Disclaimer: Regrettably, they are not mine.
Note: Many thanks to KS for editing and to everyone who has been kind enough to review.
Warning: This is possibly not a chapter which will appeal to 3x4 fans. Ahem. You have been officially warned.
Chapter 10:
In which Quatre gets swept off his feet, and taken for a ride….
Quatre Winner had always tried to be a good person.
He was kind and loyal and genuinely interested in helping people. He liked to think he helped to make his little part of the world a little better.
He tried hard not to hurt people, or make anyone unhappy.
He still hadn't done anything wrong.
Trowa hadn't made any definite arrangements to see him again, or even implied that he'd be interested. That would have made things different. It would have meant that there was some sort of a relationship, or at least the prospect of one, and that in turn would have demanded a certain level of behaviour from him.
They'd danced a couple of times in the club, and had a brisk argument about who had composed one of the songs. And then Trowa had driven him home and made it very obvious that he'd expected to be invited in to finish the night off.
He'd probably only been after sex all along.
Well, in fairness, Quatre had behaved quite shamelessly. It had been fun though.
And then he'd met Wufei the next day and that had been that.
'I'm not doing anything wrong,' he informed his cat.
Samira, who was Siamese and superior and utterly uninterested in her pet human's life, crossed her eyes and deliberately turned her back on him.
'Honestly. It's not like I'm cheating on him or anything. And Wufei's so lovely and he seems really interested. I'd be stupid not to go out with him. I would,' he insisted, and she gave an irritable little twitch of her tail.
'Thank you for the sympathy,' Quatre said tartly. This was stupid. He didn't owe Trowa Barton anything; for all he knew, the man had already found somebody else and forgotten all about him.
Trowa wasn't remotely suitable, and it would all get hideously complicated because he was Duo's friend, even if Duo was hell-bent on shoving them into each others' arms.
And he didn't, definitely didn't, want to get involved in whatever was between those two.
So Wufei was a far, far better option. Full stop.
He was, Quatre told himself firmly, pulling on his jacket and heading for the door.
He'd be almost early for once. Wufei seemed like the sort of person who would be punctual, not like Trowa who'd turned up late and then hadn't stopped criticizing the restaurant or the food. So discourteous. Wufei wouldn't be anything like that.
Except he wasn't actually there when Quatre walked outside, smiling at the doorman who held the door for him. Ugh, how embarrassing; what was he supposed to do – just stand outside by himself until Wufei deigned to show up?
Where was he? He hadn't actually told Quatre where they were going; just to be outside his building at seven, to wear something warm and not to be late. He was, of course, but only five minutes which was practically early for him. And there was nobody there: just some guy on a motorbike.
'Quatre?' The motorbike guy twisted around, taking off his helmet.
Right, the somewhat shy, scholarly man he'd drunk tea with the previous morning had apparently morphed into some sort of Hell's Angel.
'Wufei! I didn't recognize you. Wow.' Quatre ran one hand along the gleaming paintwork. 'You never said you had a motorbike.'
'Surprise.' A smile gleamed out of those glorious dark eyes. 'Here you go.' He took another helmet from the handlebars and handed it to Quatre. 'Put this on and we'll head off.'
'Oh.' Quatre fiddled with the thing's straps. 'Um, I've never actually ridden a motorbike before.' Duo had had one once, when he'd first met Treize, and Treize had hated the thing. 'I'm not really sure if I…'
'You'll be fine,' Wufei said reassuringly. 'I'll take it really slowly at the start. You'll hardly know we're moving at all.'
'Right.' Quatre plonked the helmet on his head and Wufei leaned over to help him adjust the straps, caressing his cheek sweetly as he did so. He was looking very good; a dark red shirt just showing under his black leather jacket.
'Ready? Good. Hang on!'
Hang on to what? Quatre flung both arms around Wufei's waist. He'd lied to him! The quiet, cultured man who'd invited him out was as just as bad a speed merchant as Duo. After he'd realized that they weren't in immediate danger of death, he started to enjoy it.
'You said you'd go slowly at first!' he yelled.
'This is slowly, Quatre. Just wait 'til we hit the main road.'
'Don't you dare!'
'Hey, calm down.' They slowed, almost to a standstill and one gloved hand left the handlebars and touched Quatre's, very gently. 'It's OK. I promise, I won't let anything happen to you.' He pulled to a complete stop. 'I'm sorry if I scared you. Would you prefer it if we took a taxi instead?'
'I wasn't scared. It was just unexpected. Can you just go a little bit more slowly next time?'
'Walking pace,' Wufei promised as they pulled out.
'Faster than that!'
'You're sure?'
'I'm sure.' It was all right, actually, once he'd found his balance and got both arms around Wufei's waist. That part was very nice.
'OK back there?'
'Yes!' Quatre shouted back. 'This is so much fun! You can go a little bit faster if you like. Where are we going?'
'You'll see.'
Where they went was the National Museum.
'Here you go. You did say you wanted to see that exhibition of Greek Sculpture.'
Quatre blinked as they pulled up in front of the large building. 'Well, yes, but it doesn't open 'til next Friday and anyway the museum will be closed now, won't it?'
'I'd imagine so.' Wufei smiled at him. 'Are you game for a little breaking and entering? I have a friend who happens to be a genius computer hacker; he's given me the codes to get in after hours, and he's rigged the security cameras and sensors so no one will know we're there.'
'What? You want to break into the museum? Absolutely not! I don't do that sort of thing. What if we're caught?'
Oh, God. He was obviously under some sort of curse. Duo had never said it straight out but Trowa presumably shared his rather shady past. And now this outwardly respectable man wanted him to be some sort of accessory to a crime. At least Trowa hadn't tried to involve him in anything like that.
'Calm down, Quatre. I'm joking! You know I work for the Gallery; well, I also do some consultancy work for the museum's Oriental exhibitions so I have a key.'
'Oh.' Well, that was a little different. 'I'm sorry! I didn't mean to suggest you were a criminal or anything.'
'No, I'm sorry,' Wufei said quietly. 'I have a stupid sense of humour. Anyway, do you want to come inside? The exhibition's only open for a week; it's going to be horrendously crowded and you won't really get to see everything properly. I thought you might like to have your own private viewing first.'
'I'd love to.' Quatre hopped off the bike and took off his helmet, smoothing his hair with one hand. 'It's a lovely idea. The most perfect date I can imagine!'
'Good.' Wufei reached out and took his hand, just a little tentatively. It was endearing actually, that he was rather shy. Nothing like bloody Trowa Barton, dragging him into doorways and groping him without even asking first. Wufei would never do something like that.
Even if Trowa had been an exceptionally gifted kisser, it had still been presumptuous and forward and downright rude.
He had the most amazing tongue though…
Anyway.
Wufei keyed in the alarm code, and led Quatre inside.
'Don't they have security guards at night? I'm sure there are during the day.'
'Cutbacks,' Wufei explained. 'It's all outsourced to some private security firm, and they rely on CCTV and patrols every so often.'
'I see.' Quatre pulled his hand free and dashed a few steps forward, dabbling his fingers in the fountain in the lobby. 'I've always wanted to do that, and the curators don't allow you to touch things. I can't believe we have this place all to ourselves for the night. What shall we do first?'
Wufei glanced at his watch. 'Actually, we don't have that much time. I've got us dinner reservations for half past eight.'
'Oh. OK.' That was a little bit of a disappointment, but Wufei had obviously gone to some trouble to arrange the perfect evening so he smiled brightly.
'Have you been to Greece?' he asked.
'Athens, and a few of the islands. You?'
Quatre shook his head. 'I'd love to, though. Friends of mine were in Athens last year. They took the most beautiful photographs.'
'It's a wonderful city. You should go.'
'One day.' They walked down a long, mosaic lined corridor, and found the exhibition. Sky blue walls and ceiling contrasted with white marbles sculptures.
An hour wasn't nearly long enough, of course. Not with a very knowledgeable, personable guide to answer all his questions, and occasionally to lay a hand on his arm, or take his elbow to guide him.
Quatre's head was still spinning when they walked back outside, Wufei setting the codes carefully, and got back on the bike.
'Do you think you could show me how to ride this?'
'Of course. Any time.'
The ride back to town was fun. A couple of times he tapped Wufei on the shoulder to go faster; the rest of the time he rather enjoyed snuggling against him, or at least trying to. It wasn't easy to snuggle a man wearing a bulky leather jacket and a helmet.
It was all rather perfect otherwise, and a motorbike was a pretty good modern equivalent for a white charger, complete with a very gallant knight.
Perfect.
It got even more so when they pulled up outside a tall, ochre-coloured building opposite the park.
'Au Parc,' Quatre exclaimed. 'I love this place. Especially the tables in their own balconies.'
Wufei grinned at him. 'I did tell you I'd made reservations, I'm sorry we couldn't spend too much time at the museum but they prefer people to be on time.'
'Oh, it's fine.' Once ensconced in their own little balcony, complete with candles and fairy lights and a delicate arrangement of flowers on the table, Quatre sat back and sighed happily. Wufei looked wonderful; he'd let his hair down when he'd taken off his helmet, and Quatre was longing to touch that shining swathe of ebony. It was longer than when he had pulled back, sweeping his shoulder. 'This was a wonderful choice. Good guess.'
Wufei smiled at him. 'It wasn't a guess exactly. I happened to overhear you mention it on the 'phone one day, when we were on the train. I wasn't eavesdropping or anything; it's just hard not to hear what people are talking about.'
'Honestly? Fancy you remembering!'
'I remember everything about you. From the first time I saw you.'
Quatre tried to work out whether this was sweet or stalkerish, and opted for the former. It wasn't like he was much better, really.
'The first time I saw you,' he said slowly, 'you were wearing a charcoal grey suit with a dark red shirt. It looked great; red really suits you. And you stood up to let an old lady sit down. I liked that.'
Wufei laughed. 'I have two very strong-minded grandmothers. They would both beat me to a pulp if they thought I wasn't being courteous to older people.'
'My parents would do the same. Do you have a big family?'
It turned out that Wufei, while not blessed, or cursed, with a multitude of sisters, came from a huge, very close extended family. 'Practically an entire clan, actually,' he admitted, grinning.
'And do they have a problem with you being gay?' Quatre asked. 'Since you're the only son.'
'It's not what they'd prefer, precisely,' Wufei told him. 'But I have plenty of male cousins to carry on the family name, so I get away with being the arty one who's not interested in business. Or women. What about you? You're the only boy too; don't your parents mind?'
Quatre laughed. 'I'm the only boy, and the youngest, and consequently I'm utterly spoiled. If I went out and killed someone, my family would probably convince themselves that he'd deserved it and I'd been totally justified in what I'd done. Being gay is fairly small in comparison to that. Plus my parents already have twelve grandchildren, which takes the pressure off a little bit.'
'Lots of nieces and nephew?'
'Oh, yes. It's wonderful; I get to spoil them and then take them home and let their parents cope with kids on a total sugar high'
'I do that too,' Wufei admitted. 'My cousin Meiran has twin seven-year-old girls; I usually bring them out at the weekend and then take them home when they get too uncontrollable.'
Quatre burst out laughing. 'One major benefit of being gay, yes?'
'There are other benefits.' Wufei leaned over the table a little, taking his hand. 'Don't you think?'
Ah. Quatre caught his breath, feeling suddenly like he had when they'd zoomed off on that motorbike. The chatty, charming young man in front of him, who'd been discussing families and children, also happened to be very, very attractive. Those very beautiful dark eyes had the most intriguing capacity to smoulder, and the touch of his hand was making him regret, very much, that they weren't alone.
They hadn't even kissed yet.
'We should order.' Wufei pulled his chair a little closer, around the small round table, and one thumb gently brushed Quatre's lower lip. Nowhere near a kiss, but shockingly intimate all the same.
'Don't you think?'
'I think,' Quatre whispered, 'that I don't want you to stop doing that.'
'No?' The pad of his thumb pressed a little deeper, Quatre could feel the nail resting against his upper lip, and those long, golden fingers were stroking his cheek, and Wufei's eyes were holding his.
They hadn't even kissed and he was already aching from desire.
It had never been like this, not even with Trowa. But then Trowa had just grabbed him – without even asking - and there hadn't been this slow burn of gathering need. Wufei, Quatre thought, would probably ask first. He'd probably know the answer before he did.
When Wufei finally moved his hand, Quatre had to cross his legs, and rearrange his napkin. There was a definite glint in the other man's eyes, watching him. Not quite so diffident, after all.
Ordering their meal was a pleasant voyage into each other's tastes. They liked the same wines; had a preference for Mediterranean foods, preferred starters to dessert. Trowa had revealed an unexpected sweet tooth; Wufei didn't.
The food, as always in this restaurant, was perfect.
Wufei let Quatre try his crepes with Gorgonzola while they talked about music and a watercolour exhibition they'd both visited. They traded main courses, over family stories, and found out that Quatre's sister Camilla had been at university with one of Wufei's cousins, and that their mothers were involved with some of the same charities.
'So I've probably met your mother,' Quatre said cheerfully, spooning up the last of Wufei's couscous. Trowa would probably have snapped at him for stealing his food. 'Mama is always having ladies' lunches and tea parties at home for her friends.'
Wufei smiled. 'Do you think she'll approve of me?'
'Well, she'd probably really like to see me with a doctor, but I suppose an art historian might be just about acceptable. Oh, she'll definitely like you.'
That was true. Quatre had rarely brought his boyfriends home, although his parents had asked, simply because there had never been anyone serious. His family would like Wufei. Very definitely. A polite, professional young man from the right sort of background, who treated Quatre like a prince.
They would approve of that.
They'd probably have him married off before coffee.
'They're having a fortieth wedding anniversary party in a couple of weeks, actually, if you'd be interested. I always end up going to these sorts of things alone; it would be nice to have a partner.'
'I'd love to,' Wufei said at once. 'Thank you. Forty years; that's impressive.'
Quatre nodded. 'Isn't it? I was talking one of my best friends this morning; he's just got engaged and I suppose it's all got me thinking about relationships and all that. Can you imagine spending forty years with the same person and still being madly in love with them?'
'I'd like to,' the Chinese man said quietly. 'I'd love to, really.' He was looking down at his plate, the plate Quatre had cleared, not meeting his eyes, before glancing up. 'Wouldn't you? If you met the right man?'
It was all very serious. Very serious for a first date, unless you counted the tea house as the first. Still serious for a second date. They hardly knew each other, and they were, however, obliquely, discussing the possibility of a long-term relationship.
'Oh, I would. My friend, the one who's just got engaged, said this morning that when he met his partner for the first time, he just knew he'd met the right person. My parents always say the same thing. But I didn't think it would ever happen to me. I've never felt that seriously about anyone. Have you?'
'Just once.' Wufei glanced up, a smile gleaming in his eyes. 'I thought he was taken though, the first time I saw him, so there was no point trying to get to know him.'
'How very honourable of you. But now you've found out that he's not taken after all.' His blue eyes met that smile, reflecting the happiness.
Was this how it felt then? This effortless connection, the sheer acceptance of it all.
'I'd love to see you again.'
Quatre nodded enthusiastically. 'Yes, please!'
'I'm afraid I'm going to be out of town for the next couple of days; the gallery is sending me to a conference in Madrid. May I call you when I get back?'
'You can call me anytime you like,' Quatre said sincerely. ' As often as you like.'
