Chapter Fourteen: Lies of Omission
The mood was as festive as the décor, and Heero gladly admitted to himself that he was actually having some fun for the first time in months. Though parties like this were still not his preferred scene it was nice to be in the company of friends. Relena kept their conversation going as he worried about security threats and checked exits and entrances. Occasionally she'd wait for him to chime in and add his thoughts to whatever topic she was focused on. He hadn't seen Quatre and Trowa in the crowd for a while, and he'd yet to bump into Wufei or Sally, but even without them he felt he was passably social.
Relena seemed to be having an excellent time, chatting briefly with everyone who recognized her and came to say hello. She was elated to catch up with Heero, and a little over-eager to accompany him, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. It didn't even bother him too much how she was latched to his arm, though it brought back memories of happier times with Duo. He missed how Duo would lock arms with him as they spoke in private. He really missed how he'd do the same when they sat close together on a couch watching movies.
He shook that memory off. Tonight was about taking steps to get his life back on track without all the pining he'd fallen into lately. He was in charge of his own life. He was a fully functioning and well rounded adult. He could get through a party without Duo consuming his every thought.
A smile played on his lips as he thought about the old times. He and Duo would arrive together to events like this and part ways after a few short minutes. It was a game they played to avoid gaining unwanted attention. For every ten to fifteen minutes they spent side by side they'd spend twenty minutes apart. They determined that this was the optimal way to keep others from teasing them about being each other's date. While they were in different quadrants of the party, doing their duties to socially mingle, they'd text one another. Topics ranged from who they saw and were trying to avoid, what food was good, which food tasted terrible, and speculations on gossip. It was like a choreographed dance, and Heero ate up every minute of it. His hand still itched to reach for his phone, hoping to have some snarky incoming text from Duo every time he attended a large event.
Tonight was a far cry from the fun they once had. It was good, but vastly different. With Duo he was never left wanting, and now...
Upon realizing he was still pining, Heero stood a little straighter and began to settle back into the social routine he developed with Relena. It wasn't long before he felt a strong hand grab his free arm and forcibly turn him toward an angry Wufei. "We need to talk. Right now."
Without hesitation Heero disengaged from Relena. He shot her a look that she knew meant Preventers business, and followed Wufei without a word. From his friend's behavior it was evident something important must have developed on a case. Maybe it was about the arms dealer they were tracking together. Trowa was tied up in something secretive with Une and didn't have a lot of time, so Wufei and Heero were partnered temporarily on the biggest task on his desk. Did the cargo arrive early? Were the buyers backing out?
When Wufei pulled him aside into a conference room and he saw Sally waiting for them he had a feeling whatever Wufei wanted to talk about was not related to any mission.
The Chinese man's voice was clipped and clearly holding back rage when he barked "You lied to us!"
Heero gazed blankly at him, not following.
"You lied to us all, Yuy."
Incredulously looking his friend up and down he asked "what are you talking about?"
"Duo!" At that moment Sally's hand shot out and lightly touched Wufei, warning him to check his temper. He took a few deep breaths and continued. "You lead us to believe you were pining over a lost love you never confessed to, but all along you were in a secret relationship for years! You didn't lose your chance to tell Duo how you felt! You lost him from your own stupidity and then played us all for fools!"
The color drained from Heero's face and his eyes widened. A sudden pounding against his rib-cage informed him that he was beginning to panic. For a moment he couldn't form words. "Uh. Who. Who told you—"
"Duo told us! And he doesn't lie. But if he did? Shit, Yuy. Your reaction confirms everything."
Heero took a few shaky steps to the side and collapsed onto one of the conference room chairs. His breathing became increasingly labored. "I didn't. I just. I didn't know if I should say anything—"
"Bullshit, you coward!" Wufei stepped towards him and Sally followed, all the while gently holding him back. "Your actions are a disgrace—" he stopped when Sally squeezed his arm. She gave him a fiery look and then released him, taking several steps forward to Heero and quietly taking the seat beside him. The Japanese man was so far gone in his own thoughts he didn't react to her quickly taking his vitals and checking him over.
"Heero" she said softly, "you need to breathe. In through your nose, out through your mouth. Just a few times, nice and slowly. Deep breaths." He did as she ordered. "Okay, now look at me." Without turning his head his eyes slowly moved to meet hers. "We're at the Preventers Christmas party. We found a quiet room away from the guests. You were having a nice time until you weren't. Would you like a minute, or would you like to talk to me about it?"
Wufei started to speak but the sound died in his throat when Sally gave him a withering look. After a moment, Heero relaxed a fraction and replied "It's okay. We can talk."
She took one of his hands in hers and the gesture was warm and heartfelt. For a moment a small voice in Heero's head told him this is what a mother might do. He couldn't look away from her. And he wanted to tell her everything he'd held onto.
"Heero. I saw Duo here tonight at the party. And he's just as hurt as you are. So what can I do to help the two of you stop hurting?"
As Heero mumbled something only Sally could hear Wufei watched with appreciation as Sally took charge. From when they met in the war until now she was commanding and graceful. What she saw in a hot tempered idiot like himself he'd never know. But it was always an honor to see her in action.
"I don't believe that, Heero. And neither do you." She gave his hand a slight and reassuring squeeze. "You aren't a bad person. You're in pain. And sometimes we make mistakes when we're in pain."
He fully turned toward her and held her hand a little tighter. "Sally I didn't just make mistakes. I hurt people."
She smiled at him. "Everyone hurts people as they grow up, Heero. And I've known you long enough to confidently say you'd never hurt anyone you love on purpose. It's hard for anyone to navigate relationships but you had all the odds stacked against you. And if you want to tell me what happened I can tell you, as a third party who just wants what's best for both of my friends, if you did the best you could."
Heero looked up to Wufei.
"Don't mind him, I'll deal with him myself."
Her words brought a small smile to Heero's face. "Okay Sally. Here's what happened…"
Wufei and Sally had a quiet ride home after a what turned out to be a long and exhausting night. Neither seemed willing to address the events of their evening quite yet, though the need to was palpable. It lingered as Wufei parked the car and Sally unlocked their front door. It hovered over their heads as they brushed their teeth. And it finally broke the silence after they got into bed.
"Thank you," Wufei said softly as he took Sally into his arms. "For being emotionally mature enough for the both of us when I fail."
She snuggled backwards into his embrace. "You're usually not too bad. It's only when someone you love gets hurt that you lose your cool. You know I'm not really that much better. You've seen me after I lose my patience." She rubbed a hand across his arm. "And most of the time that protectiveness of yours is endearing." Her hand paused in its motion. "I don't totally blame you for your behavior tonight. This was a long time coming."
He held her closer and spoke lowly into her ear. "I'll keep working on being worthy of you. Even though I know you're a sneaky little bitch deep down inside."
She lightly smacked his arm. "Hey, only I get to say that about myself!"
"Okay. I'll keep working on being worthy of you even though I know you're far from perfect and you never, not once, put your socks in the hamper."
She smiled and turned in his arms to face him. "Why drop them in the hamper when I can just dispose of them wherever and whenever I want and you'll put them in the hamper?"
He laughed. "Shall we go into your refusal to rinse the recycling? Or how you cannot make edible pancakes?"
"No, we can stop. I'm well aware of my own habits and your accusations of my supposed failures in the kitchen."
"So am I. I'm very aware. But you still make me want to be worthy."
Sally held him closer to her. "You do a pretty good job already. When we met you were just an angry teenager. I had no romantic feelings towards that unruly child. But you inexplicably went and matured into an adult." She raised a hand and ran it through his hair, her smile shifting into a mischievous grin. "And you managed to be worth my time, even though I had second thoughts about the age gap."
He chuckled. "We didn't even flirt until I was quite firmly in my twenties."
She grinned back. "Sure, but I was firmly in my thirties."
"And you still are."
"And you act like a middle aged man"
He frowned. "Is that so bad?"
She leaned forward and gave him a light kiss. "No. It's not bad. And I don't mind when your friends remind me how young you are. Their nonsense makes me look more mature than I am. It kinda makes me feel like I have all the answers, dealing with those beautiful idiots."
Wufei ran the back of his index finger along her cheek. "What are we going to do about those beautiful idiot friends of mine?"
Sally smiled sweetly and pushed him onto his back, curling up at his side. She rested her head on his shoulder and snaked an arm across his chest. "I may have an idea."
His voice was intrigued. "Really?"
After a short pause she replied "Yes. I'll talk to Duo. And we'll get them to attend a small gathering on neutral ground." Idly she traced light circles on his chest. "Those fools just need to actually talk to each other. And that's simple enough to facilitate. They're just scared. It's perfectly understandable. So we need to make them comfortable."
A soft kiss was placed at the top of her head. "Have I told you today that you're wonderful?"
Wufei could feel her smile into his shoulder. "You have. But you're welcome to say it any time."