Part 10: Meetings
Breathing deeply, Wufei bowed his head, hands on his knees as he sat on a fallen tree. He growled his frustration as he sought to slow his breaths.
There was no excuse for this. He simply had to get stronger.
He leaned back and lifted his head, opening his eyes to scan the dark forest.
It was time for him to head back. As weak as he was, he'd managed to be useful to the others.
He was just standing when he heard a branch crack to his left.
Wufei whirled, crouching in a fighting stance, and Duo smothered a snicker. He couldn't prevent a grin when the black-haired boy saw him, those dark eyes narrowing in anger.
"Did I startle you?" asked Duo playfully.
Wufei glared.
With a soft laugh, Duo moved to him and threw an arm over the boy's shoulders, just like he had with Quatre earlier.
"Don't get mad," said Duo. "I was worried about you."
With a surprised expression, Wufei stared at him for a moment. But it wasn't long before he was glaring again. "I can take care of myself," he growled.
He wasn't quite as angry as he wanted Duo to believe. The proof was there in the fact that he didn't throw off Duo's arm.
"I know you can," said Duo. He grinned, ruffling Wufei's loose black hair and causing the boy's glare to intensify. "I just thought you could use a little company on your walk back to the safehouse. Trowa took Quatre-"
Duo stopped as a large grin spread across his face. "Man, you should have seen those two lovebirds earlier." He laughed at Wufei's surprised expression. "They're so cute together."
"Quatre and Trowa?" asked Wufei. His eyes widened as he thought about it, but he ended up closing his mouth with a sharp nod. "Yes, I guess I can see it."
"Yep." Duo moved his arm, giving Wufei a slight push on the back to get him walking in the direction of the safehouse.
"Trowa came and picked up Quatre," Duo continued, "so I figured I could walk back with you. Friends should stick together, you know."
Wufei glanced at Duo from the corner of his eye, a small smile forming on his face. "Yes."
They made their way through the forest in silence. But Duo's repeated looks soon gained Wufei's attention.
"What?" asked Wufei.
Duo smirked at having been caught, and cleared his throat. "How are you?"
Eyes narrow, Wufei stopped and turned to look at the American. "What do you mean?"
"Are you still tired?" asked Duo. At Wufei's dark frown, he gave him a light shove. "I'm serious. Why do you try to act like using your abilities doesn't wear you out? It's not as if they're easy to do."
"Must you remind me of my weakness?" Wufei demanded.
He turned sharply and stalked away, Duo running to catch up and keeping pace alongside him.
"You're so dumb," Duo scoffed. "If I run a marathon, I'm going to be out of breath afterward. It's not anything you can help. I don't understand why you insist on seeing your human part as a weakness."
"I'll get stronger," Wufei said slowly. He couldn't get angry when he could see the concern in those violet eyes. "I can't help if I see it as a weakness. That's who I am."
With a sigh, Duo nodded. "Okay. But I can't help worrying about you, either. That's who I am."
Wufei smirked, not buying Duo's downcast expression. "We all have our faults."
"Egh!" Duo stretched suddenly, face lighting up as he stared at the sky. "Right, then!" He looked over at Wufei and grinned. "Enough of this depressing conversation. Let's get back to the safehouse and get something to eat. I'm starving."
"You're always starving," said Wufei. At Duo's agreeing nod, Wufei snorted. "Fine."
.-.
Quatre watched as Trowa came to stand in front of him. Suddenly he wasn't looking forward to being alone with him. Instead, he was feeling decidedly uncomfortable.
"Hi," he said shyly.
Trowa smiled. It was a small smile, barely discernible in the dark, but it made Quatre's insides melt.
"Hello," Trowa answered softly. He took a slow step closer, green eyes moving over Quatre's face. "Need a lift?"
His eyes sparkled at Quatre's surprised expression, rewarded when the blonde boy let out a soft laugh. He could feel the tension ease with that quiet sound.
"Yeah, I do," said Quatre.
Still smiling, Quatre moved to Trowa and let the boy lift him in his arms. As he wrapped his own arms around Trowa's neck, he felt his doubts return.
"Quatre." Trowa laid his cheek against Quatre's blonde hair, pressing the boy's head so it rested against his chest. "We'll talk about this when we get back to the safe-house, okay?"
Quatre lifted his head quickly, looking up at Trowa with uncertainty shining in his pale blue-green eyes.
With a small smile, Trowa brushed his lips lightly over Quatre's. Then, lifting his head to look above him, he pulled the smaller boy tight against him and waited. It wasn't until the pale boy's grip tightened in return that he lifted them into the air.
.-.
He was concerned about his comrade. There wasn't anything wrong with that.
Glaring, Heero pushed away from his laptop.
But how did he know it was just concern? He couldn't simply ask them. It would ruin the team. If they couldn't work together, their missions would suffer. He couldn't allow that. But...
Heero left his bedroom, moving down the hall and to the kitchen. With nothing better to do, he started a pot of coffee. Anything to distract him from his thoughts.
It didn't work.