Title: The Valentine's Way part 3/?
Author: Vuli
Rating: PG
Author's Note: Spot the strawberry reference. ^_^
Review Response:
*nlp: A sequel? Maybe. Let's see how this one pans out first…and not even I know the answer to that!*
*Avenged Suffering: Well, that was certainly the most original review I've ever had. Duo Maxwell: pocket translator. ^_^ Here's hoping this chapter inspires the same reaction!*
*Water-Soter: This is what happens next. I get too sappy for my own good. And thanks for the compliment. I do put some work into characterisation and I'm glad you liked it!*
*S.Maldiva: Cute 'n' sweet is fun to write, and highly addictive. I don't know how I'll ever get back to writing angst after this. ^_^;*
*Death's Daughter: Thanks! I'm happy to have renewed your faith, and hopefully the rest of Valentine's won't disappoint.*
*goldmund: Telling you who wins fair Wu's heart would be a big fat spoiler…let's just say Heero's going to have to put some effort in. ::evil chortle::*
The Valentine's Way
'Getting a coffee', it turned out, involved heading to a coffee bar down the street, one of those commercial chains that filled their shop space with small round tables and padded chairs in an attempt to make the place appear cosy and airy at the same time. Wufei had to admit, as he took a seat at a table by the window, that it was a formula that worked remarkably well. Most of the people around him seemed relaxed, chatting happily over cups and mugs of various sizes.
Most of them also wore Preventers uniforms.
He settled himself in the chair and placed Heero's rose on the table in front of him, noting as he glanced around that several other Preventers had brought their roses with them. In truth, he had forgotten it was in his hand until he was out of the building; he had been surprised to find that Heero still had his, as well.
He sought out his companion and located him quickly, standing near the head of the queue at the counter – even in a room full of Preventers, there was something about the way Heero carried himself that made him stand out. At eighteen, he wasn't the tallest or broadest of the male agents, but his bearing lent him the authority that his frame lacked. Remarkable, really, that a man whose stance practically challenged those around him to take notice of his presence could just as easily slip away without a trace.
A hand dropped unexpectedly on his shoulder, startling him. "Well, it must be my lucky day!" he heard someone remark behind him in a quiet, drawling tenor.
In the past, Wufei might have struck the other for touching him without his consent, but his time as a Preventer had helped to calm some of his more antisocial tendencies. Now, he merely shrugged, silently informing the owner of the hand that the touch was unwelcome. When that failed, he turned to glare, but the movement only produced the unwanted effect of sliding the hand from his shoulder to the back of his neck, where it proceeded to squeeze in a rather intimate gesture.
The overly friendly young man grinned down at him with shining, love-struck eyes, and Wufei fought the urge to groan. One of Maxwell's groupies, Julian Lamond, who had taken to lusting after the Chinese agent the moment he had stepped foot into Preventers Headquarters a few weeks ago.
Wufei didn't resent the attention, exactly. With a heart-shaped face, framed by long bangs of honey-blond hair that trailed from a deliberately unkempt ponytail, and the kind of tall, lean body that women seemed indebted to stare at, Lamond was certainly attractive. He was almost effeminate, if not for the boisterous, blatantly male laugh that regularly erupted out of him, and the strength in his slender fingers. Little wonder he had been drawn to Maxwell – the two were frighteningly alike.
When he allowed himself to notice, it was rather flattering to be the object of the man's starry-eyed advances.
So fickle, Chang. Are you going to give him a rose, too? With a start, Wufei realised that he'd been staring and collected himself. "Lamond," he greeted coolly.
The hand fell from his neck, leaving an impression of warmth and caressing fingertips. "Still on last name terms, huh?" Julian enquired with a quirk of his head, jade eyes crinkling in amusement. "You're a tough one, Spirit." Somehow, he managed to make the codename roll off his tongue like an endearment.
Wufei glanced in Heero's direction, shifting uneasily in his chair. "What do you want?" he asked, distracted.
"To talk. Not here, though." Lamond leaned closer, and Wufei turned his gaze back to him, surprised to see the nervousness on his face. "Can we go for a walk? Later, I mean. Tonight."
A date? Wufei wondered briefly. "All right."
Julian pulled back, looking momentarily shocked. "You want to?" he mumbled, a scaled-down version of his usual grin curving his lips, then he snatched up a paper napkin and hurriedly scribbled an address on it. He hesitated, looking unsure. "We can meet at my apartment, if you like. Around seven o'clock?"
"That's fine," Wufei said as he took the napkin from his hand and slipped it into his jacket.
"Oh. Good!" Julian's grin was back, his uncertainty fading into delight, bringing a flush of excitement to his cheeks. "Well…I'll see you at seven."
He watched the other man go, unconsciously admiring the slim form that he had refrained from noticing before. I don't understand, he thought, leaning back in the chair. What has changed since yesterday, that I'm acting so strangely today? His eyes moved to Heero, still standing in the queue, who had apparently not seen the exchange. It had to be more than not wanting to spend another Valentine's Day alone – the holiday had never affected him this way before.
Then again, why couldn't it be something so simple? Not every problem had to be complex, after all.
Frowning, Wufei turned his head to look outside. The answer should have been simple, too. Heero's kiss had touched something in him that no one else had come close to, not even Meilan, who had been more focused on their rivalry than their marriage. He'd felt the awakening attraction between himself and Heero in that too-short contact.
So why was he entertaining Lamond's infatuation?
"See anything interesting?"
"Hmm?" Wufei looked round, to see Heero placing two cups of black coffee on the table, setting a plate bearing some sort of dessert beside them. It was a slice of cheesecake, dribbling with syrup, a plump red strawberry perched atop it.
"You've been staring out that window for a while," Heero said, sitting opposite Wufei.
"Oh. No, nothing interesting." Wufei lifted the cup, tilting it slightly in salute. "Thank you." As he took a sip, he turned Heero's words over again in his head. "How long were you watching me?" he asked, keeping his voice low and unintentionally intimate. Maybe Heero had seen him with Lamond after all.
The response was quiet. And totally unexpected.
"Not long enough," Heero replied, meeting Wufei's wide gaze with warm, half-lidded eyes and a faintly suggestive smile.
Wufei felt a dash of heat spread across his cheeks, and he was grateful he hadn't taken another sip of coffee or he might have choked on it. He'd never seen such an expression on Heero's face and he wasn't sure how to respond to it; when it came to the arts of romance and seduction, he was left floundering.
Instead, he broke eye contact and pointed a finger at the confection-burdened plate, lying forgotten on the table. "I didn't know you had a sweet tooth."
"It was free. The girl at the counter said it was a Valentine promotion." Heero glanced over, and Wufei followed instinctively. To his surprise, said girl was looking in their direction, beaming at them – at Heero, in particular. He heard the Japanese agent clear his throat a little uncomfortably. "She added the strawberry because she thought I was cute."
Wufei turned back to him with a chuckle. For that one moment, he felt bold, confident. "That makes two of us," he murmured, just loud enough for Heero to hear. Although 'cute' didn't do the other man justice. From trim frame and tousled hair, dark as the coffee they were drinking, to tan skin and glittering cobalt eyes, he was every bit the perfection of his former nickname.
Heero's response was a somewhat self-conscious smile, and Wufei found himself warmed with the sudden desire to kiss the hesitant curve of his lips. There was something else in Heero's eyes, though, as he picked up the dessert fork lying on the plate and scooped up a small portion of cheesecake, then held the fork out across the table.
"Taste?" he asked, his smile gaining just a trace of smirk.
Wufei's surprised gaze darted between Heero and the laden fork. He wasn't offering to…to feed him like some besotted teenage girl, was he? No. The look in his eyes was a challenge, Wufei was certain of it, and he wasn't accustomed to backing down. Straight-faced, he leaned over and sank his teeth into the cake with faultless poise, the rich flavour savoured and forgotten in the same instant when he saw that expression return to Heero's face.
"You're cute, too," Heero said quietly and pulled the fork from Wufei's mouth, before setting it back on the plate and raising his own cup to his lips.
Swallowing quickly, Wufei sat back in his chair, feeling terribly aware of where he was. The rest of the Preventers in the shop didn't seem to have given a second glance to the sight of their colleagues flirting with each other. Why would they, considering the occasion? Unfortunately, the girl at the counter hadn't missed it, and it was obvious she was barely holding back her excitement. Quite a change of heart, considering she had been admiring Heero just minutes ago. He would have expected her to be disappointed, not delighted.
Women never ceased to bewilder him.
---------------------------
The air outside was unusually warm for February as the two former pilots left the coffee bar. Heero enjoyed the watery sunlight on his face, twirling Wufei's rose just to keep his fingers occupied, although they were itching to twine with those of the man walking beside him. The whole situation felt so surreal. He'd been no different when he woke up this morning, not a thought of romance in his head; now it seemed he was lovesick over one of his closest friends. His heart hadn't stopped racing since he had kissed Wufei in the office.
Heero glanced at Wufei, who appeared lost in thought. His desire for the Chinese Preventer had caught him by surprise in its swiftness, but it couldn't be mere infatuation, brought on by the spirit of the day. Surely he must have felt something before and simply not been aware of it until the opportunity arose?
Of course, he wasn't the only one. Julian Lamond had made his intentions clear more than once, and today Wufei hadn't regarded the blond agent with his usual disdain, oblivious of Heero observing the exchange from his place in the queue. But that just made Heero more determined to succeed. He wanted to win Wufei's heart, and if it took a slow seduction, so be it.
Trying not to smile, he looked sidelong at Wufei again and realized the other Preventer was watching him. "What?"
"Heero, I…" Wufei hesitated and extended his hand, taking Heero's and weaving their fingers together. The rose was clasped securely between their palms.
Now Heero did smile…and was shocked to find himself tugged off the main street into a nearby alley, his back colliding suddenly with the rough wall of a building, Wufei pressing against him, eyes closed, finding his mouth blindly with his own.
So much for a slow seduction. Groaning softly, Heero lifted his free hand to the back of Wufei's head, fingers splaying around the tight ponytail. He parted his lips slightly at the gentle, undemanding touch of Wufei's tongue, tasting bitter coffee and the lingering sweetness of strawberry cheesecake.
When they broke apart at last, Heero scarcely recognized his own voice, rough and wavering, as he asked, "What brought that on?"
"Just in case we don't get another chance," Wufei explained, tone hushed, leaning in for another kiss even as he spoke.
"Wufei…" Abruptly, Heero felt a lot less sure of himself. His fingers closed, gently but firmly, on the other man's ponytail, keeping his head in place, and apprehensive blue eyes met black. "If you want them, there will be other chances. Don't do something you might regret."
Wufei's tapered brows gathered in a frown and he pulled away. "By the gods, Heero Yuy, I don't understand you!" he snapped. "You kiss me, insist on teasing me, but when I respond you back off! Do you want this or not?"
"I just told you I did," Heero countered, his control slipping further. "But not here." He glanced indicatively at their surroundings. "That's not the type of person you are."
When Wufei didn't answer, he closed his eyes, finding a measure of confidence in the self-imposed darkness. "Did you know you're my first Valentine?" he ventured. He firmed his grip on Wufei's hand and rubbed his thumb over the ridge of a knuckle, then opened his eyes. "Even if it is our only chance, I don't want this to end as a quick clinch in an alley."
What am I babbling about? he chastised himself. He'd made this sound like a relationship, instead of the mutual infatuation it probably was no matter how he tried to dress it up.
But the pleased look on Wufei's face swiftly chased his pessimism away. "Charming and honourable," Chang remarked, his amusement laced with sincerity. "I'm…proud to be your first Valentine, Heero." He pulled their joined hands up to kiss the back of Heero's, then turned, obviously intending to head back onto the main street, and back to work.
Heero followed his lead. They couldn't dally forever, after all; neither of their personalities allowed much in the way of shirking responsibility. Not even an afternoon of paperwork. Just before they left the alley, he loosened his fingers, expecting Wufei to want to let go. The Chinese Preventer had had quite a traditional upbringing, and he wasn't sure how far his propriety would stretch. He barely noticed Wufei's step slowing.
"Heero."
"Mmm?"
"I'll buy the coffee tomorrow." Wufei looked back at him over his shoulder and caught his hand tightly. "As thanks for being my first Valentine."
Blinking a little as they returned to the main street and weak sunlight, Heero could only smile.
TBC…
*sigh* Everything's coming together…and that's just when things go wrong! Next up: Julian makes his bid, and Wufei's heart takes a knock.
