a booth in the far corner of the shop and drank their coffee.
"Hey Quatre?"
"Hmm?" Quatre put his coffee down.
"Don't think I'm trying to start trouble or anything by asking this, but why of all people did you marry Dorothy?" Trowa did his best not to sound too mean.
Quatre was caught a bit off-guard. "I... do you really want to know? You'll be really mad."
Trowa shook his head. "I'll try not to be. Just tell me, I seriously want to know."
Quatre let out a deep breath. "I married Dorothy because I thought it would make you hate me. And if you hated me, then I wouldn't have to worry about hurting you because you'd be too angry."
"Well, your little plan failed." Trowa sat back a bit and draped an arm over the back of his chair. "It didn't make me hate you and it DID hurt me. A lot. To tell the truth, it still hurts. I just try to ignore it."
"Allah, I'm sorry, Trowa." Quatre said, placing a hand on Trowa's.
Trowa looked up at him. "Better watch out what you do out in public, Quatre. People may get the wrong idea about us. And since we're both pretty well known, think of the scandal that could result." Trowa pulled his hand back.
Quatre looked into his coffee before taking a sip. "They wouldn't be totally wrong, you know."
Trowa shrugged. "True, but think of what bad press could do to Winner Enterprises. Do you really want that?"
Quatre shook his head. "No."
"You know... it's kind of funny." Trowa said.
"What's funny?" Quatre cocked his head to the side.
'He's so adorable when he does that...' Trowa thought. "You know... this. My situation. Here I am with the only person I could feel totally comfortable around. He threw me out of his life, and yet I keep coming back for more. I must really love y- torture..."
"Trowa..."
Trowa shrugged it off. "Oh well, love will do that to you. Not that you know, of course."
'He's trying to piss me off... well, I'll just play this little game too...' Quatre thought. "Yeah, I'm a cold-hearted bastard." He said casually, putting his coffee down.
"Quatre, I didn't mean it like *that*." Trowa defended himself.
Quatre shrugged. "I did. Hell, look at me, I don't even love my own wife. I guess war does that to you."
"That isn't true, you were the kindest out of all of us pilots. Don't ever say things like that. Besides, it was you who... nevermind, I don't want to talk about this here." Trowa said, standing up.
'Gotcha, Trowa.' Quatre grinned to himself as he stood up as well. "Well where do you suppose we talk about this, then?"
"My room maybe?" Trowa asked.
Quatre nodded. "That's fine."
The two left the coffee house and made it up to Trowa's room shortly after. Trowa kicked his shoes off when they got into the room. Quatre looked around and noticed only one bed.
"You don't share a room with Catherine?" He asked.
Trowa shook his head. "Nah. Rooming with her is just too irritating. She's always bitching about one thing or another. Last time we shared a room, she was complaining that the towels weren't fluffy enough."
Quatre laughed.
'God, I miss hearing that...' Trowa thought. "Sure, it's funny until it happens to you." He sat down on the bed, then laid back. He felt Quatre's weight settle next to him on the bed. Looking over, he saw the blonde looking down at him. 'He's smiling...' Trowa removed his gaze from Quatre and fixed his eyes on the ceiling. "So anyway, like I was saying back at that coffee place, I know you're not really a cold person."
"Oh?" Quatre asked.
"Yeah. After all, it was you who showed me how to feel again." Trowa cursed himself. 'Maybe I shouldn't have said it quite like *that*. Now he'll think I'm trying to come on to him.'
Quatre laid down as well. "Maybe you're right... Hey Trowa?"
"Hn?"
"How often do you think about me?" Quatre asked.
"Why are you asking, Lit-erm, Quatre?" Trowa bit his bottom lip.
Quatre smiled. "You can still call me that, I don't mind."
"No. It isn't right." Trowa refused, putting his arms behind his head.
Quatre shrugged. "So? You never answered me."
Trowa sighed. "Too often. Happy now?"
Quatre folded his hands on his stomach. "Well, I got my answer." He grinned cutely.
Trowa rolled his eyes. "So you did." 'Why is he doing this?'
Quatre rolled onto his stomach, looking down at Trowa.
'If he doesn't leave right now, I may live to regret this...' Trowa thought. "Quatre... maybe it's time for you to leave."
"Why? Don't you miss me, too?" Quatre asked.
Quatre's words hit a nerve. "What do you mean 'too'?" Trowa asked.
"Well I miss you, you know." Quatre's eyes saddened. "Don't you miss me at all?"
"Well... yes, but this isn't right. You're married now and if this ever leaked out to the press-"
"To Hell with the press!" Quatre shouted. "Don't you love me?"
Trowa sat up. "Quatre, it's time for you to leave."
Quatre grabbed Trowa by the shoulder. "Answer me." He demanded quietly.
"... whether I love you or not is irrelevant. I can't have you anyway, so I shouldn't torture myself." Trowa said.
Quatre's eyes glazed over a bit. "But do you?"
'Don't cry, Little One...' Trowa thought. He moved Quatre's bangs out of his eyes a bit and tilted his chin up so their faces met. "Of course I do."
Quatre threw his arms around Trowa. "And I still love you as well." He squeezed him a bit. Trowa was about to push him away, but once Quatre said that, he gave up and wrapped his arms around him and kissed his hair.
"Quatre, I thought that-" Trowa started.
"I know. I said what I did back then because I was afraid of how the public would judge us. But I don't care anymore, I just want to be with you."
"You should have thought about that before you married Dorothy." Trowa said.
"Yes, that was my mistake. I know it was stupid. All I care about now is you."
Trowa shook his head. "You'll go back home in a few days and forget all about me..."
Quatre clung tighter to his old lover. "No! No I won't! You're going to come home with me and we can be happy, just like we used to be."
"What about Dorothy?" Trowa asked.
"She'll understand. Everything will be okay. We can work everything out, Rashid will come and pack your stuff and Catherine can even come live with us so she won't be lonely and-"
"Slow down, Little One." Trowa said, covering Quatre's fast mouth with his hand. "You've forgotten one tiny little detail."
"What's that?" Quatre asked.
"A little word called 'scandal'."
"Screw scandal, screw the press. We'll work something out, we always did and we still can."
Trowa shook his head. "No we can't, Quatre. As much as I want to, we can't."
"But Trowa-" Quatre felt his eyes stinging.
"Shh... don't you cry either. I don't want to see you cry." Trowa rocked back and forth, trying his best to comfort Quatre. When he felt that Quatre had calmed down a little, he laid him down on the bed, then laid beside him.
The next morning...
Quatre stepped out of Trowa's room and quietly shut the door behind himself. He headed for the elevator when he saw Dorothy. She stood in the middle of the hallway with her hands on her hips. 'Shit...' Quatre thought.
"Why didn't you come back last night? Catching up on 'old times' with Trowa?" She didn't sound too happy.
"Dorothy what are you-"
"Did you sleep with him or not?!"
"Well yes, but no. We slept together but we didn't *sleep* together." Quatre said, trying to calm his wife down.
Dorothy eyed him with suspicion. "Why don't I believe you?"
"You should." Trowa said, stepping out of his room. "Nothing happened last night, Dorothy."
"And I should believe you?" She asked.
Trowa nodded.
"Well I don't. I think you're both lying. How long have you been carrying on this torrid affair, Quatre?" Dorothy asked.
"I'm NOT having an affair!" Quatre hollered. "Look... can we please discuss this in private before someone from the press decides to show up?"
Dorothy shrugged. "Fine. I think I'll steer clear of the bed though."
Trowa sighed as he opened the door to his room. "Ladies first..." He grumbled.
Dorothy "HMPH"-ed as she walked past him. Trowa shook his head and rolled his eyes, then waited for Quatre to walk into the room before going in as well. Dorothy took a seat in the chair by the door, Quatre sat on the still un-made bed, and Trowa stood, leaning against a wall.
"So if you weren't having an affair, why did I see you come out of his room a few minutes ago?" Dorothy asked, getting right to the point.
"I went out last night for a walk and I saw him on the elevator. He was just getting in from the circus and I asked if he wanted to join me." Quatre explained.
"Hn. Sounds innocent enough... so far." Dorothy said.
"Will you let him explain?" Trowa asked coldly. Dorothy shrugged.
"Continue." She said.
"We went out for coffee and-"
"You went out on a date then?" Dorothy interrupted again. Trowa shot her a look. She quickly shut up. "Go on."
"...and then came back here to talk about some stuff like what we've been doing with our lives. We never could before because YOU would always drag me off to someplace or another to get me away from him." Quatre finished.
Dorothy sighed. "I still don't believe you."
"Look, Dorothy. Quatre and I didn't do anything last night. I would have wanted to, but he's married now. So get over it. Nothing happened."Trowa said.
Quatre looked like he was in deep thought. "Dorothy... why were you down here anyway? You didn't know where Trowa's room was."
Dorothy's eyes widened. "I was looking for the manager so he could check the sink in our room, dear." She said quickly.
"That's funny. The sink worked just fine the night before... and wouldn't the manager be on the ground floor and not the 9th floor?" Quatre asked.
"Well I..." Dorothy sat there looking at the floor.
"Just what were you doing, Dorothy?" Quatre asked again. "Were you seeing someone down here?"
"A-absolutely not! I am your loyal wife, I would never dream of being unfaithful to you." Dorothy said.
"Hmm, that's funny. Why were you in front of Catherine's room then?" Quatre asked.
Trowa's mouth was hanging open. "My sister, Catherine!?"
Dorothy was speechless.
"Well?" Quatre asked.
"... It was only once." Dorothy said quietly.
"So you admit it. You were with Catherine last night?" Quatre asked.
Dorothy nodded.
"So this whole time it was YOU who was cheating on ME..." Quatre said.
"It was only once!" Dorothy defended herself.
"It still happened though, didn't it?" Quatre asked.
"I... I..." Dorothy began.
"*I* want a divorce." Quatre said sternly. He looked at Trowa and smiled. "My own wife... can you beleive it?"
Trowa could only shake his head. He was still getting over the fact that Catherine was a lesbian.
~A.C. 204, January~
Duo and Trowa sat there talking about old times over drinks as they watched Wufei and Sally dance. Duo let out a small sigh.
"What is it, Duo?" Trowa asked his friend.
"Alwaysh the bribeshmaib, but neber the bribe... I'll neber get married." Duo pouted and took another swig from his beer.
Trowa couldn't help but let out a small chuckle.
"You dink ish funny now. Jusht wait 'dill we're 30 and shtill udmarrieb. I'll be an ode maib..." Duo rested his head on the bar counter. Trowa patted his back in some comforting gesture. Duo always got like this at weddings. He let out a small whine. "Where's Hee-shan?"
"Right here, baka." Heero said from behind him.
Duo looked over his shoulder and smiled. "I'b ready to go hobe dow." He hiccuped.
"You guys are gonna leave me?" Trowa asked.
Heero helped Duo off his stool. "If he drinks anymore, he's gonna slip into a damn coma." Heero said. Duo's only response was flinging his arms around Heero's neck and resting his head on his shoulder.
Quatre walked over with Wufei. "You guys are leaving?" Wufei asked. Quatre joined Trowa at the bar. Heero nodded and Duo tried to, but his head never came back up.
"Well, goodnight then." Trowa said.
"Ja." Heero said, shaking Wufei's hand. "Omedeto."
Wufei smiled. "Arigatou."
Quatre nudged Trowa. Trowa looked at him questioningly, then Quatre raised an eyebrow and smirked. Trowa nodded and smiled. "Yeah, we've got to go too."
Wufei frowned. "You mean you're going to leve me alone with these women!?" He asked sarcastically. He didn't notice Sally was right behind him.
"What would be so bad about *that*, dear?" She asked Wufei.
Wufei jumped a bit, surprised that his new wife was standing there behind him. "I said 'get the Hell out of here so me and Sally can leave for our honeymoon'... heh heh..."
"That's what I *thought* you said." Sally smirked.
Trowa stood up. "Well, we're off." He snaked his arm around Quatre's waist once he was off the stool. "Oyasumi Wufei, Sally."
"'Night..." Sally said.
Wufei nodded and shook hands with Trowa and Quatre. "Nice seeing you guys again. Keep in touch, huh?"
"We will." Quatre said with a smile. "Ja."
"Ja." Wufei and Sally replied in unison, then looked at eachother funny.
On their way out to their car, Trowa and Quatre passed Heero and Duo. Duo was hunched over a dumpster and Heero was holding his braid back for him. It was nice to know somethings never change. Quatre found himself smiling as he and Trowa got into their car. He was finally happy, even if it meant going against his father. He was sure his dad would be happy as long as he was.
Trowa looked over at Quatre, who was seated in the passenger's seat. "What are you thinking about, Quat-chan?"
"Just how happy you make me." Quatre yawned in response.
Trowa only smiled and ruffled his hair with one hand while he drove with the other. "Go to sleep, you're exhausted."
Quatre yawned again. "Nu-uh..." He closed his eyes and was asleep in seconds.
END