Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, I do not own the characters… ^___^ but I am renting them!
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I Can't Live Like This
Chapter 8
"You what?!?!" The guy's screamed as Wufei told them had happened.
"Look, I didn't mean to, I tried to go after her and expla-" Wufei started but was cut off by an infuriated Sean yelling
"Explain? What is there to explain? You and your friend were about to have sex in her apartment! That's pretty much it, there's nothing else to say!"
Wufei looked around the room at everyone; they were scowling, glaring, and/or growling at him. Sighing he sat down on the couch and shook his head. He was about to try and explain again but he was cut short by Heero.
"Look, let's just go out and look for her, we'll talk about this later." and he walked out the door.
Everyone looked at each other and followed him, Wufei moping a few feet behind them. Everyone decided to split up to cover more ground, Sean went in the direction of the diner, and everyone else went in random directions. Trowa stayed at the apartments just in case she came back on her own.
Duo was running around in alleys by the apartment building, he prayed he would, yet wouldn't find her in one. He knew how dangerous alleys could but, and he also knew Lena could defend herself, but he still worried.
Quatre went around the residential area, going from house to house to see if maybe they saw her, or if she was staying with one of her friends. He gave a description, a name, a time she might have come through here, but he got nothing.
Wufei just ran around aimlessly, he ran through the abandoned streets yelling her name and waiting for a response, the responses he got were from annoyed residents. There were many…so to say…not so nice comments given to him.
Sean waited at the diner to see if she would come, after waiting 10 minutes he went around to other stores she visited, she might have had the desire to go shopping, and Mr. Johnson said that he would call him if he saw her.
Heero stopped in the middle of the deserted street; the rain had gotten harder and most cars wouldn't be caught dead in a storm like this. This alerted Heero, his body shivered just slightly, he wouldn't normally mind the cold, but it was extremely cold and he was soaking wet, now he knew he truly needed to find Lena if she was out in this weather.
He turned towards the park and looked around. Jogging on the path he looked around and gave a shout,
"Lena!?" When he didn't hear her voice call back, he started to run around more. Running off the path he ran around aimlessly searching for her.
After running around endlessly for about half an hour he was slightly out of breath so he stopped and leaned on a tree. Bending over he placed a hand on his leg and took a deep breath, standing up straight he looked around from that spot. He saw a bunch of trees but no one in sight, which was until he spotted something at the base of a tree not too far from him. He started walking towards the tree slowly with caution.
As he got closer he could make out the object better. It was a person, a girl he believed. He walked over to the girl and was only a mere few feet from her. He inspected her, her hair was covering her face and it was too dark out to actually see any details. Walking the rest of the way he crouched right in front of her, stroking her damp hair away from her face he could see her face. He whispered out a soft,
"Lena…" and heaved a sigh.
She looked pale and her cheeks were tinted pink. She was breathing softly with her head hung slightly to the side. Her clothes were fully soaked and she must have been cold.
Heero looked up and noted that the tree didn't help in sheltering her from the rain, it didn't have many leaves on it and the rain was still falling. He gave another sigh and placed his hand on her cheek. Her skin was ice cold, moving his hand up to her forehead he noted she was burning up.
"Oh Lena…" he sighed as he took her jacket off. He pulled his jacket off, even thought it was also wet, it was warm, and would keep her warm for the time being. He placed her jacket over his shoulder and picked her up easily, was if she were nothing but a feather. She wasn't very heavy, she didn't eat much and she exercised a lot, she was so thin, very thin, like nothing but skin and bone thin, but she was still able to keep a curvy figure.
Heero stared at her with a sorrowful look. Wufei, the little Son of a Bitch didn't deserve her if he was going to just run off and screw another girl. Heero was going to give Wufei an earful when he gets back.
When Heero got to Lena's apartment door he tapped it with his foot. He stood there waiting for Trowa to answer. When the door opened he rushed in and carried her straight to her room. He laid her on the bed and started to undress her. He took off the jacket and blushed lightly. Her shirt wasn't all that thick, and it was white, he could see the black bra under the shirt easily.
Trowa walked into the room and saw Heero in the awkward position; he smirked and gave a chuckle. He handed him some try towels and walked back into the living room.
Heero sighed and sat on the bed, he started to dry off her hair and clothes with the towels. He knew that if he didn't change her clothes soon she could get ill. Standing up he gathered some of her clothes. A baggy t-shirt and some pajama pants; he stayed away from the underwear. He walked back over and sat down next to her. He started to pull the shirt over her head. He got it up to just beneath her bra when Lena gave a soft groan and opened her eyes.
"You're awake." Heero stated.
Lena looked around and sat up slightly. She looked down and saw his hands on the end of her shirt. She raised an eyebrow then noticed that her shirt lifted above her stomach. She looked up at him questionably and saw him blush slightly. Lena gave a soft smile and giggle.
"Heero, what are you doing?"
"Well, your clothes are soaked and I didn't want you to get ill, so I was going to change you clothes but now that you're awake you can change in the privacy of your own room, I'll be outside if you need me." He said rushed slightly and walked out.
Lena gave a soft chuckle and changed her clothes. When she finished she threw her wet clothes in the laundry bin and walked out into the living room. She sniffed the air and smelled food; she walked over to the kitchen and saw Heero and Trowa cooking.
"Hey Guys." she said softly.
They turned to her and smiled. Heero walked over to her and Trowa kept cooking. He grabbed the thermometer and stuck it in her mouth and under her tongue. He pressed the button and waited for it to beep. Lena blinked and gave an amused look. She also waited for the beep.
When the thermometer started to make the loud shrill sound, Heero pulled it from her mouth and checked the temperature. He sighed and set it down on the counter. He picked her up and started to carry her to her bedroom.
"Heero, what are you doing?" She asked as he set her down.
"You have a fever, you should stay in bed." He said.
He went back out and came back a few minutes later with a tray of food and medicine. He set the tray on the table next to the bed and picked up a plate. She stared at the plate and licked her lips. Ziti, one of her favorites.
"Mmm, Heero, that smells great!" She complimented as she reached onto the plate with her thumb and index finger, trying to pluck a noodle away. Heero shooed her hand away and forked up some of the ziti. He fed it to her like a baby and smiled when he saw her grin.
Heero was worried that she'd be depressed at the moment, but he thought that maybe she just forgot it for the moment. He continued to feed her until there was a knock at the door. He handed her the plate and fork and started walking to the door.
"I'll be right back." he told her.
"Ok…"
Heero walked to the door and looked out the peep hole. He saw Wufei and cracked his knuckles. He turned his head to Trowa and stared at him questionably.
"I called the guys when I saw you come back with Lena." Trowa stated.
Heero turned back to the door and gave a soft growl. He opened it quickly and pulled an un-expecting Wufei in by the color of his t-shirt. He balled up his left fist and sent it flying at Wufei's jaw; Wufei then flew and hit the wall next to the door. Heero pinned him there and held up his fist threateningly.
"You bastard." Heero stated.
"What?! Heero, why are you so pissed?!" Wufei questioned with slight alarm.
While Heero continued to yell at Wufei and Wufei continued to question Heero, Lena was in bed with a high fever and a full belly. She was resting but had awoken to the noise coming from the living room. She stood up and walked over to her door; she stuck her head on slightly and saw Heero and Wufei.
All the guys were around Heero and Wufei, trying to calm Heero down or siding with him. Heero got so annoyed with Wufei he pulled his fist back and was about to punch Wufei again until a soft feminine voice interrupted the loud commotion.
"Stop! Heero, don't hurt him!" Lena shouted as she ran over to them and grabbed Heero's wrist. She kept it from colliding with Wufei's face a second time. When she felt Heero's hand relax she sighed and started to pull Heero away. "Are you alright, Wufei?" she asked him concerned about the red spot on his left jaw.
"I'll be fine." He said rubbing it gently, his eyes then widened. "Thank God you're alright! Lena, I'm so sorry!"
She shook her head and gave a sigh,
"It's alright Wufei…." she said in a near whisper. She turned to Heero and held his red fist, "Are you alright Heero?"
He nodded and glared at Wufei. Wufei gulped and was about to start to apologize to Lena once again but she started to walk back to her room, still holding Heero's hand and pulling him with her.
When Heero was fully in the room Lena turned around and locked the door. She turned back around to face Heero and leaned her back against the door; she felt tired, wait, she felt exhausted, both mentally and physically.
She slid down into a sitting position and rested her arms on her knees. Heaving a sigh she stared blankly across the room. Heero stared at her and walked closer to her. He kneeled and rested his elbow on his knee.
"Lena, are you ok?" he asked softly, with a slight hint of worry. He was still the Perfect Soldier; he had to keep up appearances.
Lena didn't react, there was no way of telling if she heard him or not. Her eyes were misty and a tear slid down her cheek. Raising her stare up to his face she smiled softly.
"Yeah, just tired I guess."
He gave her another of his rare half-smiles and picked her up gently. Walking over to her bed he laid her down and covered her with blankets. Retrieving the tray of food he began to walk out of her room. Once he turned the doorknob he heard a soft voice from behind him say,
"Heero, please don't hurt Wufei."
"…Fine, I won't hurt him only because you asked me to."
"Thank you."
Heero opened the door half way and was about to walk away when he heard Lena's voice again.
"Heero, please tell Wufei to come in here."
Heero turned around with a hard look. He shook his head and sighed. He had no clue as to why Lena wanted to even speak to him, but if she says she wants to talk to him, then she'll talk to him. He nodded and turned back around, walking out he pulled the door almost closed but left a slight crack.
Walking to the kitchen he put the dishes in the sink and the medicine in the cabinet. He said over his shoulder in a slightly hiss,
"Wufei, Lena wants to talk to you."
Wufei didn't acknowledge him at all; he just walked to her room and went in, closing the door and locking it; which made Heero's eye twitch.
He walked over to Lena, whom was sitting against the headboard of her bed. She looked pale and feverish but she still looked determined and sad. He sat on the bed next to her and took her left hand in both of his. It was so small compared to his, she looked so fragile.
"Lena, I'm really sorry, I didn't mean for that to happen."
"I know Wufei, and I forgive you…"
"You do?"
"Yeah."
"So, does that mean we're still a couple?"
"Wufei, we can still be friends…but no more than that." she said and tried to hold back tears, "I can't be in that type of a relationship with someone I don't trust in that way."
Wufei looked down at their clasped hands and sighed. He understood why she was so sad, it was because of him, and how he betrayed her, it was his own fault that he lost her trust.
"I understand," he started, "and I really am sorry, is there any chance I'll ever get your trust back?"
"Maybe, but I don't know…" she said as a few tears fell, "Wufei, we could get back together some day, but, I don't know, I hope I could at least trust you again."
She gave a few sniffs and laid down. Turning her back to him she pulled her hand out of his hand placed it under her head. She gave one shaky sigh and whispered,
"Good night, Wufei."
"Good night, Lena." he whispered and leaned over to kiss her cheek. Giving her a small peck he walked back into the living room and sat down on the couch. He buried his face in his hands and gave a loud sigh.
Heero sat across from him and gave a hiss,
"Your fault."
Everyone nodded in agreement and stared at him. Wufei gave an exasperated sigh and stood up. He walked out the door and back to his apartment where the girls were. Once her walked in Sally said hi and started walking over to him. He just walked past her into his room, not even acknowledging her.
Sally huffed and put her hands on her hips as she continued to call for him. When he didn't come back out she turned back around and went back to the couch to talk to the girls; grumbling the whole way.
Wufei laid down on his bed and stared at the ceiling, heaving a sigh he cover his eyes with his right arm. He thought about how much he hated himself at the moment for doing that stupid little thing with Sally. He didn't know what came over him, why he wanted Sally so much.
Heero raced back over to Lena's door when he hurt a loud crash. He opened the door and found her crouched on the floor, many glittering objects on the ground around her. There was liquid dripping from her arm, a dark liquid. He turned on the light and walked over to her.
Taking closer inspection he saw that it was a picture frame that fell and shattered on the ground. Lena was staring at it almost hypnotized. Heero crouched next to her and saw blood on the ground, he took her am in his hand and saw a large gash; some glass probably cut her. A dark thought crossed his mind about her cutting herself, but he brushed it off, for now.
He stared down at the broken glass, then at the picture and frame. He shook his head and sighed. It was a picture of Lena and Wufei. He had his arms wrapped around her arms, his head resting on her right shoulder. She hand her hands on his hands and a smile on her face. They were both happy, the perfect couple.
Sighing softly he helped Lena stand and sat her on the bed. He went to the bathroom connected to her room and came back with the first aid kit and a wet towel. He wiped the wound with the wet towel gingerly, as to not hurt her, until the blood come off. He then placed the towel down and pulled out some antiseptic to clean the wound.
"This'll sting." he told her.
She just continued to stare at the ground, not even caring. It was like she was empty inside now. He sprayed it on and saw her flinch; actually he saw her jump slightly since he wasn't looking up at her face but he presumed that she had flinched.
He finished spraying and took out some bandages. Wrapping it tightly, but not too tightly, he made sure to cover every part of the wound. Finishing he packed up all the other supplies and brought it back to the bathroom. He came back and started to clean up the glass.
"I remember the day that picture was taken." Lena whispered softly, Heero had to almost strain to hear her. "It was 4 days after he and I got together. We all went on that picnic and he and I hadn't told you guys yet. We had gone a couple yards away from you guys to get some alone time." she giggled as she saw the events in her mind. "We told you guys that we were going to go buy some soda since you guys forgot to bring some. Wufei decided to just stop at side of the lake for a while."
-Flashback-
"Come on, only a few minutes. It's not like the guys will notice." Wufei said wrapping his arms around her. She giggled and sighed,
"Oh fine." and placed her hands on his. They were there for no longer than 15 seconds when they both saw a flash. They looked across the lake at Duo who had a zoom camera and a grin.
"MAXWELL!!!" Wufei fumed and chased after him. When he got to the other side where Duo was dances and chanting na-na, Duo jumped into the lake with a freaked look, but had already given Trowa the camera.
Quatre walked over to Lena and put a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and saw him give her a teasing smile.
"You two are going out now, aren't you?" he asked her. She grinned and replied,
"Yup."
-End Flashback-
There was a pleasant smile on her face from remembering a pleasant event. Her smile soon faded into an emotionless mask. She sighed and laid down, pulling the blankets up to under her armpits.
Heero picked up the picture and placed it face down on the table. He sat down next to Lena and cupped the side of her face with his hand. He smiled softly at her and she returned it slightly. He saw a tear slide down her cheek and wiped it away with his thumb.
"It just hurts, a lot. I didn't think it would, over something like that." she said.
"I know hon." he whispered as he leaned down and kissed her forehead. They were really close now, like best friends.
He started to get up but stopped when he felt small hands grab his arm. He turned around and saw Lena staring at him with a hopeful smile.
"Heero, please stay with me, just tonight." she pleaded.
He looked at her with an unsure look. He cleared his throat and could feel his palms starting to sweat. He thought about what she meant with that, it could have been plainly innocent, she needed a friend after all. Then again, she could be delusional and not really know what she wanted. He went for the ladder choice.
"Lena, you just went through a traumatic experience, you don't know what you're asking for-" he started but was stopped by Lena who had an amused look on her face.
"Heero, I want you to stay here because I don't want you to tear Wufei apart. And I would let him stay here, but I just, can't handle that. And we're close, you won't feel awkward staying here with me, right?" she asked him innocently.
He nodded and sat down on the bed. He would stay with her, god, now he felt embarrassed as hell. She didn't want sex, she was looking out for the well being of her ex who was about to cheat on her.
"Alright, I'll just tell the boys to go back to their places so that you can get some rest. I'll sleep on the couch, and Sally will change places with Dorothy so that, well, yeah. Or we could take the girls out of your apartment completely." Heero offered.
"That's honestly what I want Heero, but I don't want to cramp up the guy's apartment. I'll be fine with them here." she said.
"Alright, we're taking them out." Heero told her.
She shook her head and sighed. If he was going to do that then he could do that. She didn't care, either way she probably wasn't going to leave her room for a while. Well, maybe she would for work, or groceries, or something else.
Heero stood up and walked out into the living room. She watched him leave and smiled to herself. He was way too protective of her, like a brother, but she didn't want him to be like a brother to her, she wanted something different.
"Ok boys, go home, and the girls are staying with you instead of here." Heero announced without another word. He turned back around and walked into the spare bedroom and came back out with the girls' bags. He took them to the guys' apartment and came back with his own suitcase. He took them to the spare bedroom and closed the door.
The guys looked at each other and shrugged, they stood up and walked back to their own apartment, sighing the whole way back. The guys knew that this night was going to be a long night.
In the middle of the night Heero woke up to soft muffled noises. Heero turned on his light, stood up and walked over to the door. Poking his head out, he looked around and heard it slightly louder. Crossing the hallway he leaned his ear against the door and listened. He could hear it clearly now, it was quiet sobbing. Knocking softly he called,
"Lena? Are you alright?"
When the sobbing continued he opened the door and walked over to her. He kneeled on the ground and turned the light on. He could see that she was still asleep, now this stupid little event was haunting her dreams.
He sat on the bed and sat her on his lap; wrapping his arms around her he whispered comforting things into her ear. She calmed down slightly and opened her eyes and looked up at him.
"Heero?" she whispered softly.
"Shhh, rest." he whispered back.
She did as he said and went limp in his arms. He laid her down and laid down next to her with his arms still wrapped around her. He fell asleep a few minutes later, never unwrapping his arms.
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FINALLY, I'VE UPDATED!! OH MY GOD THAT TOOK SO LONG!! I hate it when people don't review for months, and that's what I did! I'M SUCH A HYPOCRITE!! Anyway, I'll try to update again really soon, but at this rate it might take a few ::cough cough:: months again ::cough cough:: ::sees the tomatoes being raised:: GOD PLEASE!! NO MORE TOMATOES!! I'LL TRY TO UPDATE!! I SWEAR!! ::cowers:: JUST NO MORE TOMATOES!! and please review ^_^
