"In The Stars" Chapter 15

Wufei stood silently, in the ever darkening night, watching Duo from across the square speaking on his cell phone inside the pay phone booth. He shifted from one foot to the other, a shiver sweeping through him with the wind; he was growing impatient if not anxious by the amount of time Duo was taking. What if Treize gets angry for being called like this, Wufei wondered all of a sudden. As Duo walked back over he felt his stomachs tighten, causing him to pull his jacket a bit tighter around him.

"He is on his way," Duo said when he was close enough to be heard without shouting.

"How did he sound?" Wufei questioned his stomach twisting even more.

"What?"

"Was he angry, overly worried," Wufei demanded. "What if he gets mad when he gets here to see what you said wasn't exactly the truth?"

"If he does, I imagine what comes next will change his mind," Duo answered not only to reassure but also to calm down Wufei. "Now come on you have to play your part too."

"I am," Wufei snapped defensively, "I'm supposed to stand here and wait."

"He's not going to rush over if you don't at least look the part," Duo admonished with a shake of his head.

"No way, I know how he'll react to that," Wufei replied shaking his own head. "He's probably speeding as it is."

"Hum, then I better go to my hiding spot," Duo said with a laugh before heading toward the cover of the pillars behind Wufei.

Wufei continued to shift his weight nervously, also trying to keep the cold away, when he noticed crystal flakes were beginning to fall. It was starting to snow, the first snow of the season even though it was already mid-December. Wufei sucked in a chilly breath when he spot Treize's car pulling up the curb near the square.

Treize stepped out his eyes instantly searching, Wufei could tell even from the distance between them. He knew the moment Treize's eyes fell on him, he could feel their concern. As he moved closer his eyes were searching Wufei's shaking form to find proof of Duo's story.

"Wufei..." Treize started to say but the Chinese man held up his bare hand to forestall the other man.

"The reason you're here is because I wanted the whole town to know," Wufei said before taking another deep breath of the winter air. "That I love you and I cherish my new home," he practically shouted.

The few people who were still out on the streets turned in surprise at the exclamation. Wufei hoped his blush was hidden by the cold kissing his cheeks. Treize stood a few feet away from him and just stared, snowflakes collecting in his ginger hair. This caused Wufei's stomach to suddenly revolt even worse than it had before, that he'd down the wrong thing. He was only able to keep the contents inside by sheer will power alone.

Then suddenly Treize smiled, doing even more interesting things to Wufei's stomach. With three easy strides the older man stood before him, giving him a moment before strong arms encircle his shivering form. Wufei melted into the warm embrace, much as the snowflakes in his hair did, but his stomach refused to clam down. "Thank you and I love you too," Treize's voice whispered over his ear.

He wasn't mad because of Duo's slightly exaggerated story, so why didn't that make him feel any better. His stomach was doing summersaults all their own, wanting to dispel everything inside. Wufei clamped him mouth shut, not wanting such a thing to occur.

"But why the story? I was worried about you," Treize inquired noticing Wufei hasn't said a word since his declaration of love. "Wufei are you all right?"

Wufei didn't hear Duo come out but he did hear his voice. "Sorry about worrying you, but we wanted it to be a surprise."

Wufei knew he couldn't keep his stomach under his control any longer. He tore himself from Treize's embrace, running to the cover of the trees behind the square. His stomach emptied the moment he got there, the upheaval only making him gag more.

"Wufei?" Treize called his voice moving closer.

Finally his body stopped trying to purge out his organs giving him a chance to breathe and speak. "No! Stay away," Wufei cried his tears mingling with the snow.

"Wufei what's wrong? I'm coming after you no matter what you say." Treize's voice held concern but also refused argument.

Wufei gagged again just as Treize stepped into the grove of trees. He was amazed he still had anything left in his stomach after the first time, but it seemed to be the case. Treize's large hand soothed over Wufei's back helping to calm him down. Finally after several dry heaves he felt like he just might be dead but it did stop.

Treize offered him a small cloth to wipe his mouth with, but he refused to straighten. His eyes were pinched closed yet the tears still slipped freed, he couldn't face Treize. He didn't even understand why he just gotten so violently ill.

"Wufei, I'm going to take you to the hospital," Treize's voice said piercing his fog of embarrassment.

"No, I'm fine," Wufei finally said straightening up but still refusing to look at Treize.

"You just got sick, how can you say that," Treize demanded.

Wufei finally forced his eyes open. "I don't know why, I just felt like it after you just stood there with no reaction to what I said..."

"Are you saying it was just nervousness?" Treize asked wanting clarification as he searched Wufei's dark eyes.

"I don't know what it was... but I do feel better now."

"Are you sure?" Treize asked concerned.

"Maybe something I ate with Duo didn't agree with me," Wufei offered wiping at his eyes with the sleeve of his coat.

"Come on I want to get you somewhere warmer," Treize advised scooping Wufei into his arms.

"I can walk," Wufei protested weekly.

"Yes, but I can walk faster," Treize reasoned stepping out of the trees and heading for his car.

Duo looked at them, worried, when they emerged and started across the square. 'I'm okay,' Wufei mouthed to him. Duo still looked unsure but nodded and didn't approach them. He showed Wufei the action of using the phone, letting him know he'd call.

Treize settled the younger man into the passenger seat before getting behind the wheel and starting the car. The heater blew out warm air instantly, sending a chill all over Wufei's cool body. The winter air hadn't been numbing but it had been cold.

"Did you want to speak with Duo?" Treize asked noticing the braided man had disappeared.

"Already did," Wufei responded. "Let's go home."

"All right," Treize agreed smiling at the suggestion.

Wufei rested in the seat his eyes slipping closed as Treize turned around and headed for their home. Treize pulled into the garage keeping the winter weather outside. He came around to the passenger side to collecting the sleeping young man. Not wanting to wake him, he tried to remain quiet as he moved through the house and upstairs. He placed Wufei in his bed, deciding it would be easier to watch over him.

Wufei stirred several hours later, his head pounding to the beat of his heart. He lifted his hand, finding it heavier than normal. He looked around his eyes focusing but then blurring his vision in the dark room, it wasn't his. He watched a large form enter the lit doorway, his eyes finally coming into complete focus on Treize's face. The older man looked worried, his brow creased with concern. Wufei opened his mouth to say something but his throat felt raw, like a cheese grater had combed over it.

"Hey, I see you're awake," Treize said almost too loud for Wufei to bare, his head pounding even worse. "How are you feeling?"

Wufei closed his eyes feeling too tired to attempt an answer. Had he caught something, was that why he felt so horrible? His head hurt too much to really think about it. He felt cold and shivered under the blankets but he also thought he was sweating. A cool hand rested against his forehead making him realize how hot his skin felt.

"Wufei," Treize called softly making him open his eyes. "I want to check your temperature."

Treize held up something with a long narrow end and a blunt wider end. Wufei opened his mouth feeling the narrow end slide under his tongue. It was held in place as it beeped slowly before going off several times in succession. Treize removed it his eyes going to the blunt end where it must have registered the reading. "One hundred and one, maybe I should take you to the hospital."

Wufei shook his head, finding the action made him dizzy and even more nauseous. He curled up not only to keep from getting sick but also to stop the shivering.

"Wufei there is something wrong here, first you got sick and now your temperature is over a hundred. Not to mention you're shivering under three blankets," Treize said gaining his attention again. "It could be a flu bug, from being outside earlier but I'd like to make sure just in case."

Wufei lifted his arm, his movements slow and clumsy as he reached for Treize's arm. Treize took his hand holding it tightly in his own but shook his head. "All right, for now we won't go but if it gets worse I will take you no matter what you want."

Wufei forced his eyes open to look at Treize, his gratitude showing in their dark depths. He'd had enough of that hospital; he never wanted to go back there for any reason. His fingers went limp in Treize's grip as he slipped back into a hazy sleep.

Wufei's eyes slowly opened, he felt bone cold as he tried to regain his senses. "Wow, look who woke up," a familiar voice drifted over him. He turned his head to see Duo standing beside him. Something was wrong though, something in those violet eyes was all wrong. They were hard, all their innocence gone; their laughter and joy were false. Wufei finally tore his eyes away from Duo's to look around. This wasn't the room he'd fallen asleep in, it was full of machines. He saw Quatre sitting alone while Heero was sitting behind a black laptop.

Had it all been a dream of his unconscious? Yet it hurt, inside he was choking on the pain. He had started to enjoy it there, he was getting used to that place. Used to Treize, that kinder Treize who could never start something he taught his students about.

"We thought you had died," Duo's voice broke through to him. "Good to know you've decided to join us again. Of course it isn't like we need your help. Well if you had been fighting it wouldn't even had happened." Wufei watched his features change, become more malicious. "I can't believe they sent someone like you to fight for the colonies."

His chest was in pain, it was constricting around his lungs making it impossible to breathe. He opened his mouth but his voice was lost in a silent scream. He was shaking, his whole body cold but warm at the same time.

"Wufei!" a gentle voice called into his pain filled fog. "Come on Wufei wake up. Wake up sweetheart, it is only a nightmare."

Wufei's dark eyes flew open to focus on worried but soft blue ones. Treize was sitting on the bed beside him his hand gently combing through Wufei's sweaty hair. "Your fever has gone up; I'm going to take you to the hospital."

Wufei shook his head with a mute no; his mouth firmly shut to keep whatever was left in his stomach there. Treize sighed but shook his head as well, "I told you if it got worse and it has, I would take you no matter what. If your temperature goes up any higher you are going to fry your brain. Now I am going to take you to the hospital."

Treize removed three of the blankets covering his still shivering body; he wrapped the final one tighter around Wufei. Wufei found himself too tired to resist as he was collected from the bed and carried out of the room. Treize drove to the hospital in silence as Wufei floated between consciousness and unconsciousness.

Wufei wasn't sure how much time had passed before he woke up again. He was in another one of those retched sterile hospital rooms, everything washed out in the plain white color all over. His gaze fell on ginger hair that stood out in a bright contrast to the while sheets. He slowly lifted his hand, finding it didn't weight more than him, and gently combed his fingers through the beautiful thick strands. Treize stirred immediately his head snapping up to focus blue eyes on Wufei's black ones. Treize smiled collecting the hand that had woken him in his own grip.

"Hey sleepy head," Treize offered with a smile.

Wufei swallowed to see if his throat was still raw, it didn't seem to burn with his saliva. "Hey," his voice still sounded hoarse.

"Well at least I can tell Duo you're not dead," Treize said behind a grin. Wufei only shook his head, deciding his voice really wasn't capable of long speech. "He did ask yesterday, I guess after four days one wonders. You came down with a major bug, but it seems to finally be going, your fever broke yesterday evening," Treize explained to questions Wufei couldn't voice.

So, all that before had been a dream of his fevered mind, he couldn't go back to that place even if he had wanted to. Somewhere deep inside he knew he didn't want to, he'd accepted this place found a peace he never thought he'd see in his own world. He not only found peace but he found another emotion he thought he would never experience in his lifetime. All the people here had shown him how to lead a peaceful life, he didn't need a war to survive and live.

"I'm so happy you like it here." Wufei turned to see the curly haired child sitting at the end of his bed. "I knew this place would be perfect for you. I'm sorry about the nightmares; your mind was torn between the two realities but in the end chose this one."

"You did this?" Wufei's voice was scratchy when he spoke.

"You're too smart you were not supposed to figure that out," the child pouted.

"Wufei...?" Treize's voice interrupted concerned.

"Lady Fate is here, the same child from before," Wufei said forcing the words past his tender throat.

"Why?" Treize inquired his fingers tightening ever so slightly around Wufei's.

"Don't know," he shrugged still looking at her.

"I came to warn you," she answered. "When you get sick like you were your mind will get caught, pushing you back into a world your body has already lost. They will be painful but if he is here," she gestured to Treize, "I know you will get through them."

"Is this some kind of side-effect?" Wufei asked his throat tightening around the words.

"You could think of it like that, yet what you might see never happened and never will in that place," she said after a moment of thought.

Wufei decided it would be for the best if he didn't mention this to Treize or Duo. They were only nightmares; he could get through them just fine. Treize would only worry unnecessarily as he could do nothing to prevent them anyway. Not to mention he didn't want to think of Duo's reaction and those concerned violet eyes turning on him.

"Aren't you going to say something to him?" the girl asked with expectant eyes. Wufei shook his head no in reply, causing the child to blink. "Why not, you always tell him what I say."

"No need," Wufei finally said gaining a questioning look from Treize.

"This could be dangerous, he should know since he will be helping you deal with them," the girl reasoned.

"No," Wufei insisted his teeth clenched. "I can handle it."

"Hum," she replied thoughtful. "Are you afraid to tell him, I could bend the rules and do it for you."

"No, don't," Wufei replied shaking his head harder.

"Wufei this isn't safe," she reprimanded her voice sounding older than she looked.

"It is my decision," Wufei replied getting over his surprise quickly.

"I didn't put you here to hurt them or yourself," the older voice answered from the child's lips. "I will tell him, only because you won't."

"Damn it, why are you all so pushy to talk! You're just like Duo," Wufei wanted to scream but his throat wouldn't allow it.

"Because you don't, especially with something like this. It doesn't make you weak to admit you need help," she admonished.

"Wufei what is happening?" Treize interrupted their conversation without realizing it.

"Nothing," Wufei replied not looking at him.

"It doesn't seem like nothing to me, you're upset, why?" Treize pointed out.

Wufei grunted, "See what you did!" His voice was directed at the child.

"Nope, you did that, he can see how you're feeling and reacting even if you won't tell him why," she answered staring back at him.

"I take it back; I think you are worse than Duo."

"Wufei you know this is dangerous, these nightmares could get worse," she explained in response. "You need him even if you refuse to admit it. Now tell him or so help me I will."

"I don't need anyone," Wufei shouted.

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