I hope that the shockingly long length of this chapter makes up
for the lateness! *sweatdrop* It's nearly twice as long as the
other chapters, almost seven pages long! As I mentioned in the
new chapter of 'Fatal Asphyxiation', chapter for my stories
might become a bit more spaced out than usual because of the
horrendous load of summer work I have to do for school before it
starts back up. *dies* It's torture! But I will be sure to try
and get out chapters a regular pace, though if I don't, you know
why! ^_^;
This lengthy chapter contains kawaii 3+4 moments with a dash of
Heero-shock, an even more kawaii Wufei/Duo moment, AND- *dun dun
dun* I do believe this is the first time I have never bashed
Relena in a fic. *shock* I actually make her quite nice and
understanding...I'm worry about my own sanity sometimes...let
alone that of the G-boys. O.o;;
The angsty-ness! The humor! The drama! The sexual innuendo! Er-
*cough* Ignore that last one...(hint: look closely at what
Relena says... *snicker*)
Reviews! ^__^
Dark Ice: I know that there isn't a time limit, but I do try to
get chapters out every week, week and half or so, no more than
two weeks at most if I can help it. ^_^;; Considering that I
didn't get said smack in the head, I think I didn't take too
long with this chapter. *sweatdrop* Read and enjoy! ^_^
C-Chan2: Lol, I feel your pain! It annoys me to no end when
ff.net acts up and won't let me read chapters to stories or
anything. *grumble* But I'm certainly glad that you're liking my
insane musings so far! I talk out loud all the time, my parents
have gotten used to my ramblings, they've given up trying to
think that I'm sane. *snicker* You, me, and Duo can all share a
padded room together! ^__^ Happy reading!
WolfQueen821: Yes, it was brief, but they return and stay for
the bulk of this chapter, so no worries! In fact, Trowa makes a
nice little call to Heero about going AWOL on Duo. ^__^
Shini-girl Kit: This is sweet? *blink blink* A few moments are
sweet, but most of this fic is pure, grade A angst at its
finest. ^__^ I'm glad you're liking it! Read and enjoy!
Nelia: Ah, my Nelia-chan! If you think Quatre's Mother Hen mode
is good, wait until you see what Trowa does. *wink* It's always
the silent ones you gotta worry about...And of course Wufei
isn't mad at Duo! Duo's going to be getting a lot of things he
needs right now, all thanks to the wonderful-ness Wufei. *purr*
^___^
O Genki Kitsune: Well, this chapter is considerably longer than
the rest. I make a point to replying to all of my reviewers to
show my undying appreciation for their taking the time to review
to my little fic, sometimes it's the reviews that keep me from
giving up on the story, so I must give credit where credit is
due. ^_^ Happy reading!
Sivy: The shoujen-ai will come soon enough. ^_^ For now, readers
must be content with the 3x4 moments as I build on Wufei and
Duo's relationship, have to take it nice a slow you know, so you
all have the best quality romance and nothing rushed and half-
hearted. ^_^
P-chan: Fanart based on my fic? Awww...I think you've just made
my day! ^__^ Hopefully I'll get a view of it soon! Until then,
here is a lovely new chapter for you to sink your teeth into and
enjoy!
Shella: It's ok! I perfectly understand what you mean! *huggles*
I had a moment where I was sidetracked from GW by the angsty
teen Kamui in X, but until I get the next DVD, my distraction
has returned to GW! ^_^;;; I see what you mean by the sentence
running on a little, I tend to do that occasionally (okay, a
-lot-), I write as I think, so it sounds right in my head and I
dismiss it. And for the second sentence, I didn't mean for the
tense to change, the ' it is a' was supposed to be 'it was the',
I have no idea how it ended up like that. *sweatdrop* Other than
the slight mishaps in sentence structure, I'm basking in your
praise. ^_^;; It's my mission to slowly evolve Wufei's character
as carefully as possible so it seems natural, like you said,
this is an entirely different situation for him so it's bound to
affect him. But I agree entirely, and Quatre gets a sneak peek
at the nice Wufei in this chapter. And I don't think any of the
G-boys would trust doctors, especially after what all they went
through with those mad scientists, wouldn't you feel the same?
And as for your plot duck...*purr* Just read, my precious
Shella. ^__^ But yes, Doctor Woods is another character I'm
trying to write carefully, not too obtrusive, though at the same
time being an important part in the plot. I don't know why
people hate Duo either, I luff him to the point of morbid
obsession! ^__^ Maybe it is the voice, but I've watched it in
Japanese, so I wouldn't know how bad the English dub is. *shrug*
And Heero is about to get his skinny ass back in the picture
after a nice little phone call from an appropriately pissed off
Trowa. *snicker* But Relena doesn't find out, I actually write
her as a normal human being for once, she understands. *shock*
I'm losing my mind, honestly, for me to not bash Relena. I just
updated 'Fatal', so there's a new chapter there along with this!
I manage multiple fics by working on them in shifts, one day
would be spent on 'Imaginary', the next 'Fatal', then the next
'Revenge', I get a little routine going so that they're all
updated every week or so, with a few days in between each fic
update, so you readers aren't swamped. ^__^ *whew* Long, long
reply to a long, long review...Have fun reading! ^___^
On with the story! ^___^
***
Quatre watched his green-eyed lover uneasily as they drove out
of the clinic's parking lot. Even though Trowa appeared no
different than normal on the outside, he could feel anger
beginning to churn from inside him.
He knew he hadn't wanted to believe Wufei the day before, that
he wanted to think the Asian had simply been overreacting to the
situation. But when he had witnessed for himself the seriousness
of Duo's condition, Trowa realized that -he- was the one
mistaken, not Wufei.
Quatre could almost hear the thoughts running through his
lover's head:
At least he wasn't the only one mistaken. He was going to call
him and let him know exactly how much of a coward he was for
leaving so soon.
Focusing his attention back to the road, Quatre pointed out a
pizza place. "Let's go in there."
A few minutes later, as Trowa pulled back out onto the road, he
asked calmly, "They have vid-phones in the institute, right?"
"I should say so. Wufei called Sally yesterday."
"Good." The blonde glanced over at him, but the unibanged teen
only smiled slightly and didn't divulge into detail.
They reentered the building and Trowa walked over to the
receptionist to find out where the phones were as Quatre
continued on to Duo's room alone with the food. Wufei's voice
filtered through as he opened the door silently.
"...you aren't at fault here, we are. If I'm 'pissed off' with
anyone, it is myself and the others, not you."
"Really?"
"Yes, really."
Standing in the threshold, all Quatre could see was Wufei knelt
beside Duo with his hand on his shoulder and his back to the
door, but the Arabian didn't need to see the smile he knew was
there by the gentle tone in the Asian's voice. He had never
heard him sound so gentle before, not in all the time they had
spent together during, or after, the wars, it was almost like he
was a different person.
Quatre cleared his throat lightly as he shut the door,
announcing his presence. "Trowa should be along in a minute, he
had to use to phone for Allah knows what," he smiled brightly as
Duo's grin widened more and Wufei hastily retreated back to his
seat at the end of the bed. Balancing the box in one hand, he
picked up the chair against the wall that Doctor Woods had used
and set it in between the two. "Anyone in the mood for pizza?"
"You're trying to spoil me, aren't you?" Duo mock grimaced.
"Naturally. The sooner we can get you out of here, the better,"
Quatre replied. "Even if it means pizza and ice cream every day
for a week. Ice cream cures everything, judging by the ungodly
amount my sisters consume on a regular basis."
"I knew there was a reason why I loved you so much, Q-man."
"Now you're pushing your luck Duo," Wufei admonished, smirking.
The blonde sat observing them as Duo laughed and cajoled the
wary Chinese Preventer into eating some of the greasy pizza with
him, he obliged even when he obviously considered it disgusting.
Not once since his first visit with the longhaired teen had
Wufei referred to him as 'Maxwell' or any other name, it was
'Duo'. Quatre was beginning to understand what the psychiatrist
had been talking about, when he encouraged their visits, while
Wufei was tentatively showing another side of himself to Duo, he
too was changing dramatically over the course of time the longer
they were around him. He was becoming more and more like the old
Shinigami they knew best, if not a slightly subdued version at
any rate, but it was better than nothing.
The door opened again and Trowa entered with a barely
perceptible satisfied look on his face as he walked over and
leaned his folded arms onto the back of Quatre's chair. "It
seems I missed out on all the fun," he remarked, regarding
Wufei's queasy expression in amusement.
"I don't know how someone can possibly eat that stuff," he
groaned. "Duo coerced me into having a piece. I think I'll stick
to the Chinese take-out Sally brings in to the office."
"Food is food, as long as you're getting something in your
stomach, you shouldn't complain," Duo said, adopting the same
admonishing tone Wufei had used earlier. "Trust me, I know from
experience."
Wufei hesitated, not sure how to respond to his offhanded
allusion. He had not forgotten when Quatre had spoken of being
an orphan on L2 before becoming a Gundam pilot to Doctor Woods.
But he didn't seem to notice the uncertainty, or if he did he
ignored it, as he picked up another slice and waved in front of
his face.
"You know you want it..." Duo grinned impishly. "C'mon, chill
out and be a teenager for once! One more won't hurt. Besides, I
don't want to be sitting here looking like a pig, so someone's
gotta eat with me."
He eyed it uneasily. "What about Winner and Barton? I'm sure
-they- wouldn't mind."
"Oh no, we couldn't possibly, we had so much at breakfast this
morning, didn't we Trowa?" Quatre replied slyly, tilting his
head back and gazing up at his unibanged lover with a smile. He
nodded in agreement.
Wufei snorted derisively. "I'm sure you did."
"Ha! See, now you don't have any scapegoats!" Duo crowed
triumphantly.
"You're trying to kill me aren't you?" he grumbled, taking the
pizza and biting into it begrudgingly.
***
Heero entered his hotel room and immediately noticed the
blinking window on his laptop screen on the coffee table. He sat
down and opened the mail; his blank expression going puzzled as
he read the subject as it downloaded. "'03'? What is Trowa
contacting me for?"
The ex HeavyArms pilot's face flashed onto the screen, his one
visible blazing jade eye the only hint of his masked irritation.
'Yuy. I should hope that Relena's conference is over soon
because your presence is wished for in the wake of your
-comrade's- current situation. Quatre, Wufei, and I have decided
to stay and help our -friend- to the best of our abilities until
Duo is discharged, no matter what. But if you intend to continue
on protecting the Vice Foreign Minister from nonexistent threat
during her conference instead of consoling a -friend- in his
time of need, then by all means don't let us stop you. Barton
out.'
Heero was stung by calmly administered furious words. Yes, Wufei
hadn't entirely dropped the use of calling them by last names
out of his cultural custom, but Trowa and himself had tried to
abandon the military protocol after the wars, and to be
addressed like that after so long threw him off guard. Let alone
the fact that he had never seen or heard the quiet teen ever be
so angry in all the time he had known him. On top of that, he
was quite frankly blown away by the message.
'Your -comrade's- current situation...help our -friend-
...nonexistent threat...consoling a -friend- in his time of
need...'
He was right. He had run off when one of his best friends needed
him the most just to sit around in an empty balcony to watch out
for nonexistent threats.
"Heero? Are you in here? You ran off so quickly after the
preliminary meeting I hardly got a chance to say 'hi' to you..."
Relena trailed off as she walked into his room, watching the
Japanese teen pack his duffel bag on the couch. "Where are you
going? The conference does end for a few more days."
She would understand. "I left a very important mission
uncompleted. I'm returning to Earth again to remedy my mistake,"
Heero replied shortly, picking up his bag and tucking his room
key into the pocket of his faded blue jeans.
"Incomplete mission? That's not like you Heero Yuy," Relena
smiled. "Go on then, I don't want to get in your way if you've
got something important to do. I have Dorothy here with me, I'm
sure she can keep me company until you get back."
Heero nodded briefly and left her in the hotel room, his focus
set on getting the next flight out to Earth.
***
As the day wore on, the four ex-soldiers talked in relative
ease, with only a brief interruption by the psychiatrist on his
routinely check-in on Duo (he was offered the last of the then-
cold pizza, but he politely declined after glimpsing Wufei's
slightly green face), but were otherwise left to their own
accord.
Quatre chatted about the business and how his sisters and the
Maganacs were fairing, his mentioning of all of those who had
gotten married prompting the former Deathscythe pilot to prod
about his relationship with Trowa, which got the blonde
flustered as his partner only smiled indulgently in response.
Wufei had nothing but praise for the Preventers, though not
without muttering about 'baka onnas' named Sally Po and the
schemes she and Noin concoct to torment him and Zechs with, and
his part in rebuilding his home colony A0206 in the L5 cluster.
"It may not be the same as it was before, but it's the least I
can do for the Long clan," Wufei said solemnly. "They had some
distant relations still living in China that hadn't been exiled
with them to the colony, so I extended an invitation to them to
settle on it, and anyone else who also wishes to, of course."
"Always knew there was softer side to you, Fei," commended Duo
admirably. "I take it that they were your family, eh?"
"Uh-" he went red and roughly cleared his throat, casting around
through his thoughts for something to say. "Well, not exactly
-my- family...They gave me Nataku."
"But didn't Master O-"
"The person Nataku, not my Gundam, was the heiress of the Long
clan, but it wasn't traditionally suitable for a woman to hold
such a position of power so I was married to her against both of
our wills. She died defending Shenlong a short while later when
the wars started and so her spirit lived in it, giving it
strength to fight for justice. I didn't consider myself worthy
of piloting Nataku for the longest time, that her sacrifice was
for nothing because I had no sense of justice," Wufei explained
cautiously, feeling extremely self-conscious and vulnerable as
he spoke. He had never really gone into detail about his past to
anyone before, but the words just seemed to tumble out in answer
to Duo's innocent inquiry. "So if I can try to rebuild our home
and restore what little is left of the clan, then I can breathe
freely for once, knowing that I've returned the honor to
Meilan's family."
"You've more than paid your debt Wufei, we all have," Quatre
frowned. "Though I shouldn't talk, now should I..." He trailed
off thoughtfully, 'I took on my father's enterprise for the same
reasons, so that my father and Iria didn't die in vain.' Trowa
was the only one he had ever admitted that to, though he had
felt it was his obligation to, considering that it had been his
grief that led him to use the Zero system against the colonies
and nearly killing his lover in his temporary madness.
Almost as if on cue to the blonde's thought, Trowa's arms came
reassuringly around his shoulders in a warm hug. "Our time's
almost up, I expect the good doctor will be in here within the
next few minutes to hustle us out. Besides, I have a feeling
that Heero will be showing up at our doorstep tonight."
"Heero? Where is the sneaky bastard anyway?" Duo asked
curiously.
"That would be who you called earlier, right?" Wufei smirked,
inwardly relieved at the immense lightening of their
conversation.
"Yes," his eyes flared darkly, though his voice remained calm.
"I left him a nice little message since he seems preoccupied
with being Relena's personal bodyguard."
"Ah...Well then, you two head back to the hotel to greet him,
I'll sit here and wait until our 'good doctor' kicks me out."
Quatre's brow furrowed in concern. "Are you sure Wufei?"
"Somebody's going to have to keep the Unibang under control,"
Duo grinned at the tall teen. "He looks like he wants to beat
the living shit out of Heero."
"Oh now I don't know about -that- Duo, maybe a friendly punch,
but not the living shit," Trowa replied amusedly.
"You better check for throwing knives now."
Trowa looked mildly affronted, but smiled slightly nonetheless
at them. "Honestly, I think my message was punishment enough,
there's no need for any more."
"We'll see you back at the hotel then Wufei," Quatre got up from
his chair and embraced Duo firmly. "And we'll see you first
thing tomorrow morning, and if you get some sleep, I'll pilfer
some ice cream from room service to bring, all right?"
"Are you attempting to blackmail me?" Duo narrowed his eyes
suspiciously as the Arabian stood up.
"If that's what I have to do to get you healthy again, then yes,
I'm blackmailing you."
He chuckled appreciatively. "That's my Q-man." He waved at the
couple as they left, beaming cheerfully. "They're so adorable,
don't you agree Fei? I knew they were going to together
eventually."
"Did you now?"
"Of course! They were so obviously smitten with each other
during the wars, I can't believe it took them this long!" he
grinned again. "I think we're the only single ones out of the
group, ne? Quatre and Trowa, Heero and Relena, Noin and
Zechs...Unless you're closer to Sally then you let on." Duo
winked slyly.
"No," Wufei shook his head. "I'll allow that she is an admirable
doctor and a very good soldier for a woman, but we're only
friends and it won't go any further than that. I'm fine just as
I am for the moment."
"Mhmm..." He looked at the Asian appraisingly. "So what about
the wife you were talking about earlier?"
Wufei paused, turning his gaze down to his hands in his lap.
"No, I respected Meilan, but our marriage was forced onto us by
tradition. Maybe if I had been able to spend more time with
her..." He shook his head again vigorously. "Done is done, it's
useless to contemplate 'what if's. I'm content with how I am
now, though if I were to get romantically involved with someone,
I wouldn't fight it. I can at least learn from my past
mistakes."
Duo stretched out languidly on the bed, pulling the pillow into
his arms and burrowing into it. "If I ever get out of here, then
we'll go out and find someone together, how's that sound? So we
won't be the only bachelors hanging around."
"That sounds- wait," Wufei sat up straight and frowned. "What do
you mean by 'if'? You -are- going to get out of here, even if I
have to break in here in the middle of the night and take you
myself." He got up from the end of the bed and took Quatre's
chair, staring Duo straight in the eye. "Do you understand what
I'm saying? I will not have you ever doubting that you'll be
released, where is my optimistic Duo Maxwell? You -will- be, and
we -will- go out to where ever you want to go to try and rid
ourselves of our bachelorhood. Got it?"
"Yes, Commander! I hear you loud and clear," Duo stuck his face
into the pillow to muffle his snickering.
"That's better," Wufei smiled smugly, then the meaning of
exactly what he had said sunk in and he paled. "Oh gods..."
"I'm going to take that as a promise, so don't you dare try to
back out of it," he threatened mischievously, bringing his face
back up.
"First pizza and now dating...how do I get myself into these
messes?"
"Because you'd do anything for your best friend with enough
persuasion," Duo winked.
"You tricked me...You got me all riled up so that I let myself
get backed into a corner," Wufei scowled, folding his arms
across his chest indignantly.
He chuckled and rolled over onto his stomach, his chestnut hair
fanning out around his body like a blanket. Duo suddenly
appeared childish again as he glanced over at the Chinese teen.
"Fei...will you stay in here 'til I fall asleep?" he asked
timidly. "It's harder when I'm by myself...'cause I don't have
anything to distract me from...well, you know...-them-." His
voice held a fearful tone as he turned his eyes away shamefully.
"Of course I will, if that's what you want," Wufei pulled the
chair as close to the bed as possible and laid his crossed arms
on the edge, resting his chin on them.
"Thank you Wufei."
A tired smile graced his features as he sat there in the
comfortable silence, and he didn't remember who fell asleep
first, Duo or himself.
***
*purrs* A lovely suggestion by my lovely Shella-chan. ^_^ I do
hope that this makes up for the horror I'm putting Wufei through
in 'Fatal Asphyxiation'! *shifty eyes*
Click! Review! Flame! Just remember that flames will only be
used to roast the author's marshmallows...SMORES! ^___^
for the lateness! *sweatdrop* It's nearly twice as long as the
other chapters, almost seven pages long! As I mentioned in the
new chapter of 'Fatal Asphyxiation', chapter for my stories
might become a bit more spaced out than usual because of the
horrendous load of summer work I have to do for school before it
starts back up. *dies* It's torture! But I will be sure to try
and get out chapters a regular pace, though if I don't, you know
why! ^_^;
This lengthy chapter contains kawaii 3+4 moments with a dash of
Heero-shock, an even more kawaii Wufei/Duo moment, AND- *dun dun
dun* I do believe this is the first time I have never bashed
Relena in a fic. *shock* I actually make her quite nice and
understanding...I'm worry about my own sanity sometimes...let
alone that of the G-boys. O.o;;
The angsty-ness! The humor! The drama! The sexual innuendo! Er-
*cough* Ignore that last one...(hint: look closely at what
Relena says... *snicker*)
Reviews! ^__^
Dark Ice: I know that there isn't a time limit, but I do try to
get chapters out every week, week and half or so, no more than
two weeks at most if I can help it. ^_^;; Considering that I
didn't get said smack in the head, I think I didn't take too
long with this chapter. *sweatdrop* Read and enjoy! ^_^
C-Chan2: Lol, I feel your pain! It annoys me to no end when
ff.net acts up and won't let me read chapters to stories or
anything. *grumble* But I'm certainly glad that you're liking my
insane musings so far! I talk out loud all the time, my parents
have gotten used to my ramblings, they've given up trying to
think that I'm sane. *snicker* You, me, and Duo can all share a
padded room together! ^__^ Happy reading!
WolfQueen821: Yes, it was brief, but they return and stay for
the bulk of this chapter, so no worries! In fact, Trowa makes a
nice little call to Heero about going AWOL on Duo. ^__^
Shini-girl Kit: This is sweet? *blink blink* A few moments are
sweet, but most of this fic is pure, grade A angst at its
finest. ^__^ I'm glad you're liking it! Read and enjoy!
Nelia: Ah, my Nelia-chan! If you think Quatre's Mother Hen mode
is good, wait until you see what Trowa does. *wink* It's always
the silent ones you gotta worry about...And of course Wufei
isn't mad at Duo! Duo's going to be getting a lot of things he
needs right now, all thanks to the wonderful-ness Wufei. *purr*
^___^
O Genki Kitsune: Well, this chapter is considerably longer than
the rest. I make a point to replying to all of my reviewers to
show my undying appreciation for their taking the time to review
to my little fic, sometimes it's the reviews that keep me from
giving up on the story, so I must give credit where credit is
due. ^_^ Happy reading!
Sivy: The shoujen-ai will come soon enough. ^_^ For now, readers
must be content with the 3x4 moments as I build on Wufei and
Duo's relationship, have to take it nice a slow you know, so you
all have the best quality romance and nothing rushed and half-
hearted. ^_^
P-chan: Fanart based on my fic? Awww...I think you've just made
my day! ^__^ Hopefully I'll get a view of it soon! Until then,
here is a lovely new chapter for you to sink your teeth into and
enjoy!
Shella: It's ok! I perfectly understand what you mean! *huggles*
I had a moment where I was sidetracked from GW by the angsty
teen Kamui in X, but until I get the next DVD, my distraction
has returned to GW! ^_^;;; I see what you mean by the sentence
running on a little, I tend to do that occasionally (okay, a
-lot-), I write as I think, so it sounds right in my head and I
dismiss it. And for the second sentence, I didn't mean for the
tense to change, the ' it is a' was supposed to be 'it was the',
I have no idea how it ended up like that. *sweatdrop* Other than
the slight mishaps in sentence structure, I'm basking in your
praise. ^_^;; It's my mission to slowly evolve Wufei's character
as carefully as possible so it seems natural, like you said,
this is an entirely different situation for him so it's bound to
affect him. But I agree entirely, and Quatre gets a sneak peek
at the nice Wufei in this chapter. And I don't think any of the
G-boys would trust doctors, especially after what all they went
through with those mad scientists, wouldn't you feel the same?
And as for your plot duck...*purr* Just read, my precious
Shella. ^__^ But yes, Doctor Woods is another character I'm
trying to write carefully, not too obtrusive, though at the same
time being an important part in the plot. I don't know why
people hate Duo either, I luff him to the point of morbid
obsession! ^__^ Maybe it is the voice, but I've watched it in
Japanese, so I wouldn't know how bad the English dub is. *shrug*
And Heero is about to get his skinny ass back in the picture
after a nice little phone call from an appropriately pissed off
Trowa. *snicker* But Relena doesn't find out, I actually write
her as a normal human being for once, she understands. *shock*
I'm losing my mind, honestly, for me to not bash Relena. I just
updated 'Fatal', so there's a new chapter there along with this!
I manage multiple fics by working on them in shifts, one day
would be spent on 'Imaginary', the next 'Fatal', then the next
'Revenge', I get a little routine going so that they're all
updated every week or so, with a few days in between each fic
update, so you readers aren't swamped. ^__^ *whew* Long, long
reply to a long, long review...Have fun reading! ^___^
On with the story! ^___^
***
Quatre watched his green-eyed lover uneasily as they drove out
of the clinic's parking lot. Even though Trowa appeared no
different than normal on the outside, he could feel anger
beginning to churn from inside him.
He knew he hadn't wanted to believe Wufei the day before, that
he wanted to think the Asian had simply been overreacting to the
situation. But when he had witnessed for himself the seriousness
of Duo's condition, Trowa realized that -he- was the one
mistaken, not Wufei.
Quatre could almost hear the thoughts running through his
lover's head:
At least he wasn't the only one mistaken. He was going to call
him and let him know exactly how much of a coward he was for
leaving so soon.
Focusing his attention back to the road, Quatre pointed out a
pizza place. "Let's go in there."
A few minutes later, as Trowa pulled back out onto the road, he
asked calmly, "They have vid-phones in the institute, right?"
"I should say so. Wufei called Sally yesterday."
"Good." The blonde glanced over at him, but the unibanged teen
only smiled slightly and didn't divulge into detail.
They reentered the building and Trowa walked over to the
receptionist to find out where the phones were as Quatre
continued on to Duo's room alone with the food. Wufei's voice
filtered through as he opened the door silently.
"...you aren't at fault here, we are. If I'm 'pissed off' with
anyone, it is myself and the others, not you."
"Really?"
"Yes, really."
Standing in the threshold, all Quatre could see was Wufei knelt
beside Duo with his hand on his shoulder and his back to the
door, but the Arabian didn't need to see the smile he knew was
there by the gentle tone in the Asian's voice. He had never
heard him sound so gentle before, not in all the time they had
spent together during, or after, the wars, it was almost like he
was a different person.
Quatre cleared his throat lightly as he shut the door,
announcing his presence. "Trowa should be along in a minute, he
had to use to phone for Allah knows what," he smiled brightly as
Duo's grin widened more and Wufei hastily retreated back to his
seat at the end of the bed. Balancing the box in one hand, he
picked up the chair against the wall that Doctor Woods had used
and set it in between the two. "Anyone in the mood for pizza?"
"You're trying to spoil me, aren't you?" Duo mock grimaced.
"Naturally. The sooner we can get you out of here, the better,"
Quatre replied. "Even if it means pizza and ice cream every day
for a week. Ice cream cures everything, judging by the ungodly
amount my sisters consume on a regular basis."
"I knew there was a reason why I loved you so much, Q-man."
"Now you're pushing your luck Duo," Wufei admonished, smirking.
The blonde sat observing them as Duo laughed and cajoled the
wary Chinese Preventer into eating some of the greasy pizza with
him, he obliged even when he obviously considered it disgusting.
Not once since his first visit with the longhaired teen had
Wufei referred to him as 'Maxwell' or any other name, it was
'Duo'. Quatre was beginning to understand what the psychiatrist
had been talking about, when he encouraged their visits, while
Wufei was tentatively showing another side of himself to Duo, he
too was changing dramatically over the course of time the longer
they were around him. He was becoming more and more like the old
Shinigami they knew best, if not a slightly subdued version at
any rate, but it was better than nothing.
The door opened again and Trowa entered with a barely
perceptible satisfied look on his face as he walked over and
leaned his folded arms onto the back of Quatre's chair. "It
seems I missed out on all the fun," he remarked, regarding
Wufei's queasy expression in amusement.
"I don't know how someone can possibly eat that stuff," he
groaned. "Duo coerced me into having a piece. I think I'll stick
to the Chinese take-out Sally brings in to the office."
"Food is food, as long as you're getting something in your
stomach, you shouldn't complain," Duo said, adopting the same
admonishing tone Wufei had used earlier. "Trust me, I know from
experience."
Wufei hesitated, not sure how to respond to his offhanded
allusion. He had not forgotten when Quatre had spoken of being
an orphan on L2 before becoming a Gundam pilot to Doctor Woods.
But he didn't seem to notice the uncertainty, or if he did he
ignored it, as he picked up another slice and waved in front of
his face.
"You know you want it..." Duo grinned impishly. "C'mon, chill
out and be a teenager for once! One more won't hurt. Besides, I
don't want to be sitting here looking like a pig, so someone's
gotta eat with me."
He eyed it uneasily. "What about Winner and Barton? I'm sure
-they- wouldn't mind."
"Oh no, we couldn't possibly, we had so much at breakfast this
morning, didn't we Trowa?" Quatre replied slyly, tilting his
head back and gazing up at his unibanged lover with a smile. He
nodded in agreement.
Wufei snorted derisively. "I'm sure you did."
"Ha! See, now you don't have any scapegoats!" Duo crowed
triumphantly.
"You're trying to kill me aren't you?" he grumbled, taking the
pizza and biting into it begrudgingly.
***
Heero entered his hotel room and immediately noticed the
blinking window on his laptop screen on the coffee table. He sat
down and opened the mail; his blank expression going puzzled as
he read the subject as it downloaded. "'03'? What is Trowa
contacting me for?"
The ex HeavyArms pilot's face flashed onto the screen, his one
visible blazing jade eye the only hint of his masked irritation.
'Yuy. I should hope that Relena's conference is over soon
because your presence is wished for in the wake of your
-comrade's- current situation. Quatre, Wufei, and I have decided
to stay and help our -friend- to the best of our abilities until
Duo is discharged, no matter what. But if you intend to continue
on protecting the Vice Foreign Minister from nonexistent threat
during her conference instead of consoling a -friend- in his
time of need, then by all means don't let us stop you. Barton
out.'
Heero was stung by calmly administered furious words. Yes, Wufei
hadn't entirely dropped the use of calling them by last names
out of his cultural custom, but Trowa and himself had tried to
abandon the military protocol after the wars, and to be
addressed like that after so long threw him off guard. Let alone
the fact that he had never seen or heard the quiet teen ever be
so angry in all the time he had known him. On top of that, he
was quite frankly blown away by the message.
'Your -comrade's- current situation...help our -friend-
...nonexistent threat...consoling a -friend- in his time of
need...'
He was right. He had run off when one of his best friends needed
him the most just to sit around in an empty balcony to watch out
for nonexistent threats.
"Heero? Are you in here? You ran off so quickly after the
preliminary meeting I hardly got a chance to say 'hi' to you..."
Relena trailed off as she walked into his room, watching the
Japanese teen pack his duffel bag on the couch. "Where are you
going? The conference does end for a few more days."
She would understand. "I left a very important mission
uncompleted. I'm returning to Earth again to remedy my mistake,"
Heero replied shortly, picking up his bag and tucking his room
key into the pocket of his faded blue jeans.
"Incomplete mission? That's not like you Heero Yuy," Relena
smiled. "Go on then, I don't want to get in your way if you've
got something important to do. I have Dorothy here with me, I'm
sure she can keep me company until you get back."
Heero nodded briefly and left her in the hotel room, his focus
set on getting the next flight out to Earth.
***
As the day wore on, the four ex-soldiers talked in relative
ease, with only a brief interruption by the psychiatrist on his
routinely check-in on Duo (he was offered the last of the then-
cold pizza, but he politely declined after glimpsing Wufei's
slightly green face), but were otherwise left to their own
accord.
Quatre chatted about the business and how his sisters and the
Maganacs were fairing, his mentioning of all of those who had
gotten married prompting the former Deathscythe pilot to prod
about his relationship with Trowa, which got the blonde
flustered as his partner only smiled indulgently in response.
Wufei had nothing but praise for the Preventers, though not
without muttering about 'baka onnas' named Sally Po and the
schemes she and Noin concoct to torment him and Zechs with, and
his part in rebuilding his home colony A0206 in the L5 cluster.
"It may not be the same as it was before, but it's the least I
can do for the Long clan," Wufei said solemnly. "They had some
distant relations still living in China that hadn't been exiled
with them to the colony, so I extended an invitation to them to
settle on it, and anyone else who also wishes to, of course."
"Always knew there was softer side to you, Fei," commended Duo
admirably. "I take it that they were your family, eh?"
"Uh-" he went red and roughly cleared his throat, casting around
through his thoughts for something to say. "Well, not exactly
-my- family...They gave me Nataku."
"But didn't Master O-"
"The person Nataku, not my Gundam, was the heiress of the Long
clan, but it wasn't traditionally suitable for a woman to hold
such a position of power so I was married to her against both of
our wills. She died defending Shenlong a short while later when
the wars started and so her spirit lived in it, giving it
strength to fight for justice. I didn't consider myself worthy
of piloting Nataku for the longest time, that her sacrifice was
for nothing because I had no sense of justice," Wufei explained
cautiously, feeling extremely self-conscious and vulnerable as
he spoke. He had never really gone into detail about his past to
anyone before, but the words just seemed to tumble out in answer
to Duo's innocent inquiry. "So if I can try to rebuild our home
and restore what little is left of the clan, then I can breathe
freely for once, knowing that I've returned the honor to
Meilan's family."
"You've more than paid your debt Wufei, we all have," Quatre
frowned. "Though I shouldn't talk, now should I..." He trailed
off thoughtfully, 'I took on my father's enterprise for the same
reasons, so that my father and Iria didn't die in vain.' Trowa
was the only one he had ever admitted that to, though he had
felt it was his obligation to, considering that it had been his
grief that led him to use the Zero system against the colonies
and nearly killing his lover in his temporary madness.
Almost as if on cue to the blonde's thought, Trowa's arms came
reassuringly around his shoulders in a warm hug. "Our time's
almost up, I expect the good doctor will be in here within the
next few minutes to hustle us out. Besides, I have a feeling
that Heero will be showing up at our doorstep tonight."
"Heero? Where is the sneaky bastard anyway?" Duo asked
curiously.
"That would be who you called earlier, right?" Wufei smirked,
inwardly relieved at the immense lightening of their
conversation.
"Yes," his eyes flared darkly, though his voice remained calm.
"I left him a nice little message since he seems preoccupied
with being Relena's personal bodyguard."
"Ah...Well then, you two head back to the hotel to greet him,
I'll sit here and wait until our 'good doctor' kicks me out."
Quatre's brow furrowed in concern. "Are you sure Wufei?"
"Somebody's going to have to keep the Unibang under control,"
Duo grinned at the tall teen. "He looks like he wants to beat
the living shit out of Heero."
"Oh now I don't know about -that- Duo, maybe a friendly punch,
but not the living shit," Trowa replied amusedly.
"You better check for throwing knives now."
Trowa looked mildly affronted, but smiled slightly nonetheless
at them. "Honestly, I think my message was punishment enough,
there's no need for any more."
"We'll see you back at the hotel then Wufei," Quatre got up from
his chair and embraced Duo firmly. "And we'll see you first
thing tomorrow morning, and if you get some sleep, I'll pilfer
some ice cream from room service to bring, all right?"
"Are you attempting to blackmail me?" Duo narrowed his eyes
suspiciously as the Arabian stood up.
"If that's what I have to do to get you healthy again, then yes,
I'm blackmailing you."
He chuckled appreciatively. "That's my Q-man." He waved at the
couple as they left, beaming cheerfully. "They're so adorable,
don't you agree Fei? I knew they were going to together
eventually."
"Did you now?"
"Of course! They were so obviously smitten with each other
during the wars, I can't believe it took them this long!" he
grinned again. "I think we're the only single ones out of the
group, ne? Quatre and Trowa, Heero and Relena, Noin and
Zechs...Unless you're closer to Sally then you let on." Duo
winked slyly.
"No," Wufei shook his head. "I'll allow that she is an admirable
doctor and a very good soldier for a woman, but we're only
friends and it won't go any further than that. I'm fine just as
I am for the moment."
"Mhmm..." He looked at the Asian appraisingly. "So what about
the wife you were talking about earlier?"
Wufei paused, turning his gaze down to his hands in his lap.
"No, I respected Meilan, but our marriage was forced onto us by
tradition. Maybe if I had been able to spend more time with
her..." He shook his head again vigorously. "Done is done, it's
useless to contemplate 'what if's. I'm content with how I am
now, though if I were to get romantically involved with someone,
I wouldn't fight it. I can at least learn from my past
mistakes."
Duo stretched out languidly on the bed, pulling the pillow into
his arms and burrowing into it. "If I ever get out of here, then
we'll go out and find someone together, how's that sound? So we
won't be the only bachelors hanging around."
"That sounds- wait," Wufei sat up straight and frowned. "What do
you mean by 'if'? You -are- going to get out of here, even if I
have to break in here in the middle of the night and take you
myself." He got up from the end of the bed and took Quatre's
chair, staring Duo straight in the eye. "Do you understand what
I'm saying? I will not have you ever doubting that you'll be
released, where is my optimistic Duo Maxwell? You -will- be, and
we -will- go out to where ever you want to go to try and rid
ourselves of our bachelorhood. Got it?"
"Yes, Commander! I hear you loud and clear," Duo stuck his face
into the pillow to muffle his snickering.
"That's better," Wufei smiled smugly, then the meaning of
exactly what he had said sunk in and he paled. "Oh gods..."
"I'm going to take that as a promise, so don't you dare try to
back out of it," he threatened mischievously, bringing his face
back up.
"First pizza and now dating...how do I get myself into these
messes?"
"Because you'd do anything for your best friend with enough
persuasion," Duo winked.
"You tricked me...You got me all riled up so that I let myself
get backed into a corner," Wufei scowled, folding his arms
across his chest indignantly.
He chuckled and rolled over onto his stomach, his chestnut hair
fanning out around his body like a blanket. Duo suddenly
appeared childish again as he glanced over at the Chinese teen.
"Fei...will you stay in here 'til I fall asleep?" he asked
timidly. "It's harder when I'm by myself...'cause I don't have
anything to distract me from...well, you know...-them-." His
voice held a fearful tone as he turned his eyes away shamefully.
"Of course I will, if that's what you want," Wufei pulled the
chair as close to the bed as possible and laid his crossed arms
on the edge, resting his chin on them.
"Thank you Wufei."
A tired smile graced his features as he sat there in the
comfortable silence, and he didn't remember who fell asleep
first, Duo or himself.
***
*purrs* A lovely suggestion by my lovely Shella-chan. ^_^ I do
hope that this makes up for the horror I'm putting Wufei through
in 'Fatal Asphyxiation'! *shifty eyes*
Click! Review! Flame! Just remember that flames will only be
used to roast the author's marshmallows...SMORES! ^___^