Oasis
by Banshi
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Part Five
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Serviay was pacing the security center of the WEI home office. A television screen cast eerie shadows across the moving figure as he watched the two brats walk up the main hallway. Between Quatre Winner and that meddling Preventer, his whole plan had gone completely to Hell. Quatre was supposed to be a good little puppet and do what he was told. He would run WEI in name only and Serviay and his family would have all the money that they could ever dream of. Especially once they made it known that they had some very influential reporter friends. With what Serviay had found in those whiny, self-centered diary entries, Winner would have to pay out the nose for the rest of his life.
Now they were walking back into the Winner household, bold as you please, nearly arm-in arm. The Preventor had obviously found the brat and obviously knew all the dirty little secrets, and...
Obviously he had a few of his own! Serviay wrinkled his nose in distaste as Wufei gave Quatre a kiss, right in view of the security camera.
"Do you think he's watching?" Quatre asked, his face so close to Wufei that Serviay's cameras would need X-ray capabilities to read his lips.
"Doubtless. He won't let you out of his sight if he has a choice. Speaking of which... check in with Rashid, just for appearances. I will try to locate Abdul. he should be watching our would-be blackmailer." Wufei gave Quatre another quick kiss and walked away down the hall. Quatre sighed, but watched until Wufei turned the corner at the end. It wasn't like either of them were going to be able to move around without the electronic eyes following them. Quatre hoped that once the full might of the Maguanacs was introduced, Serviay would be too busy to pay attention to any one of them.
Quatre smiled with no little bit of malice and walked into Rashid's office, much to the older man's surprise. Quatre was about to offer explanations when he was caught up in the Grandfather of all bear-hugs. He laughed quietly until Rashid put his feet back on the ground.
"That's what I get for not calling ahead." Quatre was glad when Rashid laughed with him.
"How have you been Master Quatre? Did Wufei find you alright?" They sat down as Rashid fussed over the smaller blond. Quatre laughed again, feeling a warmth rise in his chest and true joy pierce through the situation for the second time in a week. He could get used to it.
"I've been well Rashid, taking a much-needed vacation. Wufei found me just fine, and we talked about the ...rearranging of my study." Quatre had never been very good at talking in code, is was just so much easier to escape to somewhere where he could talk freely. Today, however, he was Distraction Quatre, and had to keep Serviay's attention as much away from Wufei and the Maguanacs as possible.
"Ah yes, your study. I had thought maybe that you would like to move more of your books to the library, rather than keeping them on the shelves where you work. They can be distracting."
Quatre nodded, glancing at the security camera from the corner of his eye.
Serviay couldn't believe that the big Arab oaf was trying to cover for Wufei taking the journals. Maybe there would be something to use against the two, and keep them from cooperating. If Quatre didn't know that Wufei had taken the journals (after Serviay himself had spent so much time and effort to take them without leaving a trace, and replace them before anyone noticed), then maybe Wufei couldn't be trusted.
Serviay smiled and called up his "backup" team to come and help him with this unexpected phase of the plan.
Wufei contacted no less than ten of Quatre's closest friends in the Maguanacs ranks. All of them had been eager to help, and there had even been a few offers to lock the ballroom when Wufei confronted the dirty security officer and defended Quatre's honor.
"Quatre plans to defend his own honor, I am simply going to enjoy the show," had been his standard response. It had earned a few grins. It brought the plan back to the fore-front of Wufei's mind every time, and so he progressed through his half of the beginning with time to spare.
Seating himself in one of the larger meeting rooms, Wufei set up the portable monitoring equipment, and went through the test run by watching Quatre finish his half of the beginning. He couldn't help the small smile that played across his face as Quatre played for the camera.
Quatre sat at his desk, mimicking all the Big Bosses he had seen in movies. He felt ridiculous, and could see that Rashid was trying very hard not to laugh. He hoped that Serviay would appreciate all the effort that they were putting into the ruse for him. Heero would have just broken in and shot him.
He tried to look like he was giving orders when he was really waiting for Serviay to fall into the trap. He didn't have to wait long. He was half-way through going over a bogus contract when Serviay slid into the room and waited in front of Quatre's desk like a good little houseboy. Quatre made a mental note to congratulate Rashid on his ability to hide disgusted sneers behind his beard.
"Rashid, I think that you can handle the rest of this mess without me. Please see to it that the Foreman of this new building knows the changes that I've made to the blueprints." Quatre never broke eye-contact with Serviay as he handed the "contract" to Rashid before the older man left the room.
"Now, what can I do for you Mr. Serviay?"
"You can explain where you have been Mr. Winner." Quatre could tell that the other man was struggling to keep his tone civil, and decided not to waste any effort doing the same. Quatre knew that his smile was not nice, and totally out of character, but he doubted that Serviay had spent that much time studying his character in the first place.
"I needed a vacation."
"You just got back from one. If you were going to leave again, I should have been informed."
"You were not my legal guardian the last time I checked."
"Your sister doesn't seem to be doing a very good job."
Quatre clenched his teeth, willing himself not to yell at the man. His family had always been a flash-point for him, and now was no different. He wanted Serviay to confess in front of the cameras that Rashid had placed in the office, and then he wanted to go home with Wufei.
Thinking of Wufei and home managed to calm Quatre down enough to continue the ruse.
"My sister knew that I was safe and wouldn't need your 'protection'. I hardly see what business it is of yours where I go." Quatre had started being deliberately snotty. Though he cautioned himself, if he was too out of character, then Serviay could get out of his confession by crying entrapment.
"I was hired to see to your personal safety. I do my job you little snot." Quatre had to hide a smirk as Serviay's eyes widened. He had clearly not meant to say the last part out loud.
"I was a pilot in the war Serviay. I am capable of seeing to my own personal safety. Is that all?" Quatre turned away, hoping that the total dismissal would push Serviay over the edge. Now that he was paying attention, he could feel the waves of hate and loathing coming from the other man. He had to wonder how he had missed it in the first place. Then he realized that he hadn't missed it, he just hadn't seen his own reaction to Serviay for what it was. Another reason to cut his work load.
"No. I had a ...request... to make of you."
"What is it. I'm a busy man."
"I request that you put my family up in your estate on L3, and give each member an allowance of 50,000 credits per month."
Quatre paused, knowing the reason Serviay was going to give him for doing this. It wasn't the request he had been expecting. He decided to play this one as he would from any other man, and give it his best caring shot.
"Why Serviay? Is your family having a hard time here on L4? I'd be glad to help them out."
"No you little brat! They're fine, just stuck in the middle class, and we deserve more than that. If you don't comply, I will tell the universe your dirty little obsession with the Preventer, and that the Winner family will never have another heir, because your too busy prowling after other boys."
All of the hate washed over Quatre in a wave, and he felt that he was drowning in Serviay's emotions. For the space of a heartbeat it was too much to deal with, Quatre's mind wouldn't function.
Then he replayed Serviay's words in his mind. They didn't have enough to arrest the hate-monger yet. Quatre fought to pull himself back to the situation, to respond somehow.
"Only the tabloids would print anything without proof. Smarter men than you have tried."
The look on Serviay's face told Quatre that he had struck a nerve. This man had been looking for someone to leech for a long time, the look told him, and now that he had easy prey in his sights, he wasn't going to let go. Quatre wondered what the man would think when he found out that this prey wasn't easy.
"I think your own diary would be considered proof."
Almost a confession, but not quite. In the back of his mind he could see Wufei's frustrated and impatient face, glaring at Serviay through the monitor. It made him feel better.
"I would take that seriously if I didn't personally have all copies of my journal."
"Not all copies. You're too stupid to notice when a few go missing for a couple of days. It was easier when you took off and worried everyone. Poor little Quatre, what if he's hurt? You don't know what hurt is, little rich boy."
"Neither do you." The words were out of Quatre's mouth without him having thought of them first. It just struck him suddenly: this man had everything that usually made people happy, but he saw people with more and wanted it. He hadn't lost anything, hadn't sacrificed anything. He didn't know the hurt of wanting any more than Quatre did.
Before Serviay could retort, Wufei and ten Maguanacs were in the room. Wufei read Serviay his rights and hauled him off to the Preventer offices, to dump him on some unlucky holding officer.
Before leaving the room, Wufei had given Quatre a quick smile. Quatre felt lighter, knowing that the problem was taken care of, and that Wufei would be back as soon as he could.
It was over, almost as soon as it had begun.
Later that night Wufei held Quatre to him, needing to feel the strong heart beating and the beautiful man's breathing. He hadn't meant to let things go this far this fast, but one look into those welcoming eyes had been his undoing. So here he was, holding his beloved to him, both of them sticky and slick from earlier... activity. Wufei smiled at himself, feeling the blush come to his face in spite of how childish he knew his prudish thoughts were.
"Get over it." a sleepy voice said from beside him, causing Wufei to laugh outright. He should have known that Quatre would pick up on his mood. He nuzzled his face into damp blond hair, finding one delicate ear and whispering a breath of sound into it.
"I thought you would prefer that it be memorable." Wufei was rewarded by a rosy flush spreading across Quarte's face. Quatre opened his eyes and turned so that he could look at Wufei without hurting his neck. He smiled, a teasing light in his eyes.
"I think that we're referencing two different 'it's." Wufei laughed again, nodding in agreement. He pulled Quatre closer to him, not wanting to give up contact with even one inch of that warm skin. He had never felt so a peace and content in his life, and he wanted to share that. He leaned down, capturing Quatre's lips in a searing kiss, leaving them both breathless and flushed.
"Thank you." Quatre looked up at him, eyes glazed and a little puzzled. Then he figured it out, and smiled that open, joyful smile of his, leaving Wufei's heart expanded in a painful and wonderful way.
"Thank you Wufei. I'm glad you broke down and read the journal. I wouldn't have had the courage to tell you myself."
Wufei's heart warmed, and he felt a smile come to his own face, yet again. He answered that declaration with a wordless one of his own. He had Quatre moaning his name and laughing delightedly for the remainder of the night.