Title: Because of You
Author: Supurrkitty
Disclaimer: I do not own any Gundam wing characters, never have, never will, and that's it!
" What are you doing up?" Quatre asked a little surprised at coming out to get a drink and seeing Demetri sitting on the counter.
" Couldn't sleep," Demetri said, looking down at her feet. " You?"
" Same," Quatre said filling up a glass with tap water, " Must be the change in altitude."
" Yeah," Demetri agreed, then looked back up at Quatre.
" Something wrong?" Quatre asked nervously, leaning against the counter next to Demetri.
" You know…" Demetri said, frustrated. Despite convincing herself she wouldn't, she started to tear up, " Why…why won't you talk to me…?"
" Demetri…" Quatre looked over at her, a little shocked, " Demetri…I…"
" I know, Quatre." Demetri whispered, " I know how you met the others, during the war…"
" You know…?" Quatre looked startled and turned towards her, " But…how…"
" It doesn't matter," Demetri said, crying, " None of it matters…I just…I just want you to trust me…"
" It's not that I don't trust you," Quatre said, " I was just afraid…that if you knew…you'd…well, leave…"
" I don't want to leave," Demetri shook her head and smiled down at Quatre from the counter, " Trust me that I won't…"
" Demetri…" Quatre whispered.
Demetri jumped down from the counter and looked up at Quatre.
" I'm sorry if I'm being silly…" Demetri said, " I guess I'm just insecure…"
Quatre stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him.
" No, I'm sorry…" Quatre whispered to her, his mouth near her ear, " I was an idiot, I didn't realize what I was doing by not saying anything…"
Demetri stayed silent, listening to Quatre breathe and trying to steady her breathing to his, while sucking in his warm scent.
" But," Quatre shifted slightly, " Are you sure…you're okay with me…"
" Quatre," Demetri interrupted, " I already told you…I don't want to leave… I just want you to be open to me."
There was a short silence in which the grandfather clock in the front room let out a proclamation that it was four in the morning. Demetri found it odd that so much time had passed in those last few, fragile moments.
" Okay," Quatre told her, giving her a squeeze.
And then he told her all her remembered about the wars and his part in bringing peace to the nations.
" Where are Demetri and Quatre?" Relena asked as they were all seated around the small kitchen table in the morning. Catherine was in the kitchen making breakfast for everyone.
" They're still asleep," Lee sighed, his head resting on his hand, " One can only imagine why…"
" Hmm…" Duo smiled, " They must have been up all night."
" Leave them alone guys," Trowa spoke up.
" Oh, look who decided to speak this trip," Duo laughed, " You don't happen to know something that we don't?"
" No, so just get off it," Trowa replied.
" Fine…" Duo sighed, " Hey, is it done yet?"
" Just a little longer," Catherine called from the kitchen.
" Well, more food for us, anyway, " Lee smiled.
Relena rolled her eyes and then focused them on her glass of orange juice.
" Something wrong, Relena?" Trowa asked and she looked up at him, startled.
" No, no, I was just thinking," Relena smiled and waved her hand at her head, " tired."
Trowa nodded, but wasn't entirely convinced. After all, everyone knew where her mind was when she got like that.
" It's all done," Cathy broke the silence as she came in, balancing plates of food.
Lee looked up at her and then got up, offering his help, which she gladly accepted.
" What are you guys doing up so early?" Demetri asked while she yawned, coming down the stairs from the loft.
" Demetri, it's ten o'clock," Lee told her flatly.
" It is?" Her eyes widened and she looked at the clock on the wall, " Oh my, I never wake up this late!"
" You're on vacation," Cathy smiled, " It's alright."
" But still…" Demetri ran a hand through her hair and yawned again.
" Good morning guys," Quatre drug his feet out of the hallway.
" Morning Quatre," Duo smiled at him as he and Demetri took a seat at the table next to each other, " Looks like you didn't get enough sleep."
" Meh," Quatre flicked his hand towards Duo as he tried to adjust his eyes to the sight of food in front of him. Demetri chuckled and poured herself some milk.
Quatre watched her for a while as she helped to serve others some drinks. He rested his head in his hands and just stared, lost in thought.
" You wanna go out tonight, Demetri?" He finally asked and the table went silent.
" Huh?" Demetri blinked over at him.
" We've never been on a date before, Demetri." Quatre explained, not noticing that everyone was watching them, " would you like to go into town with me tonight?"
" Uh…um…" Demetri had noticed all the pairs of eyes, " Uh, sure, Quatre."
"Alright then," Quatre smiled and finally turned back to his food, when he noticed the others staring, " what?"
Demetri stretched and sighed as she examined the vast land that lay before her.
"Boy, what a hike," Demetri laughed, " and still, we have to go all the way back!"
The thought appeared positively pleasing to her as she scrunched up her sleeve to scratch her arm, probably a bite from one of the kajillion bugs that accompanied them on the hike.
"I feel like I've put in a good day, but…" Demetri turned from the gorgeous view of the pine-filled valley that lay between the mountains, " you still owe me a date tonight".
"Yes, well," Quatre came to stand beside her, " You just better let me shower first".
" Yeah, I could probably use one as well," Demetri sighed.
" Yeah, no kidding," Quatre joked before a prompt slap on the arm.
"Ah, enough of this, we came to enjoy nature, not some lover's quarrel," Duo grumbled.
"Much less on each other's stench," Lee chuckled.
" I think it's cute," Catherine said, getting a weird look from Lee while Relena just rolled her eyes.
" hmm…I hope Trowa doesn't get himself lost or anything," Relena sighed as they all studied the landscape, the bounty of their long hike.
" Doubt it," Duo laughed, " even if he could get lost, that would just make him as happy as a puppy with two…"
" tails to wag?" Quatre interceded.
" uh, yeah, sure…" Duo chuckled, " How could a man so suited to be a hermit end up as an entertainer anyways?"
" Family, obviously," Catherine said, sticking her tongue out at Duo, who stuck his tongue out in return.
Demetri thought about Trowa for a second as she silently studied the clouds that rolled over their heads. There was much more to Trowa than she had initially pondered. He was very easy to talk to and it was started to look like he had a very rich value system. Wow, what amazing people these Gundam pilots were. Thinking that, she looked back over at Quatre, but found he had been looking at her first. At catching her gaze, he smiled at her and she smiled back. In just a day, and barely any words exchanged, she felt like she was more familiar with Trowa than Quatre. Perhaps that was all in perspective based on potential relationships, though. The horizon was much broader for her when it came to Quatre and……Okay, wait, too much thinking for such a high altitude, she stopped herself. She just needed to enjoy everything, give her heart a little more freedom from her head.
Demetri scooted closer to Quatre and wrapped her arms around him as she looked out at the land. Quatre, in turn, wrapped his arm around her shoulder and stroked her hair out of her face and leaned down to kiss her forehead, blocking those talking behind her out of her mind. Her heart leapt at the closeness and she almost felt like crying. Yeah, she could just deal with this for now, no problem. Strength and tenderness, it felt like something, a protection from the world, a familiarity….
" Hate to break this up," A voice broke through the invisible barrier in her mind, it was Duo, " but shouldn't we be heading back so we don't get stuck here in the dark?"
" Hm," Quatre seemed to snap out of a trance himself, making Demetri smile, " yeah, yeah, we should…"
Quatre let go of her shoulder and Demetri detached herself from him as everyone started heading back down the mountainside. Demetri watched her feet, missing the closeness and warmth she had just obtained and wishing she had had just a few more seconds to figure out what that feeling was. She was sighing when she felt a hand over her closed fist. Her fingers started to open before she looked over and saw Quatre next to her. The next thing she knew, his fingers were intertwined with hers and her plodding became a light step the rest of the way back.
" Yay!" Duo hugged the pillar on the porch as they walked up the steps of the cabin, " Warmth and Cleanliness! Food and Poker!"
" Indoor plumbing and Alcohol…" Lee added. Duo nodded in return.
Demetri smiled at the two as Quatre unlocked the door to the cabin. The sky had been getting darker and the temperature started plummeting with the sun. They were all happy when they stepped into the welcoming warmth of the cabin.
" You two hurry up and take your showers and go," Relena said, taking her hair down before sitting on the couch, " I'm feeling grimy beyond belief"
" Alright then, I suppose we should hurry before it gets too late," Quatre said, then turned to Demetri, " You can go first if you want".
" Thanks," she smiled warmly before heading to the loft for new clothes and a towel.
Quatre ran his hand through his hair and looked at the others, whom were already entertaining themselves with a pack of cards, Catherine checking out the window every now and then for Trowa. He decided to go find what he was going to wear, when he saw Demetri come back down with clothes and a towel and he remembered that the bathroom was downstairs next to the room he was staying in.
" Oh yeah," Quatre stopped her before she entered the bathroom and she spun around to look at him, " Give the heater a few minutes or the water will be freezing. I'd replace the old-fashioned system, but…I kinda like it, I guess…"
" I understand," Demetri smiled at him in a way that told him she really did.
It seemed unusual that they could connect in such a weird way. In fact, so unusual that Quatre took her up in his arms in an unusual way and planted an ecstatically unusual kiss on her lips. Then she smiled a thoroughly unusual smile and Quatre unusually concluded that she unusually didn't mind.
" Right," Quatre chuckled, " Sorry to keep you".
" No problem," Demetri smiled before disappearing behind the bathroom door. And thus started the not so unusual stream of "evil" thoughts entering his mind. He was doomed from then on to be not only happy and pleased in her presence, but tortured, as was made evident when he heard her turn on the shower while he was looking through his clothes.
He shook his head to try and clear it, or kill the brain cells which induced such thinking, but that only seemed to make it worse. And then he started seeing things, like Demetri in a towel at the doorway….wait…
" Um…" Demetri blushed, even though the towel covered more than some girls' dresses, it was just the thought that it was a towel, " There aren't any soaps or anything in there…and I didn't bring any…"
" Oh…uh, yeah…" Quatre nervously stood and walked over to a cupboard next to Demetri, " sorry, I forgot to put some in there. Here, you can take these, they probably aren't the best, but…"
Quatre just shrugged as Demetri took the bottles of soap, shampoo, and conditioner.
"They'll be fine…" Demetri tried to smile, but Quatre noticed that she looked awfully pale before she turned to leave, " I'll be quick".
And then she was gone. Quatre closed the cupboard door and leaned his head against it, actually, more banged his head against it. This might make for an awkward evening.
"Nope," Quatre announced to himself out loud, ' must regain confidence…yup…. I just hope Demetri uses most of the hot water….it wouldn't hurt to have a cold shower…'
In the bathroom, Demetri closed and locked the door, then leaned back against it, looking at the ceiling. She sighed and rubbed her hand on her forehead. An old feeling had surfaced for her: fear.
She wanted anything to make this fear go away, it hurt to feel scared, especially around Quatre. It made her want to scream. But the fear stuck with her all the way into town.
"Demetri, is something wrong?" Quatre asked as the both got out of the car parked on the side of the main street in the beautifully lit old town.
"No," Demetri said impulsively and hurried onto the sidewalk. She hoped there wouldn't be any more from Quatre but knew that hope was pointless. She didn't expect it when he grabbed her elbow in concern, however. She whipped around quickly and stared up at him, startled. Her being startled, startled Quatre and he took a step back.
"Sorry," he said, confused by her fear, " Are you feeling alright?"
" Y…yeah," Demetri looked away from him and rubbed her arms, " just kinda tired or something…"
Quatre grabbed the sleeve of her jacket and spun her around, bringing her into his arms. Demetri looked up in panic, wanting to scream again but only managing a whimper. A couple of girls maneuvered around the two, giggling.
"I'd like to know what's on your mind," Quatre said into her hair, but she was speechless.
She expected the fear to overwhelm her to the point of her demise soon, but suddenly it changed. Her heart went just as fast, but seemed to change rhythm. She felt the terror disappear and soon it started to be replaced by a strange comfort. Words still didn't come, so she just closed her eyes and steadied her breathing. Things would be okay.
" Come on," she finally breathed out, pushing herself away from him, " We're blocking foot traffic, let's go eat. All that hiking made me hungry".
" Yeah, me too," Quatre walked beside her down the sidewalk, still confused, " So…anywhere you want to go is fine with me, you pick…"
"Great, sticking me with the great responsibility of decision making," Demetri smiled over at him, hugging her wool jacket to herself, " Really, anywhere that serves beer in a mason jar is fine with me…"
" You're kidding, right?" Quatre slowed his pace slightly, still confused by the 180 turn in Demetri's mood. Demetri just smiled back at him before grabbing his hand.
" Here's fine," Demetri motioned to a small restaurant just ahead of them, " I'll be glad to get out of this chill".
" Yeah," Quatre smiled before opening the door for her to the dimly lit restaurant.
A/N- Oh goodness, this chapter sucked….not to mention it's just a teeny bit late…oh well, I'll make it better. I wish Demetri would quit having so many issues, she's getting annoying, first her horse dies at a competition, now she's afraid of getting closer to Quatre. Where will it end? Oh, it'll end alright…Speaking of which, I should think about wrapping this up or at least get a good plot twist in here.
Just watch, it'll get good again…and there will be more horsies!
Speaking of which, I don't think I informed my readers when I got my fifth horse. I'm having a hell of a time with that stinking mare…I like my baby much better…even though he's three now and I'm training him to ride. He's the greatest horse ever! But I suppose anybody would say that of a horse they raised from a baby….anyhoo, I'm sending my Arab mare away this Monday to another trainer so I don't have to deal with her and my three year old…but then again, that's one more place I have to go and one more thing to do during the week now that I'm starting classes up again….so, my schedule's like this:
4:30 : Wake up
5:00: No, really, I mean it, wake up
5:30: You better at least be upright and wearing pants, because the horses need fed before you leave
6:00: Leave for school
6:30: First Class
3:30: Get out of last class
4:00: arrive home, hope for cloud cover, because it is hoooot outside, but you still have horse stuff to do
4:30: Make sure the waters are filled, then head over to the farm to check up on Rain/do any work that needs done involving her
5:30: You better be heading home, you have another horse to train that needs you more
6:00: Work with Strider: Groom, Halter work, longe work, rein work, saddle work, groom again….
7:30: Horses need to be fed, watered, stalls cleaned, groom Lady if someone else hasn't, oh yeah, and take care of your other animals too, after all, it is your fault we have four of the five cats and all of the goats
8-8:30(depending on what needed done at 7:30): If dinner isn't on the table, it's your turn to make it, eat
9:00: Go ahead and have some time for yourself
This is where I would read a book on training or endurance riding, poetry, maybe a good novel even…I might write something or maybe even draw, but I'm bound to be crashing pretty soon, because I have an early start the next morning…now if only I could fit in yoga without falling off a chair during a class….
