Chapter Sixteen: Quatre and the Cabin
"I still don't know why I have to do this." Quatre was frowning as he sat on a sofa, arms and legs crossed, next to a suitcase he did not pack. He did his best to show his displeasure. "It's not like either of us actually want to spend three and a half days together."
Trowa ignored the pleas and fetched Quatre his warmest jacket. When he held out the garment an annoyed Quatre leapt up and gently pushed aside the fabric, positioning himself directly in front of Trowa and gingerly wrapping his arms around the taller man. "Wouldn't you rather…" he leaned upwards to place a soft kiss on Trowa's neck "I spend a long weekend with you?"
It was Trowa's turn to frown. When Quatre put on this much charm while angry he was desperate to get out of something. He wrapped one arm around the blonde and kissed the top of his head. "Of course I prefer to spend time together." His other arm came up and slipped the jacket over the shoulders of his petulant love. "But you need to sort this out. The holiday party was nearly a week ago and your behavior is still inexcusable." As a now angry Quatre tried to pull out of his arms Trowa only held him closer. He leaned down to whisper "I didn't recognize you that night, my love. And you've not been yourself since. Please try this weekend. For me? I miss you."
Every ounce of fight drained from Quatre. Trowa rarely asked for anything. He could not deny this request no matter how much he wanted to avoid it fully. Pulling back slowly he looked into emerald green eyes and declared "I can do anything for three days if it's for you."
His reward was a sweet smile from Trowa and a long, comforting kiss that lingered on his lips even after they parted. It didn't in that moment matter how Duo was waiting for nearly half an hour outside the front doors of his estate. And it almost didn't matter that he was being forced to spend a long weekend in a remote cabin outside of the city with his least favorite Gundam pilot. If this sacrifice got him kissed like that? It might just be worthwhile.
"This is what you call a cabin?" Duo opened his door and stepped out of the car. He stared at the structure before him noting roughly twenty windows on the front facade alone as he slung his duffel over one shoulder. "I expected something more… quaint."
Quatre ignored Duo just as he had the entire uncomfortable drive out to the mountains. It was an hour and a half of torture and the rest of the weekend was unlikely to improve from there. He began to roll his suitcase up a stone path to the front door, suddenly cursing Trowa for having enough power over him to convince him to do something this stupid with just a request and a kiss. It was a good kiss. But so not worth it.
"No, really. Where's the servant's quarters? Who runs this place?"
Quatre sighed. "It's not really that big, Duo. It's five bedroom four bath." The whistle of sarcastic appreciation coming from Duo made him cringe.
"You know… I don't even have ONE bedroom at my place."
"Well maybe if you spent your money more wisely you could afford ONE BEDROOM, Duo!"
That comment cut deeply and Duo shut up.
They entered the building in silence. Quatre brought his bag immediately up to the largest master bedroom and Duo chose an adjacent room rather than the second master suite on the other side of the floor. For all the surprise he displayed upon arrival Duo had seen the blueprints to the "cabin" in advance. The room in which Quatre was staying served as one of two master suites separated on the upper level by three smaller bedrooms and a hallway bathroom. Duo chose the room next to Quatre's for strategic purposes. It did not have an en-suite so he'd be using the bathroom in the hallway.
As he took in the room he confirmed what the blueprints told him: this bedroom was the size of his entire living space. He opened the closet and shook his head. It was larger than his bathroom at home. He didn't begrudge this type of living, but to know it remained empty most of the year bothered him. How many people could be taken off the streets and given a safe place to live if excess housing was actually put to use? Trowa told him this cabin was used maybe 2-3 weeks a year, and that was because they could drive so easily from their main home to this location.
How much real estate did Quatre own that he could leave large homes vacant all the time?
When he left his room he saw that Quatre's door was closed. If he was going to stay in his room that was all right by Duo. It gave him time to walk the perimeter and check every corner of the house. He made note of what doors squeaked and which floorboards made noise. All this was part of a familiar routine.
He wondered at what point Quatre lost this instinct. Was it because he was out of the field? Or because outside of the war someone like Quatre didn't feel unsafe? Did peace make him complacent? Duo wasn't sure he'd ever lose the habit. It was one he picked up before becoming a soldier. You couldn't trust a spot to rest on the streets without knowing your exits and vulnerabilities. He couldn't remember a time he didn't run a security check on a location, even if it was simply visual. An hour later when Quatre came downstairs Duo knew the building well enough to trace his location by sound. It was one benefit to creaky older homes.
The first of their three nights and four days in the cabin was an excruciating evening of silence broken by short sentences and unhappy glares. When Duo ate at the dining table Quatre took his plate to the living room. When Duo took up in an armchair and stared out a window Quatre got up to grab himself a tea and returned to take the farthest seat from his companion. And when Quatre went to bed early and came back downstairs after several hours for a drink of water he found Duo sitting in the dark, watching the forest.
Day two was more of the same. Duo appeared preoccupied with everything that wasn't Quatre and the blonde was more than happy to avoid his company all together. Things were going smoothly until mid day when Quatre received a text from Trowa.
Good afternoon, love. Have you talked to Duo yet?
He wanted to reply "yes" and argue later that their quick exchanges of only a few words was technically talking, but he did make a promise to Trowa. And as much as he hated to admit it, this conflict with Duo couldn't go on forever. Something had to give.
Typing a quick "I will" in response, Quatre tucked his phone into his pocket. He glanced over to where Duo sat, still checking out the forest. The behavior irked him. What was so interesting about some trees? He cleared his throat.
"We may as well get this over with and have our talk. I'm not sure Trowa will let me come home if you and I haven't made up somehow." Duo hesitated before turning towards him. The tension in his frame was clear and Quatre vaguely wondered if perhaps his presence was causing the American duress. The thought was a bit pleasing after days of Trowa gently and consistently bringing up the events of the holiday party. He didn't like being made into a villain. Whatever discomfort he brought Duo was well deserved in his mind.
Duo stood and dragged his preferred armchair closer to where Quatre was seated. He positioned it with a clear view of the window and the door. Then he took a seat and looked to Quatre. "Okay, Winner. Let's do this." An uncomfortable silence fell between them and Duo knew that Quatre was waiting for him to speak first. It was a power move from executive board meetings, and though that wasn't his wheelhouse Duo knew the game well. So he waited just long enough to see annoyance flare in Quatre's eyes before speaking. "I told Tro you just don't like me and never have. So that's as good a place as any to start. Why don't you like me?"
It was a simple but loaded question and Quatre wasn't expecting Duo to come out the gate with it. He wasn't sure how direct his answer should be.
"You're not like other people."
Duo laughed. "You're gonna need to be more specific about that, Winner."
"You have a quality I can't stand."
"Better, but still vague."
Quatre frowned and unconsciously huffed. "You're annoying and loud and I don't like your attitude."
That response elicited a genuine smile from Duo. "Ya might be right about that, at least when we met. But it's still not the reason you dislike me."
"I don't understand you."
Duo didn't immediately reply. As far as he could tell that answer was true. Maybe not specific, but certainly true. "Okay," he said after a pause. "We're getting somewhere. So why dya think I'm so hard to understand?"
Quatre bristled. "Is this an interrogation?"
"It could be."
Quatre frowned. He told himself he should rip off the band aid and get this over with, but the affirmation didn't help hurry him along. Instead he settled for "If I answer you honestly you'll think less of me."
He wasn't expecting laughter. Duo's head leaned back and he laughed wholeheartedly. A hand reached up to his neck and pulled his braid in front of him. When he settled down his eyes were bright. "There's really not a lot that can make me think less of you, if that's what you're worried about. That ship sailed a long time ago. Whatever your reasoning is you'll either be exactly where you are now or I'll think better of you in the end."
Not many people had ever spoken to Quatre in that way. Usually his money gave him a built in formality and respect, or his titles kept people holding their tongues. But Duo, per usual, didn't care for any of these social constructs. He treated everyone the same.
After staring at his braided companion for a while, Quatre took a deep breath and closed his eyes, letting it out slowly. It's not like Duo was close enough to anyone to tell them what he was considering saying, right? And even if he did, who would believe Duo over him?
"Okay, Duo. The reason I don't like you, why I don't understand you, is that I… Well. I can't read you."
If Quatre expected more of a reaction he didn't get one. Duo simply looked at him, underwhelmed and a little confused. "What do you mean you can't read me?"
Quatre didn't elaborate. Instead he waited to see if Duo would connect the dots. The former Deathscythe pilot slouched a little, leaning to the right with his elbow propped on the chair's arm rest, and brought his knuckles up to his lips in thought. Suddenly he sat upright and pointed at Quatre. "You mean your empath abilities don't work on me?" When he received a nod in response Duo's eyes widened and brought his hand back to lightly slap it along his own cheek. "I thought that worked on everyone!"
"It works on nearly everyone. But I've met maybe a dozen people I can't get a read on. Normally it's not a problem because I'll never see that barista again or whoever it is. But I can't avoid YOU."
Duo was once again laughing. It started low and built into an outburst that startled Quatre. He adjusted his seating again, leaning heavily forward with both hands gripping an arm rest each. "You mean to tell me all this time you didn't like me because your cheat code didn't work? You rely so heavily on that ability of yours you can't even stand to be in a room with someone when you need to read them like literally everyone else has to?"
Flustered, Quatre could only get out a few sounds of protest before Duo continued.
"Holy shit, man!" His tone was one of epiphany. "¡Dios mío! So much makes sense now! Everyone always said you were just so fuckin' understanding but you never were with me." He froze and looked at his companion with wild eyes. "Is that why you were such an asshole during Meteor when you drank yourself into a stupor and cried over Trowa being missing, never once noticing how fucking heartbroken I was that we thought Heero was dead?"
Quatre's brow furrowed. That memory was one he tried to forget but never could. The alcohol helped keep parts a blur but he remembered Duo picking him up off the floor of their safe house and tending to him as he sobbed and went on about feelings never confessed. "You were so composed." His voice was low. "I thought you didn't care that they were probably dead."
A pained laugh escaped from the American but he gathered himself quickly. "Winner I was fucking shattered. I thought I was in love with Heero. And Trowa, somehow, already felt like a true friend. I couldn't function for myself. But you needed help. So I sucked it up and pulled myself together. For you. Hell, someone had to make sure you didn't drink yourself to death."
Suddenly the aquamarine eyes staring at Duo shifted. Quatre looked like a kicked puppy. His eyes held pain and they glossed over as Quatre whispered "I didn't know."
And there it was. Exactly what Duo hated most about his former comrade. The guy really did care about other people. But having only seen that care expressed towards others it was easy to grow to resentful when his kindness manifested. For the entire time they knew one another Duo was left out of Quatre's boundless love for friends. It was why he never felt they were friends at all. Quatre would use him in the war as a shoulder to cry on without once asking if Duo was okay. And it turned out none of this was a purposeful slight. The idiot just chose to believe that if he couldn't get a reading with his space heart there was nothing to explore. No depth to emotions.
That realization brought on a new kind of pain, because Quatre could have noticed what Duo was going through if he put any effort into knowing him. But he didn't, for one reason that was becoming increasingly clear.
"So you took advantage of me."
Quatre's demeanor turned defensive. "What?"
"You knew if you came to me and cried you wouldn't feel any pain on my end to upset you further or guilt you into hiding how you felt. So you used me in the war and then tossed me aside afterwards when my function was no longer necessary."
"No that's…" the energy seemed to drain from the blonde man. "No. That's actually right."
The admission was a surprise to Duo, who examined Quatre up and down looking for something, though he wasn't sure what it was. His voice was colder and guarded when he crossed his arms and said "Go ahead and tell Trowa you had that talk. At least he'll get off your case." He stood abruptly, braid swinging backwards over his shoulder as he reached to adjust his hoodie. He pulled the hood partially up, and silently left the room.
The remainder of the day was uneventfully tense.
After Duo took a walk around the property he returned to once again silently stare out the windows from afar. No words or meals were shared. Quatre retreated into his room. Winter in the Sanq Kingdom meant early darkness and long nights, so when Quatre emerged for a snack and some tea to accompany the book he brought he was once again startled by Duo, sitting in the dark, watching the forest.
"Duo! Oh my god, you scared me." Quatre flipped on the lights and Duo winced. "Why do you always sit in the dark?"
"Because a light inside obscures the view outside."
Giving the long-haired man a critical look he retreated into the kitchen to prepare his tea. When he returned he had two mugs. He crossed the room and handed one to Duo.
"What's this for?"
"Tea is good for you. It helps with relaxation and you seem… tense."
Though he looked suspicious Duo took the mug into his hands and held it to his chest. There was a pleasant heat wafting up as the beverage let off steam. It smelled of black tea, citrus, and honey. He took a tentative sip under the watchful eyes of Quatre.
"It's not bad. Thanks."
Quatre smiled and made his way back upstairs to read. Duo called after him "lights off, please."
When it was dark inside once more Duo settled into the chair. He had a clear view out the picture window to watch the small front yard as well as a clear shot of both the front and back doors. He set down the tea and pulled out his phone. He quickly fired off a text, covering the ambient light with his hand even though the device was set to dark mode. Pulling his feet up onto the seat, knees up and legs against his chest, he took another sip of tea and kept watch.
As the night wore on and he drank the last of his now cold tea, he felt his head getting heavier and his eyes losing focus. He got up to stretch and re-positioned himself several times. Even at 3:30 he shouldn't be this tired. He napped enough in the day and knew he could manage with just four hours of sleep. He'd done it for years on missions. He thought he'd snap out of it. Staying awake was easy.
When sleep claimed him he wasn't expecting it.