Author's Note: Sorry this is out late. I've gotten stuck (hopefully I'll be unstuck by the end of tonight) multiple times in chapter 13 and really don't feel like writing what I need to write to finish it. That and I've come down sick and I don't feel like being creative at all. So I'm editing this chap because it doesn't require me to be creative in a happy sort of way.
Warnings: Now with some limey goodness
Oh, the rating is about to go up, maybe next chapter (depends on whether Sylenctone thinks it needs it), but definitely 13. The evil chapter. Grrrr….
Chapter 11 – Watching the Sun Rise
I wake to the sound of steady breathing next to me and the scent I know belongs to Trowa. The room is dark, but I can tell by the cushioning beneath me that I am not still on the couch. Trowa must have carried me in here when I fell asleep watching the movie. I move a little and Trowa's arms tighten around me. "Trowa I need to get up for a moment." He grumbles something unintelligible and rolls a little, freeing me enough to climb over him to get out of the bed.
Stumbling in the dark, I make my way to the bathroom, turn the light on, use the facilities and look at myself in the mirror as I wash my hands. My hair is all over the place, having decided the Mohawk look is in while I was asleep. I glance quickly at the radio/cd player I keep in the bathroom for the time of night. The LCD displays the time as two twenty-eight in the morning. With a sigh, I try to tame my hair and decide that ice cream sounds like a wonderful idea for an early morning snack.
Carefully treading to the kitchen so as to not wake Trowa, I retrieve my comfort dessert, a large spoon and a new movie to amuse myself with before taking up a position on the couch to I eat my very unhealthy, chocolaty goodness. The movie can't be something loud, it would be disruptive in the middle of the night, so I decide on the silliness that is Office Space.
Maybe twenty minutes into the movie Trowa wanders out of my room looking about slightly confused. I bounce over the couch to flick the light switches by the door on so he can see without crashing into anything.
"You ok?" He asks me drowsily.
"Yup. All the sleep in the last few days finally registered and I'm up and wired. I hope I didn't wake you."
He shakes his head, his long bangs completely cover his face. "Not really. I think I sensed you weren't there, so I went to find you and make sure you were ok."
"Nope. I'm fi…" I speak too soon as something gets underfoot and nothing I do can keep me from falling on my ass. "Fuck." I grumble as I barely miss hitting my head on the door handle.
"Quatre! Are you hurt?" Trowa asks as he immediately wakes up and bounds towards me.
"Aside from being rather embarrassed with a slightly sore bum, I'm ok. What the hell?" I look around for the cause of my fall.
Trowa kneels next to me and picks up a long white envelope that I figure, due to the indentation from my heel, is the reason for my loss of balance. He hands it to me and I look at it. There is nothing special about it and I turn it over, noting that the envelope is not sealed. "What the hell." I shrug and remove two smaller envelops and a tri-folded piece of paper. The two smaller envelopes are made of fine linen paper and are sealed with silver wax. On the front of one of them, written in katakana, is my name, on the other, written in a similar fashion, is Trowa's.
I hand Trowa's envelope to him and he looks at me in confusion. "It is your name in katakana, it is Heero's writing." He nods and takes it from me. I look at the folded piece of paper and decide that it can wait since it isn't as fancy as the envelopes with it. Taking care not to rip the paper, I open the wax seal and pull out the card inside. Trowa does the same.
My mouth hangs open in disbelief as I read the simple embossed card.
You are cordially invited to the Wedding of
Heero Yuy and Duo Maxwell.
Please join us at the Peacecraft Palace
On the first Saturday of September.
The Ceremony will take place at 11:00 in the Gardens
Followed by a reception at 12:00 in the Great Hall.
Please RSVP to Heero or Duo by this coming Saturday.
"Well, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this is the reason why Heero was acting oddly." Trowa says with a slight grin.
I nod weakly, unfold the accompanying piece of paper and read what is written there in Duo's neat, yet unique handwriting.
Hey Q-Ball,
Feel free to kick my ass later, but I wanted it to be a surprise for you. I gave you
Trowa's invite just in case you didn't want him to come. Though, I hope for your
sake that he is as good for you as he seems.
So come over sometime today if you can separate yourself from that hunk of a
man and we'll talk some more, but give a ring before you do so, just to be safe.
Love ya Q-man and thanks for everything.
-Duo
"Well that leaves a lot of things unanswered." Trowa looks at me and I hand the little note over to him.
"So, do you want me come?"
A grin crosses my lips. "In more than one way." I whisper to him suggestively and his face flushes as he processes my words. "But as much as I want one of those right now, I don't want to mess this up by rushing into everything."
"Sex can strengthen a relationship." He points out.
"True, but it can also destroy a relationship very quickly and I really have no wish to test which path that would lead us down at this very moment. I know I haven't been completely with it these last few days and I would really like the chance to worry about my life and not my best friend's. Give you a chance to meet the Quatre that isn't falling apart behind the scenes." I laugh. "Though, you have seen me in a pretty pathetic state. I guess it is good that you've seen me like that, at least you know what you are getting into."
"Quatre. I'm in no rush. I would be lying if I said I didn't want to explore every inch of you with fingers and lips, but for some reason, far beyond my comprehension, I have no wish to do anything until you give me the go." He says quietly as he takes my hand and holds it between his two hands.
If I could melt into a puddle of goo, I would right now. All the wonderful resolve to take it slow and make sure the foundation for the relationship is laid down and dried before starting to build the bedroom starts to slip from me. I want nothing more than to jump him and show him just how wonderful fingers and lips can be. I steel my resolve and quickly do something before fingers move without me telling them too.
"You want to grab your ice cream and we'll finish watching the movie?" I ask as I keep hold of his hands and start to get up. "Or do you want to go back to sleep? I'm not sure if I can sleep though, I'm a bit wired at the moment."
"I don't think I want to go back to sleep." He lithely gets to his feet, still holding my hand.
Then genius strikes me. "Do you want to drive out to the coast to watch the sunrise and have breakfast on the beach?"
Trowa's emerald light up. "I would love to."
"Good. We'll stop somewhere and pick up provisions."
"Are we going in pajamas?" Trowa asks me with a hint of amusement in his voice.
"I am. You don't have to though."
He scoffs silently. "If Quatre Winner has decided to wear pajamas to the beach, who am I to argue with him?" He grins and pulls me into his arms and I wrap my arms around his neck.
"Um. Well, you're my boyfriend. So, being as such, you have every right to express your feelings and opinions to me." I know he mentioned that he wanted to be my boyfriend last night, so why not just make it official.
His lips turn up in a slightly lop-sided grin. "Mmm, I like the sound of that." He murmurs as he nuzzles my neck.
"Me too." I say quietly and bare my neck to him a little more, enjoying the feeling of his lips and breath on my skin. With a soft groan of annoyance, I push him away. "Come on. We need to get going if we're going to make it before the sun rises." He nods dumbly and waits while I gather my wallet and keys. As I am about to walk out the door, I remember the ice cream. With a jump over the couch, I grab the pint filled with chocolate goo, put the cover back on and stick it into the freezer.
Trowa is just watching me with an amused look on his face as I run around. "Like you never forget anything." I chide as I walk past him out into the hallway.
"Can't remember ever forgetting anything." He replies with a grin and a wink closing the door behind him.
I lock the door and we head down to the garage to retrieve the Rover and its beach equipment. The clock in the car shows the time to be three forty-five, which means we should be to the coast with a little time to spare, even after getting picnic provisions.
After stopping for coffee, juice, two muffins and two bagels, one with cream cheese for Trowa and one with butter for me, we head towards one of the more secluded beaches in the area. We roll all the windows down, open the moon roof and rock out to the Beatles as I drive just a tad over the speed limit, but I figure it is four in the morning and I'm on a less traveled road, it shouldn't be able to get in too much trouble.
Trowa reaches over and takes hold of my hand as I drive. Such a simple gesture, but it makes me so warm and fuzzy inside. It is almost four thirty and the sky is just beginning to lighten on the ocean's horizon. I drive straight onto the beach and park just a little ways in.
"We're allowed to do this?" He asks skeptically.
"Yup. This bit of land belongs to the Peacecrafts. There is a little garage a bit of the ways down the beach where the ATVs are kept, so this sand is used to seeing tire tracks."
Trowa chuckles. "So that is why we took the SUV. I wouldn't want to try to get the Mini or the Beamer out of the sand."
"Me neither. Don't even want to try it." I hop out of the car and go around to the back to retrieve the blanket while Trowa grabs our bag of goodies and the coffees. He hands me my cup and we walk hand in hand to the water. We settle just past where the water reaches and relax.
"What do you have planned for today?" Trowa asks me as he digs his bagel out of the bag.
"I was thinking about going to see Duo and Heero and congratulate them face to face."
Trowa nods and pushes his bangs out of his eyes and behind his ear. "Do you want to do dinner then?"
I grin happily at his silent understanding that I want to go visit my friends alone. I was not looking forward to the awkward explanation as to why I don't want him to come with me. "I'd like that a lot. Have any thoughts?"
"Not right now. I don't want to think right now. Just relax and be with you while the sun rises." He smiles sweetly and places a tender kiss on my lips. Then with a quick, fluid motion he places himself behind me and wraps his arms around my waist, gently pulling me back into his arms.
He kisses my neck and rests his chin on my shoulder. I think being held is one of my favorite things in the world. Right along with kissing and cuddling. Probably would add making love in there, but haven't done that since high school so it doesn't get added to the list. There is a slight ocean breeze, which, to me, adds to the intimate atmosphere we already have.
As the sun starts to rise in earnest, Trowa starts to plant little kisses on my neck and I lean back and bare my neck to him in subtle encouragement. I figure he takes my action as a sign that his attention is quite welcome as he tentatively starts running his hands over my chest. Much to both my delight and dismay, he does not venture below my shirt, showing that he is honorable and disciplined enough to control his hands.
As a soft whimper of delight escapes my lips, I decide that I've had enough of this one sided exploration and as gracefully as possible, reposition myself so I am face to face with Trowa, straddling his legs. "I like this better." I whisper before kissing him senseless.
It does not take long for my id to act on its own and begin to seek the hem of his shirt. We stop kissing long enough for me to make my intentions to remove his shirt clear; he grins and lifts his arms up. I toss it aside so it lands on the blanket and immediately put my hands to his skin. He is warm to the touch, but not from the environment, it is the sort of heat that comes when you blush.
We resume our assault on each others mouths as I let my hands explore his upper body, letting my hands see rather than my eyes. This has a rather lovely effect, as he begins to squirm slightly as my hands pass over rippling muscles. So, he's incredibly sensitive. I smirk to myself. This is going to be so fun.
I break our kiss with a smile and let my lips brush against his right ear before planting kisses down his long graceful neck. His breath catches in his throat as I bite him gently on his shoulder. "Off." He orders breathlessly as he pulls my shirt over my head, tossing it in the general direction that his had gone. We take a moment to look at each other, our skin glowing a warm orange color as the sun starts its ascent in the sky.
The need to see his face fully drives me to sweep the wayward bangs off of his face, revealing his intoxicating emerald eyes. He looks me over with a mix of need, appreciation and warmth. "You're stunning." He whispers as he runs his hands down my sides, resting them at the waist of my pajama bottoms.
I roll my hips slightly, grinding against him lightly, finding a bit of ease for the fire I know I'm not going to be able to do anything about if I want to stand firm on my whole 'I shouldn't have sex with him yet' bit. My resolve slips slightly with the soft moan that escapes his lips while I tease. "You've seen me with my shirt off before."
"But I wasn't able to touch you then." He bucks his hips gently, eliciting the same moan out of my lips, while his hands travel all over my torso, touching and tracing every muscle and expanse of skin he can reach.
"And now that you can, it changes things?" He nods mutely and trails his lips down my chest brushing one a nipple as he does so, which sends waves of electricity through my body and I squirm. He cocks a slight smile and does it again and I whimper more. "So this doesn't bother you?" I manage to say as I let my hands explore his chest.
"What bother?" He mutters between kisses to my sternum.
"This." I grind against him again. "With a guy."
Trowa shakes his head, his bangs falling in his face again. "No." He grunts slightly as our clothed crotches meet. "Most girls are soft with curves and breasts. I never really liked those kinds of girls. I always liked the ones that were almost boyish, the athletes. Fit, flattish and lacking in the usual curves. You…" He runs his hands over my chest and down my sides. "…are perfect."
For some reason this strikes me as an odd comment. I don't know if I should be flattered or not. "I'm perfect because I look like the type of girl you like?"
He makes a face. "No, you're perfect because you're you. And I'm defiantly not comparing you to any girl." He smirks and his eyes dart down to my tented pants then back to my face. "I am absolutely certain that I find you attractive because you are male. Nothing about you reminds me of a woman and that is a very good thing." His hands move again from my hips, over my thighs, his fingers curling to the inner thigh, but careful to avoid my straining erection. As his hands move, I involuntarily thrust my hips trying to make contact with some part of his body
"Do you really want that Quatre?"
A whimper escapes my throat and I place my head on his shoulder. "Yes and no. I want everything, but I don't want to rush anything."
"Then don't. I don't intend on going anywhere, unless you tell me too and I don't mind going at whatever speed you want to go. You've been through a lot of things these last few days. Both good and bad, but I don't want the bad parts looming over something that should be enjoyable and wonderful for us both."
Allah, how is he able to say the most perfect things? "Did you take lessons on how to say the right things in the right moments?"
He smiles slightly and shakes his head. "No, but I tend to watch people and listen more than I talk. Careful observation of a scene can tell you a lot about what to say when you need to."
I throw my arms around his neck and pull him into a hug. "Thank you."
"You're welcome, but trust me when I say that this doesn't need any thanks."
I open my mouth to say something else and he stops me with a kiss. "Don't think anymore. Just relax." I nod mutely and he kisses me again.
We spend another hour or so on the beach, touching and kissing everything not covered by our pajama bottoms. The sun has risen high enough in the sky to become uncomfortable and we both can feel the rays practically scorching our skin. Shaking out our shirts and throwing them back on, we grab our stuff and make our way back to the car. I grab two bottles of water from the back after I throw the blanket and trash next to them.
The trip back to our apartments is very much like the trip to the beach, save for we are a bit more mussed up than we were to begin with. Not that it's a bad thing. Trowa goes through my music and picks the Beach Boys (rather appropriate, I think) for the ride home. Once again we hold hands, fingers interlocking for the entire ride.
The apartments looming on the horizon mean our little escape is over, but at least we had this one. Who knows when we're going to get a chance for another one of these trips when school starts tomorrow. But I don't have to think about that just yet, tomorrow is still several hours away and I still have to get the juicy scoop on what happened with Heero and Duo as well as have dinner with my boyfriend.
Trowa and I part ways at my door after a rather inappropriate make-out session in the hall. I jump into the shower and wash the brine off my skin and the sand out of my hair. All of which I would gladly see again if it meant having another morning like this one. Once out, I dress, take my anti-depression drugs and call Duo, which goes to voicemail. I leave the message that I am on my way over and that I am calling Heero's phone as well and letting him know the same thing. Unsurprisingly, I get Heero's voicemail as well. Heh, they can't say I didn't call. Not that it really matters. It wouldn't be the first time I walked into their house while they were having sex.
From shower to car, it takes me a record ten minutes for everything and I am on my way over to the Yuy-Maxwell abode. I stop and get coffee for all three of us, as well as some sandwiches. If they don't want them now, I know they'll eat them later. As I pull up to the house, I note that both cars are in the driveway, which means they either walked somewhere or they are inside. No matter, keys are a wonderful thing and I let myself inside.