Disclaimer - Not mine.

Note - many thanks to everyone who's been reviewing, and especially to KS for editing.

Romancing the Dragon:

'He'll be all right, you know.' Jack shifted slightly in his seat to look at Wufei. 'He's tough.'

Wufei nodded, still not entirely daring to believe it, despite what the doctors had said. It had been so very close; apart from the massive blood loss, he'd been suffering from what the surgeon had called a tension pneumothorax, otherwise known as a collapsed lung. It was, he'd been assured, easily treatable, and should cause no side effects, but they'd still rushed Zechs into an OR as soon as soon as they'd arrived at the hospital, and he hadn't been allowed to follow.

'How long have you known him?'

'Years.' Jack hesitated for a moment, obviously unsure on whether to expand. 'He was in the class ahead of me at the Academy.' His mouth quirked. 'He was a class ahead of everybody, really.'

'I see.' Wufei decided not to ask the obvious question; what was the point, after all? They each had their separate pasts, even if Zechs' was considerably more...colourful than his. And none of it mattered, once he survived.

He was grateful enough for Jack's presence; he and Fichtner had arrived just as he'd dialled Duo's number; they hadn't originally paid any attention the two SUVs driving in the opposite direction, until they'd heard gunfire. Jack had stayed with him while the other man drove back to check on their attackers.

Where the hell was Duo anyway? He'd talked Wufei through those interminable minutes before the helicopter arrived, and the flight itself, telling him that everything would be OK, and only hung up when they'd arrived at the hospital, and Zechs had been rushed into surgery, saying his battery was dying and he'd be there as soon as he could.

It shouldn't be taking this long.

He'd called Duo ten minutes ago, and his friend had assured him he was almost there, but when he'd called back, Duo had either shut his 'phone off, to preserve power, or he'd left it somewhere. As usual.

It had always been the three of them, from the very start, and it seemed utterly wrong for Duo not to be there now. Duo had been with him the night he'd first met Zechs, he was the one who'd encouraged him to go on the first date….

'You're shitting me!' Duo gaped at him, carton of milk dangling from one hand. 'Zechs Merquise or Peacecraft or whatever he's called really asked you out?'

Wufei bent down to remove the tray of apple and cinnamon spiced muffins from the oven - the only indication that it was Christmas morning and not just another day. Damnit. He should never have told Duo anything about it; he certainly hadn't meant to say anything. But Duo had realised he'd spoken to Merquise the previous night, and he'd asked, and Wufei had suddenly wanted to confide in someone.

'Duo! That is a totally revolting expression!'

'Sorry, sorry,' Duo muttered. 'But Wu, seriously, this isn't a joke? Zechs Merquise asked you out last night?'

'People do ask me out occasionally,' Wufei said defensively.

'Yeah. And you never go. Well, except for a few real weirdoes. I'm glad you finally dumped that guy with the beard; he was gross. What the hell did you ever see in him?'

'He's one of the world's greatest experts in Pre-Colony Chinese porcelain.'

'Oh, right,' Duo muttered, ''Cause that's exactly what anyone looks for in a boyfriend. Who cares about him anyway? You're going on a date with Zechs Merquise. That is so cool!'

'Of course I'm not going.' Wufei tried to change the subject. 'Aren't we supposed to call Quat and Trowa this morning?'

'This early?' Duo shot him a knowing look, all too aware of these diversionary tactics. 'Even if they're awake, they're probably in the middle of something and won't thank us for interrupting. Now. You have got to be shi - er, joking me. You can't turn down someone like him! And you already accepted.'

'I - accepted in the heat of the moment.' Wufei excused himself. Heat…dear gods, but the man had been hot and vibrant and vividly alive under his hands. He could probably have broken free if he'd wished, but he'd chosen to stay pinned against the wall, with Wufei's body pressed against his.

'I've changed my mind. Do you want tea?' He poured boiling water into the pot, swirled it around, and then added a spoonful of his favourite blend. The whole idea was ridiculous, of course. Merquise - Peacecraft - had probably meant it as some sort of joke, and even if he hadn't - well, it had been blackmail, pure and simple.

The only thing he'd been thinking of last night had been that he didn't want Merquise anywhere near Duo; not while Duo had been so upset over seeing Heero again. He'd felt guilty enough anyway, having persuaded Duo to attend the ceremony, the fourth such to commemorate the end of the war, but he couldn't spend the rest of his life avoiding Heero.

Duo looked perfectly fine this morning, though. He'd got into the habit of leaving his hair down after his morning shower, claiming it was a bitch to braid when still damp, and had it pulled back into a loose ponytail. He looked good in fact; a far cry from the haunted shadow of a young man who had first come to live with him. After Heero.

He probably hadn't slept; there were shadows under those great violet eyes, but otherwise he looked brighter than Wufei had dared to hope.

'That's not very honourable of you, is it?' His friend knew him too well; that was the problem. He'd accepted, he'd given his word, regardless of the circumstances. He was already feeling the first tiny niggle of guilt. 'Seriously, 'Fei, do you need your head examined? He's gorgeous, he's a prince, he's loaded, he's pure sex on those long legs, and that hair….'

'You like him?' Wufei took a sip of tea, a new idea slowly unfurling. Last night, seeing Duo so badly affected by Heero's presence, he'd only wanted to keep him safe from any more possible trouble, but perhaps, if Duo really felt that way about Merquise, the blond prince might be capable of erasing Heero's memory. 'Why don't you go out with him?'

'Yeah, like he'd be remotely interested in me,' Duo scoffed. 'And besides, he asked you. Not me. 'Fei, come on. Seriously, it's just one dinner. It's not like he's going to propose or anything. He was nice to me last night, and I just think – you don't always want to be alone, do you?'

'I'm not alone,' Wufei was genuinely surprised at the idea He had so much more than he'd ever imagined. Duo, of course. Trowa and Quatre, even if he didn't see them as often as he would have liked. Sally, who had taken the news of his preferences so graciously that he wondered if she had perhaps suspected something of the sort. There were students at the university who sometimes asked him to join them for lunch after class, or to join them at the coffee house or the cinema.

'One little dinner,' Duo wheedled. 'Come on, you never eat dessert, you don't drink coffee; it'll probably take an hour max and you can always say you went out with the Lightning Count. Go on…'

'Why do you want me to?' Wufei wondered again, slicing a banana into his oatmeal and pushing the bowl of prunes in Duo's direction. 'Eat those. You need more roughage.'

'You take an unholy interest in my bowel movements, you know that? I wish you'd never started on all those ancient herbal remedies. I think he might be good for you. I think it might be good for you to go on a date with someone whose idea of a good time isn't to visit an exhibition of pre-colony china cups. You know, someone you might actually fall for?'

'I don't want to fall for anyone, thank you.'

Duo shrugged. 'You need someone. And I think sexy Zechsy might be good for you. And you'd be doing me a favour; I'm a sad, lonely person with no love life and the least you can do is let me live vicariously through you.'

'Don't call him that.' Wufei ignored the second part of Duo's comment; 'lonely' was the last word most people would ever use to describe Duo Maxwell. He moved around campus with a cloud of admirers trailing in his wake, and they would probably have to sell tickets if he gave any sign of being less than content to be single.

'You don't think he's sexy?'

'That's immaterial!' Wufei buried his face in his tea cup, hoping Duo would assume the rising heat in his face came from the steam.

'You do,' Duo crowed. 'Oh, go on, Wuffie. Please. The guy can't help it that his sister's a home-wrecking, evil bitch.' Duo grinned evilly. 'Did you see the face on her last night, when Quat upped and left her party without giving her more than a nod? Talk about being in a serious snit.'

'It was - discourteous of him.' Wufei spooned up his oatmeal. 'Very much so.' He had no time for Relena personally, but he admired a great deal of what she was doing. She was one of the few heads of state on Earth in favour of granting increased independence and aid to the Colonies and as such he disapproved of Quat's behaviour.

It had been outrageously rude of Quatre to arrive late at an official reception, to greet his hostess with the barest of courtesies, and then formally excuse himself, claiming a prior engagement, before spending thirty minutes making his way out of the room. There was nothing Wufei could have done though; when Quat got into one of those moods, only Trowa had any hope of handling him.

Four years after War, after taking over control of WEI, Quatre Winner was outwardly the perfect young man. He officiated at all family functions; hosted glittering parties; served on numerous charities, had trebled WEI's profits over the past two years, and still managed to win awards for ethical and environmental business practices.

His father would have been proud of him, except for one small, significant detail.

He'd become much more discreet about his relationship with Trowa, at least on L4, over the past two years, but Trowa still accompanied him almost everywhere, and he'd never officially denied the rumours that they were together that bobbed up every so often, whenever a tabloid or celebrity magazine needed to spice up a column.

Life in a goldfish bowl, Wufei thought distastefully. Quatre lived so much of his life under the spotlight; virtually anything he said or did made headlines. And sometimes, like last night, it all got too much and he needed an escape valve. It was only natural.

Duo shrugged, unwilling as ever to level even the slightest criticism towards his best friend. 'It was cool! It's one of the things I love Quat; he's so damn classy about insulting people. Turning up late and then refusing to even sit beside Relena, saying he had an important meeting.' He grinned suddenly. 'An important meeting with Tro, I'd bet. So, anyway, when did Zechsy want to take you out?'

'He suggested dinner tonight.'

'Tonight?' Duo looked stricken. 'You can't! It's Christmas Day. And we're meeting Tro and Quat before they fly home tomorrow morning.'

'Relax, you idiot. Of course I'm not going out tonight,' Wufei assured him. Zechs probably hadn't been thinking of the what day it was, and even if he had, that was just too bad. He appreciated this - surrogate family of theirs a great deal, but it meant the world to Duo, who had never had a real family. 'If I do decide to go, he'll have to wait 'til after the vacation.' By which time, he calculated, the prince would most probably have lost interest, or moved on to someone else.

'Well, tomorrow's out.' Duo considered. 'We're going to Sally's. You could go out on Wednesday night though. Your flight isn't 'til Thursday afternoon, and I can help with your packing and stuff.'

'We'll see,' Wufei hedged. 'Duo, it's almost eleven. I'm sure they'll be awake now.'

Trowa was certainly, looking levelly into the monitor from their lavishly appointed hotel room. 'Good morning, I was just going to call you two. I gather my angel was acting up last night, from what he's told me?'

Wufei nodded. 'Well, apart from insulting the former Queen of the World, it could have been worse. How is he this morning?'

'Asleep,' the screen swivelled and zoomed in an indistinct Quatre-shaped lump under the quilt, topped by a shock of blond hair.

'Wake up, kitten,' Trowa murmured, sitting on the side of the side of the bed and sliding his long fingers through Quat's hair. 'Someone wants to talk to you.'

'Go 'way, Tro,' Quat whined, one hand batting ineffectually at Trowa's as he tried to pull the quilt back over his head. 'Not now. I'm tired.' He muttered something about three times in one night being more than enough for anyone, which made Duo snicker, and Wufei blush. He was still the only virgin of the four; he still found it difficult sometimes to see how casual the others could be talking about sex.

'Morning, Kit-Quat,' Duo chimed in cheerfully. 'Wakey wakey!'

'Duo?' There was a minor upheaval under the bedclothes, and a dishevelled blond head shot out.

'Good morning! Trowa, why didn't you tell me the guys were on the line? Hello, 'Fei, you're not still cross with me, are you?' He turned those huge, melting blue eyes on Wufei. 'I know, I know, I behaved utterly appallingly and I deserve to be spanked.'

'Don't tempt me, little one,' Trowa growled, settling against the headboard, and pulling Quatre to him.

'Promises, promises,' Quatre teased, pouting. Wufei's blush deepened as Quatre gazed appealingly into the monitor at him. He found it hard to tell, sometimes, when those two were joking or not, although according to a few things Duo had let slip, it was quite possible that they were being serious this time. 'Don't be mad with me, 'Fei. Please?'

'I'm not.' Wufei sighed. How the hell did Trowa ever manage to resist anything Quatre asked, when Quat looked up at him like that. Wufei inevitably crumbled after a few seconds of that pleading expression.

'Oh, goody,' Quatre pulled himself up to snuggle against Trowa's chest, making Wufei blush again as he saw the trail of love-bites scattered over the white skin of his friend's neck and throat. 'When are you two coming over? Soon?'

'Now if you like,' Duo offered.

'Not just yet, if you don't mind,' Trowa broke in. 'Quat has a couple of conference calls to make at twelve. Why don't you come for lunch?'

'I'd forgotten all about those,' Quat grimaced, then reached up to kiss his partner's cheek. 'Thanks, Tro. We'll see you soon then. Duo, how are you feeling this morning? Was last night awful?'

Trowa kissed the top of his lover's head, and gently disentangled himself, catching Wufei's eye. 'I think that's our cue to leave them to talk, don't you? I'll see you soon.'

They've forgotten about us already.' Wufei grinned ruefully; beside him, Duo was leaning forward, nose almost touching the screen. 'We'll be over in a couple of hours.'

Merquise had called shortly afterwards. He had offered a formal apology for his behaviour the previous night, and told Wufei that he was in no way to consider his acceptance binding.

Perversely, Wufei had agreed to go along, and two days later, Duo was sitting cross-legged on his bed, watching him get ready.

'So, I wonder where he's going to take you? Somewhere really fancy, probably.'

'I already know where we're going,' Wufei took a hair tie from his wrist and pulled his hair back, making sure to capture any stray wisps.. 'That Italian restaurant down by the harbour that you like.' Merquise had asked if he had any preferences and it had been the first place he'd thought of. At least it was familiar territory.

'That's not very exciting,' Duo grinned suddenly. ' Of course, he might be planning to whisk you off to Paris or somewhere for the evening as a surprise.'

'I don't think things like that ever happen in real life. Only in those romance novels Quat reads.' He glanced at his watch. 'I'd better go or I'll be late.'

'I'm sure he won't mind waiting. You look really good,' Duo said, almost shyly. 'It's a pity you don't have a red shirt. It'd look really hot, with your dark hair and everything.'

Wufei smiled. 'I'm not sure that I should take fashion advice from someone who only ever wears black.' He had no desire to look - hot. He looked smart and conservative and that was good enough.

'I do know that other colours exist. By the way, what am I going to eat for dinner?'

'Smoked salmon salad. It's ready in the fridge.'

Duo grimaced. 'Or you could just bring me home a nice pizza.'

'Salad,' Wufei said firmly. 'And I will check the trash. I will check the garbage chute. I will autopsy the neighbour's cat if necessary.'

'Fine. I'll eat the freaking salad. But it'll be your fault if I die from vitamin overload.'

'I'll risk it.'

'OK, have a great time. And don't eat any garlic.'

'Why not? Do you think he might be a vampire?'

'It'll make your breath smell when he kisses you. You don't want to order anything to strong-smelling. And don't get spinach; it'll stick in your teeth. And nothing too messy.'

'I have no intention of kissing him.' Wufei said firmly. 'I'll see you later, Duo. I shouldn't be home too late.'

'D'you mean I shouldn't wait up for you?' Duo grinned, uncurling his long legs and standing beside Wufei. 'Have a brilliant time. And if he doesn't treat you like a prince, we'll murder him and send the pieces to Relena as a belated Christmas present.'

And he leaned over to give Wufei a quick peck on the cheek.

It didn't mean anything, Wufei told himself firmly as he closed the front door and headed for the garage.

Duo liked to touch people, even if he disliked being touched in turn.

Of course, it meant nothing. A swift, fragile gesture of affection; it meant nothing more than his occasional hugs, or the fact that he sometimes leaned close when they were watching TV together on the couch. He knew, now, enough about his friend's past to guess how much Duo had to trust him to do even that.

He would never abuse that.

The car had been a ridiculous extravagance. They hadn't needed a car at all, really; they could walk to the university and the shops and there was an excellent public transport system, but Wufei had missed that little bit of independence and they'd gone casually car shopping one afternoon.

He'd had no intention of buying anything, but it made sense to walk around a few garages ad get an idea of prices and selection. They just needed a little runaround; reliable and practical and above all cheap.

Wufei still wasn't quite sure how they'd ended up driving home in a brand-new Mercedes coupé, except they'd both fallen in love with it at the same time. He could probably have walked away but he'd seen the look in Duo's eyes when the salesman persuaded them to test it and that had been that.

The car sat in his half of the garage; waxed and polished to gleaming perfection. Duo's space, unsurprisingly, was a mess. His mountain bike leaned against one wall, surrounded by piles of junk that Wufei preferred not to have to look at.

The drive to the restaurant took less than thirty minutes, even taking the longer, scenic route by the sea. It would be so easy just to drive past. He even had Merquise's cellphone number; he could call and claim something had come up.

Damn, why was this actually harder than going into battle?

The place was almost empty when he finally walked in; so soon after Christmas, most people were still at home sleeping off the holiday excesses. Merquise - Peacecraft had reserved the best table in the place, the one that was normally booked weeks in advance and stood in a bay window overlooking the harbour lights.

He stood politely as Wufei approached, a gesture he doubtless meant to be courteous, even chivalrous, and that set Wufei's teeth on edge. Did the man truly think he would score points by treating him like a woman?

'I wish to apologise again for last night. My behaviour was unacceptable. I won't insult you by trying to offer excuses, but I was under some strain.'

'I imagine it was a difficult occasion,' Wufei said quietly. It had been the man's first public appearance since his trial. Two years in prison, some of it under a sentence of death; then a long spell in some sort of Sanque institution before moving to the palace. He'd spent far too much the previous day, when he should have been working on an assignment, in researching the man's past. He knew most of it, anyway, from the media, but there had been an archive of photographs that he'd somehow kept going back to. As Duo had said, the prince was gorgeous. And totally, utterly removed from the life they'd managed to make for themselves.

'Thank you,' Merquise said tonelessly. He obviously didn't want sympathy, or pity. Well, Wufei could understand that. 'I hope you will disregard everything I said.'

'You mean that I don't interest you?' The words were out of Wufei's mouth before his brain slammed down the drawbridge. Too late.

'Oh, I meant that part of it.' One corner of Merquise's mouth tilted slightly. 'Very much. Now, what would you like?'

Wufei stared at him, his brain, normally so reliable, frantically trying to make sense of this.

'To eat.' Those long, elegant fingers motioned to the menus in front of them.

Of course that was what he'd meant. Of course. Remembering Duo's advice, Wufei ordered toasted bruschetta, topped with crushed tomatoes and garlic, and pasta with a seafood sauce. There was no spinach or he would have ordered some. 'And a glass of mineral water, please. Still.'

'Oh, live a little,' Merquise teased. 'Have the sparkling. Or at least a twist of lemon. No? Well, still waters run deep, I believe. A glass of wine then?' He handed over the wine list, as thick and expensively bound as a first edition.

'I'm driving.'

'So am I. Go on. One glass won't hurt.'

It might even help, Wufei thought. He didn't drink, not really, just the occasional beer at home with Duo, but it would seem hopelessly unsophisticated to admit that. 'I'll have a glass of champagne, then,' he said recklessly, glancing down at the list of vintages. 'The Bollinger 171, please.'

'Certainly, sir.' The waiter hesitated. 'Or if you would prefer, I could recommend a more superior vintage to suit your meals.'

'I believe we've made our choice,' Merquise snapped. 'And we'll have a basket of garlic bread-sticks while we wait.'

More garlic. Well, kissing presumably wasn't going to be on the cards. Not, Wufei told himself firmly, that it ever had been. Absolutely not. He took a sip of his water, trying to think of something to say.

'How long do you plan to stay here, Milliardo?'

Oh, that got a reaction; just a slight tightening of the jaw but a definite reaction none the less. 'I prefer to be called Zechs, if you don't mind.'

'It is so easy to forget your heritage, then?'

'No.' One word, quietly spoken, and far more effective than any denials could have been. "It is very difficult.'

It would be utterly dishonourable to probe further; Wufei, still needled by the 'still water' give and the little, taunting smile that had accompanied them, was unable to resist.

'I believe your sister prefers to call you by your given name. I heard her last night.'

'My sister has something of a talent for constructing elaborate fantasies. She chooses to believe that her long last brother has been restored to her, precisely as she had always imagined him. The pilot known as Zechs Merquise has no part in any of that.'

Wufei swallowed, unsure of what to say.

'And to answer your question, I shall be here for another week. Then my sister is embarking on a tour of South America and she wishes me to accompany her. Her aim, I believe, is to show the world that I am not quite the demonic figure they may still believe me to be.'

'I see.'

The food, when it came, was excellent, the champagne danced pleasantly on his tongue, the water outside reflected the lights and the stars, and the man sitting opposite him was the perfect, charming host.

It was a nightmare. It had been a mistake. He was going to kill Duo, for talking him into this. They had nothing in common, no part of their lives that remotely touched each other.

Merquise was trying; he had done his homework. He knew what courses Wufei was taking and was surprisingly knowledgeable about pre-Colony military history. Or perhaps it wasn't all that surprising. It had no doubt been taught at the Academy. He had been to China several times, and had read a great deal of translated oriental literature.

It was a relief when the waiter came to clear away their dinner plates, and unfurl a long list of proposed desserts and liqueurs.

'No, thank you.' Wufei didn't dare to meet his companion's eyes. 'I'd like to pay now please.'

'Wufei, please.' It wasn't the words that stopped him reaching for his wallet, but the tone behind them. 'I invited you here, and you were gracious enough to grant me the pleasure of your company. It's the least I can do.'

He let Merquise pay, let him pull back his chair, and even help him on with his coat. It was over, and he'd behaved churlishly. Merquise - Zechs - had been the perfect, considerate host, and he'd acted like a petulant child. The man must have been counting the minutes away, just as he had. Of course, he'd never want to see him again.

Instead, they walked outside the door and Merquise stood for a moment to admire the view. 'I think I'm going to walk down by the water. I don't suppose you'd care to accompany me?'

Wufei would have refused if he hadn't seen the look in the man's blue eyes as he asked. Sorrow and regret and a terrible, bleak loneliness. A man who'd found himself living, against all the odds, but who still had to come to terms with the fact, to decide whether of not he actually wanted to live. He'd seen that look in the mirror, after the war, and later, after he'd left the Preventers, until Duo had somehow dragged him back from that brink.

Zechs was still there.

They walked to the water's edge, without talking; sat on a bench without touching. It was too late and too cold for anyone else to be outside. There was only the gentle lap of water against stone, oddly comforting, and an occasional drift of laughter or music from a large, luxury yacht in the marina. Wufei had only been on a similar craft once, the first time he'd duelled with Treize.

Perhaps Zechs had had the same memory, prompting him to break the silence.

'Why did you come tonight?'

'Duo nagged me into accepting.' It was the truth, more or less and surprised a sharp crack of laughter from his companion.

'Well, that's put me in my place, hasn't it?' Merquise laughed and a reluctant grin tugged the corner of Wufei's mouth, both at the laugh and the rueful tone of the comment. He somehow hadn't imagined the man - this brooding, tormented prince - would have a sense of humour, much less be able to laugh at himself. 'How is Duo? He seemed - rather upset last night. I imagine it's hard for him to see Heero?'

'Particularly when Heero totally ignores him, and spends the evening at your sister's side.' Wufei privately thought that had been for the best; Duo didn't need Heero trying to worm his way back into his affections, but he knew how badly it had hurt his friend, not even to receive a simple greeting.

'If it's any consolation, he may have sat beside my sister, but he wasn't paying her any attention. And, from what I could see, he spent the whole night sneaking looks at Duo.'

Wufei frowned at that. It sounded like the man had spent his evening observing Heero and Duo. And it was Duo he'd followed in the first place.

'Why did you ask me out? If you're so interested in Duo?' Maybe that was what all of this was about; maybe Duo was the one he was really attracted to.

'I told you that night, I'm not interested in Duo, and I meant it.' A faint smile threaded through his next comment. 'He's very attractive, but I wouldn't have noticed him for one moment if you hadn't been hidden behind a rather large flower arrangement.' He lifted one shoulder slightly; a movement that was entirely too elegant and graceful to be called a mere shrug.

'Why did I ask you out? I imagine a declaration of love at first sight would make you uncomfortable. I find you incredibly attractive, intelligent, fascinating. You don't fawn over me, and you don't treat me like a monster, which seem to be the general reactions to my presence. I find it refreshing that you do neither.'

Wufei shook his head. 'You made mistakes and I believe you have paid for them. What other people may think is of no concern.' He hesitated. It would have to be said, after all; sooner or later. Better to say it talk about it now, before this went any further. If he wanted it to. He pinched the skin on the back of one hand surreptitiously,'just to check none of this was a dream. 'I killed Treize. You know that.'

'No, actually. He chose you to give him death. Hardly the same thing.'

'He was your lover.' A statement.

'For some years, yes.'

'Did you love him?'

'Do you truly want to know all of this, Wufei? Now?'

'I need to,' Wufei said slowly. 'If we are to even to consider a – relationship, there are things we need to know about each other.'

'You are considering it?'

'I haven't decided yet,' Wufei told him, honest to a fault., and not quite sure how they'd suddenly got to this point. Thirty minutes ago, he'd just wanted to leave, and now…things had changed. 'I don't know enough about you.'

Zechs laughed shortly, the sound totally devoid of humour. 'I heard you were direct. Very well, then. Treize's family took me in after my parents were killed. Even after I entered the Academy, I spent holidays at one of his homes. He personally supervised my studies; took me one on my first flight. He was my first lover.'

'I see.' Wufei swallowed, imagining the depths of history between those two. Yes, they would have been perfect together; two brilliant, charismatic aristocrats with a shared dream and the means to make it reality. He would never even come close to matching Zechs' memory of Treize.

'I don't think you do, actually,' Zechs informed him coolly. 'If you're imagining a grand lover affair, you're quite wrong. I was just sixteen when he seduced me for the first time. It never occurred to either of us that I would refuse, and of course I didn't. It was seen as something of an honour, to share his bed. He didn't love me; it was another way of asserting power. He liked knowing who I was, who I was becoming under his guidance.' He lifted his shoulder again, a gesture that seemed to be characteristic. 'He never offered or expected fidelity. Sex was encouraged at the Academy; emotional attachments were not. So I've never been in love. Have you?'

'Once.' Wufei admitted. 'Or I thought I was.'

'But not any more?'

Wufei shook his head, shivering slightly at a gust of air from the sea. It was cold, even with his heavy coat. 'No. In case you're wondering, I have been kissed before.' Damn, where in the world had that come from? Duo's fault, probably, with all that talk of kissing earlier, but it was hard not to imagine what it might be like to feel that mouth on his, to feel those arms around him.

'Have you now?' Damn him, that note of lazy amusement was back. 'So have I, actually. Would you like me to kiss you?'

'I don't know.'

'That's honest. Will you let me try something?'

He'd said he'd been kissed before and it was perfectly true. He'd gone through the motions, several times, and not one of those encounters had ever come remotely close to what he'd felt for Heero.

Being kissed by Zechs Merq- Peacecraft - whatever - was like nothing on Earth.

His mouth alighted, precisely as a bee settling on a blossom. It was a seduction; slow, achingly sweet, that invited him to respond. Oh, no, he'd never been kissed like this before. He ended up half in the other man's lap, both hands wrapped around that silky fall of hair, and Zechs' fingers caressing his cheek.

'I would like, very much, to see you again,' Zechs said, the formality of the words not quite hiding the hesitancy.

'I would like that.' Wufei surprised himself by saying, with no hesitation at all. He had known that Zechs would ask; hadn't quite known what he would answer. 'I'm going to China tomorrow for ten days, though, on a university field trip. Then I'm visiting friends on L4. Perhaps we could meet after that?'

'I'm not a particularly patient man,' Zechs remarked wryly. 'Where will you be staying in China?'

'We'll be based in Beijing, but there are some day trips planned outside the city as well.'

'I assume you'll have an evening free at some point? If you could let me know, I'll be glad to take you out.'

Wufei burst out laughing. 'You are joking, I hope? Of course, you can't come all the way to China just to have dinner with me!' He blushed, slowly, glad of the darkness. Would Zechs think he might be offering something else?

Zechs shrugged, a light movement against Wufei's arm. 'Well, we could have lunch as well, if you had no plans for the afternoon.I'll see you in Beijing, then? Next week perhaps. Will you call me when you have a date? I'll need to know a day or so in advance to arrange flights.'

Wufei laughed. 'I still can't believe you're going to do that.' Duo was never going to believe it either. 'You said earlier that you going to South America.'

'I said my sister was going, actually.' He flicked Wufei a grin. 'But I believe there are flights from there to China.' Another grin. 'I happen to be very fond of Chinese food.' He picked up one of Wufei's hands and kissed the fingers in turn. 'I'm not rushing you too much, am I? I don't mean to.'

'You're failing miserably then,' Wufei said crisply. 'And don't be ridiculous. I'm perfectly capable of letting you know what I do and don't find acceptable. If you're trying to reassure me that you're not planning to seduce me straightway, I have no intention of falling into your bed.'

'Very well. If we are to be honest, I will say that I do have every intention of trying to seduce you, at some point' He hesitated, sweeping one long swathe of hair behind his ear. 'May I ask you something?'

'I haven't.' Wufei smiled at Zechs' expression. 'That was what you were planning to ask, wasn't it? And before you ask, I have no unpleasant episodes in my past to do with sex; I have accepted what and who I am, and I am not totally without experience. I'm not some silly little girl dreaming of romance, and to treat me as such will be an insult.'

'Well, I wouldn't want to insult you,' Zechs smiled back. 'Although I rather like the idea of you dreaming of romance. With me.'

'Mr. Chang?' A soft voice spoke at his elbow, interrupting his thoughts.

'What?' Wufei snapped. That damned woman again; she was supposed to be one of Zechs' doctors but she refused to stop pestering him. He'd told her repeatedly that he was fine; that he didn't need medical attention; that the blood wasn't his; that he wasn't in shock; that the scratches from flying glass were merely superficial; and that he didn't need anything, but she still kept drifting over to annoy him.

'I'm sorry to disturb you, sir, but Security has just called. Your friend Mr. Maxwell downstairs and he is being escorted upstairs.'

Finally.