Warnings: AU, TWT, angst, shonen ai, some language, mentions of yaoi.
Author's Notes: My muses spent a LONG time vacationing with Shira's muses. Duo and Wufei finally decided to come back and they brought with them the inclination to write this little fic start to finish. Don't blame me!
Main Pairing: 2+5
Dedication: This fic is dedicated to Shira for sending my muses back to me and to Rhina for allowing me to care about her. The part of Vow is written in memory of Patches.
Dark Clouds and Silver
A Gundam Wing Fic
By: Yuuki Miyaka
Chapter Six
He found Duo sitting in the backyard, staring at the small pond he'd erected when he'd first moved in. "It's peaceful, ne?" Wufei asked quietly, trying not to startle the black-clad man. It had been nearly six months since Duo had moved in, and it was only during the last few days that he'd begun to wear his priest's outfit again. Wufei suspected that the outfit was to tell him something, that it was a harbinger of some sad news that Duo was trying to find the words to tell him. And more than that, Wufei suspected he knew what the news was. So when Duo nodded his head in answer to Wufei's gentle question, the Chinese man sat down. "When are you leaving?"
Duo looked up at him, not particularly startled. "So you figured it out, then," he sighed. When Wufei nodded, Duo chuckled bitterly. "I'm beginning to believe, 'Fei, that you know me better than I know myself."
"You have personal ghosts to deal with," Wufei said, by way of response. Duo's nod was sad. "And to be honest, I've been expecting this day to come ever since our discussion during the campout." He wasn't lying. He'd been waiting for the time when Duo decided to leave since that first night, knowing that he couldn't hold the free spirit here forever.
"I just started thinking about it. Not sure I'm ready to take the plunge yet, so . . . I haven't decided when."
Wufei had an answer for that. In his heart, he wondered if he had an answer for everything. "You have to leave. You'll never be free if you don't deal with the ghosts. But . . . wait a week. Your going-away gift isn't quite complete." He rose after saying that, walking back into the house before Duo could respond. He needed to get some work done if it was to be ready.
"Are you all right, Duo?" Wufei asked quietly, when he saw the braided pilot shoved into the cell with him. He winced as Duo stumbled, moving to catch the American before he slammed his face into the stone of the floor. Duo chuckled weakly, the sound testament enough to his ill treatment prior to this stopover in the cold cell. "Come on, talk to me. I need to check you over anyway." And then his hands were feeling over Duo's body, ensuring that bones remained unbroken and there was no unexpected tenderness. It was only once his duty was over that he looked up and caught Duo's gaze.
"'Fei, if I leave, will you promise to let me go?" It was an odd thing to ask, particularly to ask of a pilot who hadn't really considered the relationship between them anything but useful until now. But those eyes were asking a very real, very serious question, and it was a question that Wufei felt obliged to answer.
"Yes, Duo. If you leave, I will let you go. But," and here his mouth stopped using his brain. Instead, it worked all on its own, catching Wufei totally by surprise. "If you leave, will you promise to return?" Where on the colonies had THAT come from?, he wondered inanely.
"Of course, 'Fei. I promise I'll always come back. Even if it's just as a ghost so I can haunt your bones," he teased. They were both so caught up in the moment that they didn't hear the cell door opening. Large, brutal hands caught hold of Duo, dragging him out the door. As Wufei stood poised to rush the guards, determined to save Duo, the braided boy reminded him cheekily, "You promised, 'Fei. Gotta let me go . . ."
"You're late," Duo observed from the comfortable armchair they'd placed in Wufei's room after his appearances in the middle of the night became a regular appointment. Sure enough, the tea beside his pillow was cold, its place on the bedside table marked by a ring where its condensation had sweated off. Wufei glanced at the clock as he sipped the room-temperature liquid, then did a double-take. He was upwards of an hour late for the 'slumber party,' as Duo had termed it.
"Why did you wait?" Wufei demanded, turning a glare on Duo. But Duo didn't react to the angry visage.
"It's our last night together. You said yesterday that the gift would be ready today and made me promise to go out and deal with my 'ghosts' before they got the better of me. I'm . . . I'm gonna miss you, 'Fei." Duo paused, looking out the window as he considered what he was about to say. Wufei noticed at that point that Duo's mug was long finished and clearly taken back to the kitchen. Certainly it wasn't anywhere in the room. "I wanted to talk to you like this once more. It feels . . . comfortable, I suppose. That's what's so great about darkness. It lets us bare our souls without fear of what we'll see in someone else's face."
"Do you think that you would see something bad in my face, Duo?" Wufei asked gently. Duo chuckled, the sound comfortable, not bitter.
"Not really. But . . . I didn't want you to think I was goin' off the deep end, saying this tomorrow. At least now, if you REALLY need an explanation, I can give it. I'd rather not. I'd rather you just understood. But I'm willing to take the chance that you'll be a little slow in understanding."
"Thank you, Duo," Wufei said, pseudo-sarcastic. He could feel Duo's grin, even if he couldn't see it.
"Don't mention it, 'Fei. Mostly, I just wanted to ask you that if I should ever leave before you're quite ready, you'll let me go." The words echoed hollowly through Wufei's head as he tried to process what he'd just heard, tried to reconcile it with his dream. He was jolted out of the task by Duo's next statement. "And I promise that no matter what, I'll always come back. Even if it's just as a ghost so I can haunt you until you smile."
"Was I talking in my sleep?" Wufei demanded, rising from the bed and crossing the room. He grabbed Duo's upper arm, pulling the other man's face around until they were inches apart. Shadowed indigo eyes met angry sable ones.
"No. I just figured that's what would be worrying you," Duo said smoothly. "Was I wrong?"
Suddenly spooked by this whole conversation, Wufei let go of Duo's arm, falling a step back. "No. You're a friend. Of course I'd be worried about whether you'd return. You're right. It makes sense."
Duo just nodded serenely.
"Here." Wufei thrust the small, brightly-wrapped package to Duo, who grinned.
"Why, 'Fei! Giving me my Christmas present early, I see," he chuckled, making Wufei's already-pink cheeks glow red.
"It was the only paper in the house. It's been a while since I had anyone to give a present to." The confession seemed to sum up how miserable his life had been before Duo had entered it. He examined the idea, found it appropriate, and stored it away for later self-pity.
Duo didn't respond verbally, instead opening the package. His breath caught when he saw the outside of the antique pocket-watch. It was silver with a simple gold cross inlaid within the circle. But it wasn't the outside that Wufei was waiting for Duo to see. He held his breath as Duo moved to open the watch. The latch gave after a second, and the American's eyes went wide, his mouth dropping open.
"I couldn't quite manage a locket size, so I did this one. The larger surface was easier to work on, and the mechanical parts weren't hard to get rid of," Wufei explained. "They were half-corroded anyway, quite unfixable." He doubted Duo even heard him since the man was busy staring at the tiny self-portrait framed by the old home of an ancient pocket-watch. "You said I should try one. I'm not entirely certain I captured whatever it is you see, but . . ." He trailed off as Duo interrupted him.
"Oh, you did. You did," Duo breathed, turning to face Wufei. There were tears streaming down his cheeks, tears he swiped impatiently at. "I'll take good care of it, 'Fei. I promise. And . . . well, I wanted you to hold onto something for me until I get back, okay? It'd make me feel better, knowing it's safe with you."
When Wufei nodded and held out his hand, Duo turned to his bag, reaching into a pocket and coming out with a closed fist. He put the object into Wufei's hand, closing his fingers around it before hugging the black-haired man and walking out the door. Moments after it latched shut, Wufei opened his palm. Inside it lay a glittering, gold cross.