Chapter 4: A Perfect Match

Wufei sat at a table in the library, staring blankly at the random book he'd grabbed from the shelf. He didn't normally go to the library, but he needed a way to sulk without anyone knowing what he was doing.

Quatre had rejected him. There was no other way to put it. There hadn't been an actual 'no' in the conversation, which would've given most people hope, but Wufei knew Quatre too well. He was just too nice to flat out reject someone. No, Quatre had made it clear in his own way that he wasn't interested. And Wufei was going to respect that, dammit. No matter how much it hurt.

"You know, you've been staring at that page for nearly 20 minutes." A deep voice sounded from his left.

Wufei jumped and whirled to see who had caught him. "Oh, Zechs." He said, relaxing.

Zechs Marquis was a year older than Wufei and the others, and he was pretty popular in his own grade, but for some reason he seemed to prefer the company of the younger boys. Smirking, he said "Nice to see you too. Now, you wanna tell me what's wrong?"

Wufei sighed. Right to the point then. At least he knew he could talk to Zechs without worrying about being judged too harshly. "I finally got around to telling that girl how I feel about her."

Well, it was close to the truth. He still wasn't sure how Zechs would react to the news that Wufei was bisexual. Or to the fact that more often than not, his love interests were male.

"And?"

"And what?"

"What happened?"

Wufei shot him a look. "What do you think?"

Zechs hissed in sympathy. "Rejection's a bitch, huh?"

Wufei made a face and decided not to answer that. "So, is that why your hair's like that?" Zechs asked.

"Like what?"

"That. Down." Zechs flicked an end. "I don't think I've ever seen you wear it down before. It looks good like that."

Wufei knitted his eyebrows together. He didn't know what to make of that comment. Zechs did that sometimes, and it was confusing as hell. Next to Quatre, Zechs was the most beautiful man Wufei had ever seen. His hair, which hung a couple of inches past his shoulders, was a shade of blonde so pale it looked white, and he had bright ice blue eyes to match. He was tall and had more muscles than Heero. And yet he managed to not look overly buff, but lean instead.

Wufei frowned as he fingered the ends of his hair. He really must've been upset if he'd forgotten to tie his hair back. He never wore it down in public. It just felt . . . indecent to him.

"I mean it." Zechs said, trying to get Wufei to talk again. "I don't know anyone who would think you didn't look hot like that. I can't believe she rejected you."

Wufei sighed. "I don't think it's because of my looks."

"Well, what is it then?"

"I'm fairly certain she likes someone else."

"Oh. Well, that's a whole other story. Do you know who she likes?"

Wufei grimaced. "Yes."

"Is it someone I know?"

"Yes."

"Is it someone close to you?"

Wufei stiffened and Zechs laughed. "Someone very close then?"

How does he do it? "Yesss." Wufei said through gritted teeth.

Zechs laughed again. "Ah, Wufei, you're too easy to read. Now, c'mon, who is it?"

This time Wufei chose to keep his mouth shut. Zechs was getting uncomfortably close to the truth. The older boy smirked. "Alright, I'll back off. At least tell me what this girl of yours looks like."

"C'mon, Zechs, I've told you a hundred times already."

"I know, I just never get tired of hearing it. Besides, the goofy look you get on your face whenever you talk about her is entertaining."

Wufei blushed but started the rehearsed speech anyway. "She's blonde, with gorgeous blue-green eyes, a really nice body, and she's just a little shorter than me."

"Personality?"

Wufei sighed. "She's a sweetheart. Too kind for her own good; she couldn't hurt anyone, even if she wanted to. She's smart, a little shy, and very sensitive."

"She sounds wonderful." Zechs smiled. "You know, it's the oddest thing, but every time you describe her, I'm reminded of Quatre."

Wufei had to bite his tongue to keep from cursing. Zechs was definitely way past the point of being uncomfortably close to the truth. He'd just hit the nail on the head and he didn't even know it! Wufei forced a laugh. "You're right! She's like a female version of Quatre. Funny, I never noticed that before."

Flashing a knowing smile, Zechs stood and stretched, groaning slightly. "Wufei, I envy the girl that gets you. You're a good catch." He said as he walked away.

Wufei blinked several times. It was another of those damned confusing comments!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Quatre sighed and sank further into the hot water. Showers were nice, but to him, nothing was better than a nice, hot bath. Unfortunately, only the single dorms came with tubs. Thank goodness Trowa happened to have a single, and that he was willing to lend his tub to Quatre.

He blew bubbles in the water contentedly. Ahh . . . I wish Trowa was here to enjoy this with me . . . Realizing how that sounded, Quatre blushed. Not quite what I meant, but that would be nice too. He blushed even harder but wasn't ashamed of the thought. He liked Trowa, maybe even loved him, and he was doing his absolute best to make sure the other boy knew.

It had been nearly a week since the incident with Wufei, and things between them were still a little awkward. It seemed like Wufei was purposefully avoiding being left alone with him. They had also let the others know that nothing had happened between them, and that nothing was going to happen, but Quatre wasn't sure that Trowa believed him.

He took a deep breath and dunked his head under the water. Trowa had been hurt badly enough with Wufei that he was unwilling to believe that anyone could love him for more than his body. Quarte knew that his attraction wasn't just lust. Now how do I let him know that? He stayed beneath the water until his lungs burned and felt like they were going to explode. He sat up and took a large gulp of air, making the water slosh around him.

Just then a soft knock sounded at the door. "Hey, Quatre?" Trowa called. "Are you finished yet? You only have twenty minutes before lights out!"

Quatre bit back another sigh. He didn't want to get out yet; he needed more time to think. "Five more minutes!" He called back.

"That's what you said ten minutes ago! C'mon, you need to get out."

"No!"

"Don't make me come in there!"

Quatre blushed and smiled faintly. Well, he had left the door unlocked for a reason. Leaning his head back against the rim o the tub, he closed his eyes and didn't answer.

"Quatre," Trowa's voice held a warning. "I mean it. Get out of there now or I will make you."

"Promise?" Quatre whispered to himself.

If this is what it would take to get Trowa to come to his senses, then so be it.

"Dammit, Quatre!"

Oh-ho! He's getting pretty riled up if I've got him cussing. "Come and get me!" Quatre snapped, sounding angrier than he'd meant to.

There was a very long pause, then "Fine."

Suddenly the door burst open, making Quatre jump. Trowa strode into the room, anger emanating from him in almost physical waves. Quatre stared at him with wide eyes; he'd never seen the normally calm young man this upset before. Maybe he'd pushed too far?

"Get. Out. Right. Now." Trowa growled.

Quatre simply stared at him.

"Last chance."

He smiled and shook his head.

"You were warned."

With that, Trowa stripped off his shirt to avoid getting it wet and stomped to the bathtub. He stood there for several seconds merely glaring at the small blonde, and Quatre actually started to get a little afraid.

Faster than Quatre could blink, Trowa's hands shot into the water and grabbed him. He squeaked loudly as the taller boy heaved him bodily from the water. And yet Trowa's hands were gentle, letting Quatre know that he wasn't nearly as angry as he seemed. In fact, he was probably only mildly upset. Quatre immediately began struggling, trying not to laugh as low curses poured from Trowa's mouth. Finally he managed to knock the other boy off balance and they both went into the tub with matching yelps.

Quatre came up sputtering and laughing so hard he could hardly see straight; Trowa just came up sputtering, though a smile was definitely forming on his lips. He tried to sit up all the way but found that his arms were pinned beneath Quatre, who was still laughing too hard to really do anything else. He sighed and twisted to rest his head on the edge of the tub.

"See?" Quatre gasped. "I told you I didn't want to get out yet!"

Despite himself, Trowa laughed. "I think you've been spending too much time with Duo."

"He's a good influence on me. And he knows things."

"Like what?"

"Like where to get certain types of books."

"What?"

"You see, he found this really interesting book, and he lent it to me. There are some things I want to try, but . . ." Quatre smiled and leaned forward to nuzzle Trowa's neck. "I need someone to help me."

"Quatre, I already told you—"

"Please, just hear me out." Quatre wrapped his arms around Trowa, effectively incapacitating him.

He sighed. "Fine."

Quatre took a deep breath. "I know that what I feel for you is more than lust. I've liked you since the day we met. I remember, every time I saw you, I would get butterflies in my stomach—I still do—and that scared me. That's why I was so distant with you at first. You represented strange new feelings that I wasn't ready to deal with." He paused. "Well, now I am ready to deal with those feelings. I want to deal with those feelings. Please, Trowa, can't we just try?"

Trowa closed his eyes. "Why?"

"Because you're wonderful, and . . . and . . . I think I love you." Quatre rushed that last part, his face turning beet red.

Trowa tried to struggle out of the smaller boy's grip but gave up after a few seconds, mildly surprised at his strength. "Why?" He asked, his voice resigned, "Why do you love me? You could do so much better."

Quatre lifted one of his hands and brushed the damp hair from Trowa's face. "No, I couldn't. There's no one better than you."

Trowa's breath caught in his throat and his chest tightened at the sincerity in that soft voice. "You really mean it?" He whispered.

"Yes." Quatre breathed, shifting so that Trowa could free his arms.

He did so, and after a few moments of hesitation he wrapped his arms around Quatre and pulled the slender boy to him. For several minutes they just sat there, enjoying the feel of each other's arms. Quatre sighed contentedly. This is wonderful. It just feels so . . . so right.

A hand tilted his chin up and he found himself staring into those beautiful emerald eyes. "I don't deserve you." Trowa whispered, leaning forward.

Just before their lips met, Quatre murmured "Yes, you do."

And then it was too late to respond. They both lost themselves in the kiss, exploring with their tongues, memorizing taste and feel. Delighting when the other would respond to a certain touch. They finally parted when the water around them began to grow cold.

Trowa gently disentangled himself from Quatre's arms and stood. As he stepped out of the water, his now-wet jeans rained water everywhere. He held out his hand to Quatre, and the small boy was suddenly reminded of their first kiss. This time he wouldn't let Trowa run away. He took a moment to admire the way the water-weighted denim or Trowa's pants rode low on the other boy's hips before taking his hand and standing as well.

It was at that moment that both of them realized that Quatre was still naked. Twin blushes rose on their cheeks and Trowa quickly said "Er—I'd better go change."

He walked out somewhat stiffly and shut the door behind him. Quatre snatched a towel and began drying himself off, trying to ignore the fact that he had just spent who-knows-how-long cuddling with Trowa, naked. What was worse, neither of them had even noticed! And I thought I was the modest one in our group!

Now dry, he began searching for the pajamas he'd brought with him. They were nowhere to be found. He didn't want to bother Trowa, but after thinking for a few minutes, he remembered that he'd left his clothes next to Trowa's desk. With a resigned sigh, he opened the door and stuck his head out. "Hey, Trowa, could you—"

He stopped in mid-sentence at the sight before him. He'd caught Trowa in mid-stretch. His arms were in the air, revealing all of that glorious torso, and all he wore was a pair of loose black sweat pants that rode even lower on his hips than the jeans had. Trowa put his arms down and turned. "Yes?"

Quatre simply stared at him. What had he wanted again? He opened his mouth, trying to remember. Trowa cocked his head to one side, his gaze questioning. Then it came to him! Finally! "Erm, could you hand me my PJs? They're by the desk." Quatre said, blushing.

"Sure." Trowa went and got them, then walked over and handed them to Quatre.

His hands brushed against Quatre's as the clothing was passed, making him blush even harder. "Thanks!" He fled to the bathroom again.

After a few minutes, Quatre reappeared wearing a button up pajama shirt with matching pants and a somewhat more mild blush. "Hey, Trowa?"

"Hm?" Trowa looked up from the homework he was finishing at his desk.

"I was wondering . . . um . . . do you think, maybe . . . could I sleep here tonight?"

Trowa raised his eyebrows, making Quatre blush even harder. "N-not sex or anything. I mean just sleeping in the same bed."

Trowa blushed and smiled faintly. "You mean you want to . . . cuddle?"

Quatre smiled and nodded.

"I don't mind."

The smile widened into a grin and Quatre walked over to Trowa and hugged him. Suddenly all of the lights shut off, leaving them in blackness. "Lights out." Trowa murmured.

"I guess I couldn't go back now, even if I wanted to. I hope Wufei doesn't worry about me too much."

"I don't think he'll mind." Trowa said, standing. "We should probably go to bed then."

Quatre couldn't see a thing in the heavy darkness, but Trowa seemed to know where he was going, so he clung to the other boy. There was a slight change in the way Trowa was walking, but Quatre didn't think anything of it until his knees slammed into something hard. He tumbled forward with a yelp, dragging Trowa with him, and found himself face-down on the bed.

Trowa chuckled. "Sorry about that. I should've warned you."

Quatre laughed faintly. "It's alright."

They cuddled up to each other, Trowa wrapping his arms around Quatre protectively. Quatre nestled his head at the base of Trowa's neck, resting his chin just above the taller boy's collarbone. He sighed contentedly. Trowa felt the sigh as a warm rush of air against his neck and echoed it, snuggling even closer.

Neither of them ever slept better.