Waking Up In Vegas
Chapter Twenty Three
Wufei's head bowed, and Quatre blinked. When the man had started to speak, so soft and quiet, Quatre hadn't expected a confession or a story. He'd expected accusations or glares. Quatre's mind was trying to wrap around what he'd just been told. Duo? Tried to commit suicide?
"I don't know how he forgave me," Wufei admitted quietly. His face betrayed the confusion and bewilderment he still felt. "I still don't know why. I've done nothing but hurt him... yet for some reason he's still with me. He still loves me."
Quatre thought of him and Trowa, then Duo and Wufei.
"Why can't love be simple?"
Wufei chuckled, finally lifting his eyes up from the floor. "Love *is* easy. It's making it last that the complicated part. At least that's what Cecilia says."
"I think you're doing very well at making it last," Quatre offered. Wufei smiled at the compliment.
"I like to think so. Duo's not the easiest person to live with, and I know I'm certainly not. But I like to think that at the end of the day, I can go home, hear him say that he loves me, and it washes away all the mess, all the pain, all the doubt. I am undoubtedly the luckiest man alive."
Quatre nodded. "So you gave up going back to your family to be with him?"
Wufei shook his head. "No. I didn't give up anything. With him... I have everything I need."
"Took you long enough to realize it, though," came a voice from the stable door. Both men looked up to see Duo standing there. His eyes were unreadable, but his smile was soft, kind, loving.
Wufei nodded his head in the affirmative. "It did. It was a painful lesson to learn," he said quietly.
Duo's face softened, his eyes taking in every movement of his lover. He walked over, stood between Wufei's legs, looking up into black eyes.
"What you just said was true for me, too, 'Fei," he whispered. "With you... I have everything I need. *That's* why I forgave you. You're here, I'm here. And that's all that matters."
In an about-face, he turned and speared Quatre with a sharp indigo stare. "And you. Just so you know, if you ever hurt Trowa... and I'm not talking about the little pitiful squabbles that all couples have... if you ever, ever really hurt Trowa- break his heart- then I will cheerfully remove your head from your neck, gut you like a cat-fish and ship you back to your family in pieces. Understood?"
Quatre gulped, but nodded. The look on Duo's face brooked no argument on the matter. Not that Quatre planned to ever intentionally hurt Trowa. Not now.
Duo smiled brightly. "Okay. Now that that's all settled, why don't we go on inside? Mama's whippin' up a couple of sandwiches, and I for one am starving."
Quatre blinked. He'd gotten the impression that Duo was a cheerful and fun guy, and he'd realized that Duo had somewhat of a temper, especially when it came to anyone messing with his family. But the more he saw, the more he realized that maybe Duo... despite his brilliance and usual kindness... might be a bit bi-polar. He was completely random, and jumped from thought to thought with no connection between the two. ADD or bipolar or *something*. He certainly what Quatre would classify as 'normal'.
Quatre sighed, and followed Duo and Wufei to the house.
Well... with what he'd seen of this family so far, at least his time here would never be boring or dull; there was more drama in this family than in most day-time soap operas!
~*~
Delana wasn't happy, to say the least. She refused to leave Duo's room even for a moment. She'd listened in quietly as Wufei had softly poured apologies and pleas for forgiveness upon an unconsious Duo. Calm again, she'd managed to piece together a rough idea of the true nature of things.
Duo had, of course, told her about how Wufei had told him they should break things off, and how Wufei's family wanted him to come back to China... and something about an arranged marriage. Duo wasn't thinking clearly... obviously.
She'd managed to hear part of Wufei's side of things now. Yes, his family had told him to come home and that they'd managed to find a bride worthy of the Chang family son- despite the fact he'd been almost ostracised from the family for the past decade or so. And, honorable man that he was, Wufei had agreed to this with very little argument. Duo had not taken the news so well; Duo was in love withWufei and for Wufei to dump him to jump at his family's beck and call was... well... life shattering.
But apparently Wufei did love Duo. Promises of faithfulness and love and devotion were spilled to the un-hearing ears. Pledges of *not* going to China or marrying anyone else. Wufei, if his pleas and confessions were to be taken a face value, was willing to forget his family if only Duo would *live*.
Delana had half a mind to believe if the words were true or sincere. Or maybe if Wufei was simply saying this... doing this... merely to assuage some kind of guilt he felt. Delana hated Wufei just enough at the moment to believe he would do that. But a part of her still knew and respected Wufei. She liked him; he was... usually... agood influence on her impetuous, rambunctious, emotional brother.
She was confused now. Torn between hate and love. And it was giving her a headache thinking on it all. She'd almost lost Duo.... no-one was more important to her than Duo.
A single tear slipped from her eye. She knew, deep inside, that Wufei wasn't going to leave Duo's side today. And she couldn't watch this anymore. She got up and almost ran from the room, unaware of onyx eyes staring after her.
She was going to the one person she *could* trust with anything. She was going to find Cathy.
~*~
Delana leaned into Cathy's firm embrace as her friend... or maybe something more, now... lead her down the stairs. When they entered the living room to see Trowa and Cecilia, Trowa looked at them oddly.
Something was different, he thought. But he couldn't place it. His sister often hugged Delana... or held her when something bad happened. But this was different. Hmm....
But then he was distracted. Quatre followed Duo and Wufei into the room. The blond looked a bit interested, curious, and confused... but still alive and whole.
Good, he thought, holding out his hand to him. Quatre took it with a smile and sank into the couch with him.
Maybe Quatre could learn to love those two as much as he did.
And one look in Quatre's eyes told him he might not have to wait too long for that.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
AN: Okay I meant to put this in the last chapter, but since I split it up, this was going to be part of the last chapter but it got too long so now it's not part of that chapter. Anyway.
Yes, you can OD on OxyContin. The symptoms Duo experienced were all real, and yes, crushing the tablets does disarm the time-delay property of the pill. I do NOT suggest doing this. ODing on oxycodone or hydrocodone CAN KILL YOU. Also, some medicines similar to OxyContin... such as Vicodine.... also contain acetaminophine which can cause liver damage in high doses... that's if it doesn't kill you first. So please be careful and follow your doctors orders if you are prescribed this or any other drug. And most definately DO NOT EVER take someone elses prescription.