Chapter 16
Subtle Chaos
Pretending to be a gentleman, Wufei guided his 'date' to a table beside the dance floor. Cecilia noticed the forced manners and sighed allowing him to pull a chair out for her.
"Do you want a drink...?" He harshly questioned. Part of him
screamed. He hadn't meant for his voice to be so hateful, but it was too late now.
"You don't need to pretend to be nice, Wufei." Sad, knowing eyes gazed at him.
He inwardly gulped and leaned closer to her. "What's the plan...?"
Cecilia took a deep breath. At least they had something to talk about. "I know you don't find deception to be noble, but it's required for this in a way. The key is to cause chaos without making it look like it's our fault. For instance..." She glanced at a group not far away from where they were sitting. Wufei's eyes followed suit.
The leader cast a menacing glare at Wufei before huddling with his group. Black eyes sensed the challenge and narrowed. Without realizing it, the Chinese scooted closer to his date and sent a possessive vibe to his obvious rival.
"That's Tyler. He has a crush on me. As you can see, he's the
possessive type. He's also known to be violent when he doesn't get his way. A day ago, he asked me to the dance and I turned him down. I told the president's wife and Dr. Eury my predicament and they told me they'd keep an eye out. My plan is to get him to spark a fight. The targets will assume they are controlling the situation by staying put and watching what's happening. We will not be suspected and the mission will be a success. Understand?" She tried not to notice how protectively close he was to her.
"Dui*..." His body remained firm in its position while his eyes shifted to look at her. A light musky scent entered his nose as he finally noticed his previous move toward her. She was wearing perfume. It was easy to miss unless you got close. With a nonchalant cough, he sat up and pulled at his collar.
"Wufei...? Is your collar too tight?" She chuckled and moved to loosen it for him.
"Don't touch me..." He kicked her under the table and leaned back in his chair.
With a grin, she bent over slightly to rub her ankle. 'This might be more fun then I thought...'
Wufei stared at her bare back and exposed leg as she rubbed at a growing bruise he didn't mean to give her. 'Do something...' His mind told him. Before he changed his mind, he reached into his inside pocket and took out the flower he had picked earlier. Looking off in a random location behind him, he shoved the rose in front of her. "Here...Take it...I..."
Cecilia stared at the fiery bud. Tentatively, she plucked it from his grasp and inspected the colors. It was yellow along the top and blended into a bright red at the bottom. "I've never seen a rose like this before. It's beautiful."
Taking his eyes off the far wall, he turned to watch her touch the petals her eyes sparkling with awe. Suddenly, pools of golden-hazel were upon him. He uncharacteristically froze and ran his thumb along his upper lip as a distraction.
"Thank you Wufei..." A warm smile grew upon her face causing the corner of his mouth to twitch. His eyes wandered slightly before returning to hers. It was awkwardly silent.
* * *
"Isn't that Amber...?" A brown haired man nudged his friend.
"Shut up! That bastard better get away from her!" Tyler snarled. He openly glared at the couple. 'She's mine foreigner...You lay a finger on her and I'll kick your ass...'
* * *
"Helen...Do you see that...?" The doctor motioned from the balcony.
"Miss Amber was right...Perhaps our star student isn't so perfect after all..." Gray eyes watched the collection of boys carefully from above. She concluded she would have to really concentrate that evening.
* * *
Pulling small tools from his braid, Duo picked the lock to the doctor's office. With a nod, he and Trowa entered and disarmed the security. As silent as a ghost, Trowa slipped into a large, black, leather chair. Swiftly, he typed his way into the main system and broke past the security barrier.
Duo couldn't help but think about how the deception was holding up. He had no doubts that he would have to get snippy with Wufei about treating his friend like crap. 'He's such an idiot. He doesn't know when to go for what's in front of him...'
* * *
Swiftly, Quatre did a sweep through the noble's quarters. It was empty except for the noble himself. With a wave of the Arabian's hand, Heero made his way into the grand hallway. He nodded at Quatre and ran from shadow to shadow until he reached the bedroom suite.
Once again, Quatre made the 'all clear' sign and got out of the way for the killer to make his entrance.
* * *
"What do we do now...?" Wufei's voice was low and careful. He
wanted the mission to go smoothly and if that meant following this woman's lead...so be it.
"We have fun..." Cecilia smirked and stood. She presented her hand to her shocked partner. "This is a dance...Let's dance...The more we appear to be a couple. The more Tyler will get riled up."
Feeling inside his pocket for the familiar picture, he solemnly nodded and rose to his feet. He took a step forward only to stop and gesture to the dance floor. "You go ahead...I don't..."
"It's okay...I understand...Maybe later then..." With a timid smile, she left his side to join the dancing mob. She easily slipped into the crowd and blended with the groove. Her hips swayed as her mind escaped into the music.
Wufei watched, his lips slightly parted. His mind's eye soaked in the vision of bare skin and a red, form fitting dress moving with a rolling rhythm. His fingers began to roughly rub the pocketed picture in an attempt to secure the name of a loved woman in his memory.
Black orbs glared at a young man approaching the dancing woman. He noticed her cast a glance in his direction as the intruder offered a hand and a smile to accompany the now slow tune being played. To his surprise, Wufei rose from his chair and approached the two.
"This woman is spoken for..." He brushed past the young man took Cecilia's hand. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he pulled her body close to his. Slowly, he led her to the beat of the song.
"I didn't think you wanted to dance with me Wufei..." She relaxed in his embrace as his hand pressed against her back.
"I changed my mind..." He brought their clasped hands in to rest on his chest and maneuvered her around the dance floor. The sweet scent of her perfume filled his nostrils forcing him to close his eyes and breath deeply. 'You have to stay in control Wufei...' He reminded himself as he looked over her shoulder.
Turning slightly, he cast a glance at the nape of her neck. Warmth radiated from her skin. He could picture a blush creeping onto her face and nearly grinned at the thought.
Cecilia felt the tickle of someone breathing on her neck. She blushed and watched the other dancers move in a conventional manner. 'Is he gonna kiss me...?' She half hoped he would...half prayed he wouldn't.
His lips barely touched her skin before he thought better of it and continued to stare over her shoulder. 'I can't...Meiran...' Visions of his last encounter with Cecilia sent shivers down his spine. '...I don't deserve to anyway...right Meiran...?'
He let his hand brush her back as he separated himself from her. Smoothly, he left her side and exited to an outside balcony for some fresh air. Cecilia merely watched him leave, a sad expression on her face.
Looking about the room, she thought she saw many pairs of eyes watch her. He left her standing...Why...? With that, she trotted toward where he was headed. When she approached, she saw him leaning his hands against the stone railing of the porch-like balcony. He had a brooding expression on his face as if he were contemplating what went wrong with his life. She gulped and took a step toward him.
"Go away..." He stared at the sky.
"Not until you tell me what happened..." She dared to stand beside him. Setting a determined glare on her face, she inspected his face for signs of emotion. His eyes showed sad confusion while his face remained stern.
"I told you to go away woman..." He continued to stare at anything but her.
"We're in this together Wufei. I'm not leaving."
"Screw the mission! I...I'm too weak to do this..." He bowed his head and waited for her to agree.
"When have you ever been weak? You're practically impenetrable.
How can you be weak? Prove to me that I'm wrong." She forced him to look at her.
In one swift move, he wrapped his arms around her and plastered her to the railing. "I...am weak..." he whispered brushing his lips against hers. His eyes searched hazel briefly before he kissed her. Almost roughly, he slid his tongue into her mouth. His hands roamed up her back as if they were expressing his urgency.
Cecilia's eyes opened wide. She hadn't been expecting this turn of events. Relaxing, she wrapped her arms around his neck and welcomed the attention.
'Don't kiss back...I...' Wufei breathed in sharply through his nose inhaling the aroma that was her. Practically dipping her over the railing, he pressed closer to her. '...Meiran...' Almost as quickly as he had started, he pushed her away and returned to brooding.
Cecilia was speechless. She moved to touch him, but relinquished. Bowing her head, she returned to the dance.
Inwardly, Wufei laughed at himself. 'Fool...'
Notes:
* Dui is yes in Chinese
*the whole dance scene and the aftermath is inspired from Matchbox 20's "You Won't Be Mine" from their Mad Season album.
Subtle Chaos
Pretending to be a gentleman, Wufei guided his 'date' to a table beside the dance floor. Cecilia noticed the forced manners and sighed allowing him to pull a chair out for her.
"Do you want a drink...?" He harshly questioned. Part of him
screamed. He hadn't meant for his voice to be so hateful, but it was too late now.
"You don't need to pretend to be nice, Wufei." Sad, knowing eyes gazed at him.
He inwardly gulped and leaned closer to her. "What's the plan...?"
Cecilia took a deep breath. At least they had something to talk about. "I know you don't find deception to be noble, but it's required for this in a way. The key is to cause chaos without making it look like it's our fault. For instance..." She glanced at a group not far away from where they were sitting. Wufei's eyes followed suit.
The leader cast a menacing glare at Wufei before huddling with his group. Black eyes sensed the challenge and narrowed. Without realizing it, the Chinese scooted closer to his date and sent a possessive vibe to his obvious rival.
"That's Tyler. He has a crush on me. As you can see, he's the
possessive type. He's also known to be violent when he doesn't get his way. A day ago, he asked me to the dance and I turned him down. I told the president's wife and Dr. Eury my predicament and they told me they'd keep an eye out. My plan is to get him to spark a fight. The targets will assume they are controlling the situation by staying put and watching what's happening. We will not be suspected and the mission will be a success. Understand?" She tried not to notice how protectively close he was to her.
"Dui*..." His body remained firm in its position while his eyes shifted to look at her. A light musky scent entered his nose as he finally noticed his previous move toward her. She was wearing perfume. It was easy to miss unless you got close. With a nonchalant cough, he sat up and pulled at his collar.
"Wufei...? Is your collar too tight?" She chuckled and moved to loosen it for him.
"Don't touch me..." He kicked her under the table and leaned back in his chair.
With a grin, she bent over slightly to rub her ankle. 'This might be more fun then I thought...'
Wufei stared at her bare back and exposed leg as she rubbed at a growing bruise he didn't mean to give her. 'Do something...' His mind told him. Before he changed his mind, he reached into his inside pocket and took out the flower he had picked earlier. Looking off in a random location behind him, he shoved the rose in front of her. "Here...Take it...I..."
Cecilia stared at the fiery bud. Tentatively, she plucked it from his grasp and inspected the colors. It was yellow along the top and blended into a bright red at the bottom. "I've never seen a rose like this before. It's beautiful."
Taking his eyes off the far wall, he turned to watch her touch the petals her eyes sparkling with awe. Suddenly, pools of golden-hazel were upon him. He uncharacteristically froze and ran his thumb along his upper lip as a distraction.
"Thank you Wufei..." A warm smile grew upon her face causing the corner of his mouth to twitch. His eyes wandered slightly before returning to hers. It was awkwardly silent.
* * *
"Isn't that Amber...?" A brown haired man nudged his friend.
"Shut up! That bastard better get away from her!" Tyler snarled. He openly glared at the couple. 'She's mine foreigner...You lay a finger on her and I'll kick your ass...'
* * *
"Helen...Do you see that...?" The doctor motioned from the balcony.
"Miss Amber was right...Perhaps our star student isn't so perfect after all..." Gray eyes watched the collection of boys carefully from above. She concluded she would have to really concentrate that evening.
* * *
Pulling small tools from his braid, Duo picked the lock to the doctor's office. With a nod, he and Trowa entered and disarmed the security. As silent as a ghost, Trowa slipped into a large, black, leather chair. Swiftly, he typed his way into the main system and broke past the security barrier.
Duo couldn't help but think about how the deception was holding up. He had no doubts that he would have to get snippy with Wufei about treating his friend like crap. 'He's such an idiot. He doesn't know when to go for what's in front of him...'
* * *
Swiftly, Quatre did a sweep through the noble's quarters. It was empty except for the noble himself. With a wave of the Arabian's hand, Heero made his way into the grand hallway. He nodded at Quatre and ran from shadow to shadow until he reached the bedroom suite.
Once again, Quatre made the 'all clear' sign and got out of the way for the killer to make his entrance.
* * *
"What do we do now...?" Wufei's voice was low and careful. He
wanted the mission to go smoothly and if that meant following this woman's lead...so be it.
"We have fun..." Cecilia smirked and stood. She presented her hand to her shocked partner. "This is a dance...Let's dance...The more we appear to be a couple. The more Tyler will get riled up."
Feeling inside his pocket for the familiar picture, he solemnly nodded and rose to his feet. He took a step forward only to stop and gesture to the dance floor. "You go ahead...I don't..."
"It's okay...I understand...Maybe later then..." With a timid smile, she left his side to join the dancing mob. She easily slipped into the crowd and blended with the groove. Her hips swayed as her mind escaped into the music.
Wufei watched, his lips slightly parted. His mind's eye soaked in the vision of bare skin and a red, form fitting dress moving with a rolling rhythm. His fingers began to roughly rub the pocketed picture in an attempt to secure the name of a loved woman in his memory.
Black orbs glared at a young man approaching the dancing woman. He noticed her cast a glance in his direction as the intruder offered a hand and a smile to accompany the now slow tune being played. To his surprise, Wufei rose from his chair and approached the two.
"This woman is spoken for..." He brushed past the young man took Cecilia's hand. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he pulled her body close to his. Slowly, he led her to the beat of the song.
"I didn't think you wanted to dance with me Wufei..." She relaxed in his embrace as his hand pressed against her back.
"I changed my mind..." He brought their clasped hands in to rest on his chest and maneuvered her around the dance floor. The sweet scent of her perfume filled his nostrils forcing him to close his eyes and breath deeply. 'You have to stay in control Wufei...' He reminded himself as he looked over her shoulder.
Turning slightly, he cast a glance at the nape of her neck. Warmth radiated from her skin. He could picture a blush creeping onto her face and nearly grinned at the thought.
Cecilia felt the tickle of someone breathing on her neck. She blushed and watched the other dancers move in a conventional manner. 'Is he gonna kiss me...?' She half hoped he would...half prayed he wouldn't.
His lips barely touched her skin before he thought better of it and continued to stare over her shoulder. 'I can't...Meiran...' Visions of his last encounter with Cecilia sent shivers down his spine. '...I don't deserve to anyway...right Meiran...?'
He let his hand brush her back as he separated himself from her. Smoothly, he left her side and exited to an outside balcony for some fresh air. Cecilia merely watched him leave, a sad expression on her face.
Looking about the room, she thought she saw many pairs of eyes watch her. He left her standing...Why...? With that, she trotted toward where he was headed. When she approached, she saw him leaning his hands against the stone railing of the porch-like balcony. He had a brooding expression on his face as if he were contemplating what went wrong with his life. She gulped and took a step toward him.
"Go away..." He stared at the sky.
"Not until you tell me what happened..." She dared to stand beside him. Setting a determined glare on her face, she inspected his face for signs of emotion. His eyes showed sad confusion while his face remained stern.
"I told you to go away woman..." He continued to stare at anything but her.
"We're in this together Wufei. I'm not leaving."
"Screw the mission! I...I'm too weak to do this..." He bowed his head and waited for her to agree.
"When have you ever been weak? You're practically impenetrable.
How can you be weak? Prove to me that I'm wrong." She forced him to look at her.
In one swift move, he wrapped his arms around her and plastered her to the railing. "I...am weak..." he whispered brushing his lips against hers. His eyes searched hazel briefly before he kissed her. Almost roughly, he slid his tongue into her mouth. His hands roamed up her back as if they were expressing his urgency.
Cecilia's eyes opened wide. She hadn't been expecting this turn of events. Relaxing, she wrapped her arms around his neck and welcomed the attention.
'Don't kiss back...I...' Wufei breathed in sharply through his nose inhaling the aroma that was her. Practically dipping her over the railing, he pressed closer to her. '...Meiran...' Almost as quickly as he had started, he pushed her away and returned to brooding.
Cecilia was speechless. She moved to touch him, but relinquished. Bowing her head, she returned to the dance.
Inwardly, Wufei laughed at himself. 'Fool...'
Notes:
* Dui is yes in Chinese
*the whole dance scene and the aftermath is inspired from Matchbox 20's "You Won't Be Mine" from their Mad Season album.