Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ A Joyful Gathering ❯ A Peaceful Evening with Friends and Hopes for the Future ( Chapter 8 )

Title: A Joyful Gathering [Part 8/8]

Book 3 of the "Incredible Edibles Series"

Author: Enigma

Written: November, 2001; revised: November, 2002

Rating: NC-17

Series: Gundam Wing

Pairings: (5x3) (1x2) (6x4) {yes, there *is* a sex scene for each couple!}

Category: Yaoi, Romance, Humor, Food Misuse, Lemon, AU-OOC

Enigma Story Category: Pilots' Pleasure

Archive: GW Addiction & Sweet&Sweet [author: "Enigma"]; mediaminer.org [author: "E-sama the Llama"]

Warnings: yaoi, romance, highly questionable sense of humor, *serious* misuse of traditional holiday foods!, excessive oral sex, lemon x three!!!, ornate food descriptions ala' "Iron Chef", American traditions, a child, sap, fluff, and general silliness. AU-OOC.

Disclaimers: I don't own "Gundam Wing". Just the parts of this story that are new are truly mine. I'm not making any money off this, it's written out of love, so please don't sue me.

Lemon Disclaimer: Kindly note that in the Real World, "safe" sex should be practiced at all times. However, this is an "Enigma Yaoi Romance Lemon" and all bishounen in question are hence magically protected against the dangers of sexually transmissible diseases, therefore they can skip the condoms -- and they know it! Furthermore, the substances used as lube here should not be employed in the Real World for obvious health reasons.

Notes: Wufei and Trowa are still in hiding as the ShenLong pilot continues to recover from his injuries. On Thanksgiving Day some surprise visitors arrive and after sharing a wonderful meal together they all discover that sometimes the best place to enjoy part of a feast can be in bed!

//thoughts//

*****

Thanksgiving evening found a quiet group of six friends enjoying a warm fire in the previously unused fireplace of a safehouse in Northern Virginia.

The couples had trickled back together slowly, each pairing replete with warm less than secretive smiles that told everyone else they had enjoyed their intimate after-dinner entertainment immensely. Despite the decidedly hentai joking about sex at the table earlier, there was no open discussion of what had been shared in the privacy of the three bedrooms. If the walls hadn't been thin enough for sound to transmit through them quite so easily, it might have been believable that the six young men had indeed gone off to take naps.

The other telling evidence, of course, was the number of whispered apologies to Trowa and Wufei for unanticipated use of their shampoo and other bathroom supplies. In Milliardo's case it included a question as to the source for the conditioner the unibanged pilot had used since the platinum blond liked the way it made his lengthy tresses feel afterwards.

When Wufei and Heero went into the kitchen together to see about brewing some coffee for those among the group that wanted it, the Wing pilot was startled by the sudden shout of joy from his slightly smaller friend.

"Hot damn! YES!!" Wufei had paused to check for messages on his laptop and he pushed away from the countertop long enough to pull the Japanese teen into a brief, rough embrace then released him and shouted, "Tro! Angel, come here! I've got great news!"

Cobalt blue eyes wide with astonishment not only that he had been grabbed the way he had been but also because the Chinese youth seemed so much stronger than what he recalled, Heero asked, "What is it?! What's going on, Wufei?"

In response to Wufei's shout, Trowa and Duo both rushed into the kitchen.

The American youth nearly laughed at the fish-like appearance of his lover who was still reeling from the momentary encounter with what he now knew beyond a shadow of a doubt was a natural born seme.

The taller of the two newcomers, however, strode directly to his lover with a shy yet hopeful smile on his face, ignoring the others entirely as he asked, "What is, dragon? What's the good news?"

Before Wufei could answer, a pair of blondes came to gaze in the doorway, curious what had gotten the usually quiet oriental boy so excited.

Beaming and reaching to pull Trowa close to him so he could share his joy more fully with the one he loved as well as to let him read the message for himself, the onyx-eyed boy announced, "It's a message from Sally! She says that she'll be back at Howard's ship in a week or so and that if I want her to, she'll x-ray my leg and take the cast off if it has healed enough."

"Really?" Trowa gasped in happy delight, glad not only for his lover's sake but for his own since it really had been a nuisance for both of them for Wufei to drag the heavy thing around the way that he had for so long.

"Absolutely!" The ShenLong pilot pulled him close, glad that the crutches were leaning against a wall instead of in their way as they embraced. "Won't it be great to get rid of this damned thing, love? Oh, to be able to soak in a nice, long, *hot* bath would be heaven!"

Trowa blushed prettily and nodded, assuming quite correctly that he would be joining the Chinese boy in said bath and knowing how much they would both enjoy it.

Realizing that they'd all gotten distracted and the walnut-crusted pumpkin pie was at risk of remaining unappreciated, Trowa set aside his sweet fantasy and pointed out to his friends, "Why don't you all grab some coffee or wine or whatever while you're here? I'll bring the pumpkin pie to the living room in a moment. We don't want that fire to go out while we stand in here and celebrate without it." He busied himself with gathering things together to do just that hoping that the flames in his cheeks would be concealed by those on the hearth.

As Quatre assisted Trowa with getting the food together, Duo and Milliardo got a bottle of slightly sweet dessert wine ready while Heero insisted that he take care of the coffee himself to keep Duo from adding any undesired alcohol to it.

Having spent the time while the others were getting dessert together typing up and sending off a quick note of thrilled acceptance of Sally's offer, Wufei turned back around to find himself alone in the kitchen. A slow smile crept onto his face as he reflected on how nice it had been that the other four pilots had come to join them as they celebrated their first Thanksgiving.

//All afternoon I've been trying to pinpoint what it is I've been feeling after having everybody show up here unexpectedly. At first, it was just pure shock, I guess, especially when Quatre explained why Milliardo was here. But after seeing them together this way, I can see that they truly care for one another and I hope it works out for them.//

Wufei's expression softened somewhat as his thoughts continued to float randomly.

//It's great to see Maxwell and Yuy are still the same, though. I can't even recall those two *not* being inseparable. Sniping at each other like five year olds most of the time, but ready to defend one another to the death without hesitation the next. I'm really glad that they're together for a holiday that Duo obviously feels so strongly about. Those two deserve all the happiness they can get.//

The sound of Trowa's gentle laughter reached his ears and the smile broadened once more as he reached for his crutches to go and join the others as his thoughts turned to their preferred topic. In the ShenLong pilot's inner vision there was the familiar image of a slender, auburn-haired young man with sparkling emerald green eyes, one of which routinely hid behind his unusually long bangs, and his heart leapt with joy.

//Ah, so *that* is the feeling I've been experiencing today! *Joy*! How terribly odd that I couldn't identify it until now. This has indeed been a joyful gathering for us all.//

The Chinese teen hobbled into the living room and the actual presence of the HeavyArms pilot replaced the purely imagined one and happiness sang through him again as he watched Trowa helping Duo wrestle an overly large log onto the fire. The other three men in the room were "armchair quarterbacking" the operation with useless words of advice and unrestrained laughter and that, too, made Wufei feel wonderfully good about his makeshift family.

Mission accomplished and wiping bark and dirt from their hands, both Duo and Trowa soon rose and returned to their lovers' sides with smiles and soon all six men were enjoying a gourmet dessert, drinking their beverages of choice, and enjoying the pleasant company.

*****

Much later that night, after it had been agreed that the four visitors would spend a few more days in the company of the friends they had all missed, the six pilots lounged by the low burning fire and simply relaxed in peace and quiet.

Quatre seemed to be dozing, curled up on the couch with his head resting in Milliardo's lap, all the while the tall man gently finger-combed the soft sunshine gold of the Arabian's hair. Occasionally the younger of the two would make a soft little noise of contentment, but not much more was said by either.

On the floor, Heero sat with Duo nestled between his legs holding the braided boy firmly to him as he played with the end of the chestnut rope of hair, satisfied for the moment to let his thoughts wander peacefully ignored for a change. The often boisterous American was quietly watching the glowing remains of the fire with rapt inattention. It was a truly rare moment that these two both allowed their minds to wander, but it seemed the perfect way to end the holiday.

In what was obviously Wufei's chair, the recovering patient had the cast propped up on a footstool and had his lover perched on the arm of the chair close enough for Trowa to gently rub the back of his neck. Onyx eyes were heavy-lidded as Wufei enjoyed the relaxing mini-massage, the occasional popping of the fireplace concealing what sounded rather like a soft, non-draconic purring sound that he was making.

Taking a moment to survey the room, Trowa noticed that Duo looked unusually thoughtful as he rested his head against Heero's strong chest. The silence in the room was broken as the auburn-haired boy asked quietly, "What are you worried about, Duo? Is something wrong?"

"Hmm?" Hazy violet eyes regarded emerald and then the American teen shook his head a little and answered, "Oh, it's probably nothing, Tro. I was just wondering if there was any chance that OZ might agree to a truce for the holidays next month. After having such a good time for Thanksgiving today, I'd really love to know we could all look forward to a peaceful Christmas, too."

Trowa frowned slightly, then nodded, "I agree, Duo. It's been wonderful being together this way, but I have no idea if OZ would be willing to put the war on hold or not. What do you think, Milliardo?"

"Ah, I wondered how long it would be until someone asked for my insider's perspective on 'the enemy'." Gentle amusement and appreciation filled azure eyes as he commented, "Personally, I think that if Treize had anything to say about it then there would probably be a nice long break. Family and friends are as important to my 'older brother' as they are to anyone else."

With a sigh, the former Lightning Count continued, "Unfortunately, the people who will decide in the end will be the leaders of Romefeller," unhappiness shone in azure orbs and Quatre sat up and reached out to hold one of the taller man's hands reassuringly. "I believe that Duke Dermail might be willing to consider it. He used to come to the holiday parties at the Khushrenada family villa outside of Kiev when we were younger. Perhaps if I find a way to remind him how important the holidays are for many people he will consider it more fully."

"If there is a truce," Heero asked the group, "what would everyone like to do during it? It's not often we get a guaranteed break from the war."

Duo shrugged and answered, "I didn't really have anything in mind, Heero. I just thought it would be nice to not have to fight or kill during the holidays."

"I'm sure that if there's another gathering like this one, we'll do our best to join you." Milliardo looked around as he answered for himself and the boy sitting beside him, "If not, then I hope that perhaps I can share some European Christmas traditions with my little Arabian prince here."

"That would be nice, love," Quatre smiled up at the older man. "I certainly haven't had a traditional 'Christmas' before, so that would be fun."

"And fattening," Trowa commented with a slight smile. "Catherine maintains the old Earth custom of making Christmas cookies and I can warn you now, Quatre, the European ones are some of the richest! The way you like sweets, you're apt to eat too many, but you'll love every bite."

"Sounds great, Tro! Thanks for mentioning it," the smaller of the two blondes smiled, then asked, "But what about you two? If Wufei has that cast off by then, I guess that means you two can leave this safehouse, right?"

Wufei frowned slightly, this was the one aspect of his recovery he wasn't entirely thrilled about. He'd become quite fond of the adorable little neighbor girl, Debra, and the area was comfortable for both himself and his beloved, but they knew their destinies lay elsewhere. Leaving this place meant a probable return to the battlefield as well, and that didn't strike him as something he felt as eager for now as he once was.

The unhappy expression suddenly vanished, however, when the raven-haired youth answered firmly, "You're right, Quatre. We may indeed have to leave this house, but I can safely say that Tro and I will be trying harder to stay together for missions and things. I don't believe that either of us is willing to go back to solo operations if we can avoid them."

"That's the spirit!" Duo exclaimed encouragingly, "Heero and me argue with G and J all the time to do that for us, and it usually works. Good luck, you two."

"Thanks," Trowa smiled back at the American, then addressed the former TallGeese pilot, "So, Milliardo, does that answer your question? It sounds to me that all any of us are sure about is that we want to be with our partners regardless, but a truce would be quite welcome."

"I must agree with you on both points, Trowa," Milliardo commented thoughtfully. "I guess that all that is left for us to do about it is to hope that Treize and Duke Dermail both agree that a truce would be best if I find a way to suggest it, right?"

"Right!" A chorus of voices agreed firmly and then the evening's earlier quiet mood returned as each of them wondered if there was any way that he could influence that decision as well as thinking about how wonderful it would be to have the war end entirely.

Positive and encouraging thoughts stayed with the six young warriors until several hours later, when they went off to sleep for the night, safe and warm in their respective lovers' arms.

For them all, Thanksgiving had been a wonderful day, filled with friendship, love, and uniquely inspiring gourmet food. Surprising discoveries had been made, delightful memories shared, and intimate moments enjoyed in private. It would be roughly a month until Christmas arrived and all of the pilots hoped it would bring with it a Yuletide peace.

~Owari~

Final Author's Notes:

[1] This fic is dedicated to the wonderful new mailing list "GW_yaoi"! This is a list that welcomes differing yaoi pairings for the characters of "Gundam Wing" and the members treat one another with respect and friendship. If you'd like to join in on the fun, please sign up at: GW_yaoi-subscribe@yahoogroups.com .

[2] Regarding the Christmas sequel: "Yuletide Peace" takes the format for the "Incredible Edibles Series" back to being predominantly Tro-Fei, but does so with a twist as the HeavyArms pilot finally takes the seme role fully. Worth noting is the fact that it also includes my first attempt at writing shojo ai which was fairly well received when it was originally published a year or so ago. The fourth and final book of the series will be posted at MediaMiner.org after it receives considerable editing as all of the others in this series have.

[3] Muse Credit Union: Erato, my lemon and romance muse, wrote most of this, but Melpomene, my angst muse, helped too. Thalia, my humor muse, dropped in with this excessive amount of silliness (especially the succotash routine!) and Calliope, my epic muse, takes credit for these oral-oriented "lemon with a plot" stories which officially became a series when this one was added to the other two.

[4] To my delight, 100 incredibly nice folks are currently subscribed to my updates mailing list and they get roughly bimonthly notes from me about new works of mine at GW Addiction, Sweet&Sweet, or now at my all-new archive home, fanfiction.net. If you want to join the fun, please sign up at EnigmaFanficUpdates-subscribe@yahoogroups.com!