Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Above You ❯ Chapter 5

Five

"I just can't get used to the smell of it," Matty muttered, bouncing across the room to Duo's bed. "Max was noting to me when we were talking that most people from Earth didn't like the scent of it...and then Fian told me to take a deep breath when I stepped out of the transport...you look tired. Why are you tired?"

The semi-abrupt break of mindless chatter startled Duo from the stupor the flow had put him in to. He blinked a few times at the guy and shrugged. "I drank last night...too much. Woke up puking earlier."

"Oh...that sucks," the kid moved closer to sit on his bed.

They were getting ready to go to the circus. Trowa had gone ahead to get ready for his act—evidently he'd been planning on having one the entire time. Heero had driven the car they'd rented to drop him off. Quatre and Wufei had receded from Matty's pleasant meanderings with the subterfuge of a nap—according to Duo's phone, though, they were both logged into a chatroom.

"Do you do that often?"

Duo met the kid's eyes and shook his head. "You don't want to know my life, huh? Depressing as hell to go back to L-2."

"So why did you?"

"I don't remember, anymore," Duo returned, pulling his shirt off.

"You really work out, don't you?"

"I more impressive than Max?" Duo flashed him a wicked grin.

The guy grinned back at that, laying over sideways where he sat. "All looks good to me...I don't try to judge."

Duo grinned again, reminding himself that this was Heero's toy, not his. As much fun as he might be, it wasn't worth the upset it'd cause the other man.

"But...you do, don't you? You have that gym up there...I thought Max might have been showing off with his forms, but when I woke up Friday, him and Fian were up there doing them."

"They usually do them every morning," Duo agreed. "Nothing showing off about it—don't worry, if Max wants to show off for you, you'll be so impressed you won't realize that's what he was doing. You might not believe it, but he can be subtle."

Matty grinned at that, then jumped slightly. He shifted around slightly to pull his phone out of a pocket, then hit a few buttons...and snorted.

"Hm?" Duo muttered, pulling the newer shirt on and dropping onto the foot of the bed...and laying over sideways so he could look up at the kid's screen.

"Don't read my texts!" Matt protested, yanking the phone away.

"I wasn't reading it," Duo retorted. "Here...you can play with mine if I can play with yours." He offered his phone up.

Matt's grin turned wicked a moment before he hesitantly took the phone from Duo.

"Oh, shit," Duo muttered, taking it back quickly and setting up the touch-sensor. "I almost forgot to set up pax...you gonna set me up on yours?" He passed it back over.

Matty took the phone, blinking at him blankly, then shook his head. "I always heard that was a cool program...it's just way out of my budget."

"Pax?" Duo protested. "You have no clue how worth-it it really is..."

"I think so sometimes," the guy agreed, thinking about it. "But I barely managed to get an As model phone to begin with."

"Oh..." Duo frowned slightly, taking the kid's phone and thinking about it a minute. It only took him a second to access the internet on the thing.

"What are you doing?" Matty muttered blankly. "Don't run up my bill..."

"Oh, I'll pay for it," Duo retorted, keying in his credit-card number on the thing. "I'm getting you pax."

"What?" Matty breathed, lowering the phone to look at him. "Why?"

"Because I can set it up to auto update," Duo flashed him a grin. "We're paranoid like that...all five of us."

"Paranoid about what?" the guy retorted. "Don't...I can't pay you back for that."

"It's my apology for not texting you back like I promised Monday," Duo retorted.

"But..."

"Let me spoil you," Duo argued, starting the download. "Hell, it's not like this will be a stress on my budget—I totally won that appointment I went to. I had the guy half-begging to suck me off before I left."

Matty guffawed at that.

Duo flashed him a grin in response, tossing him the phone. "I'll show you how to set it all up when it's done downloading."

"All...right...you want this back?" he offered Duo's phone.

"I get bored and go research software for that...it's got a bunch of crap on it. We have a good five minutes before He...before Max gets back, you may as well see if there's anything else on there you like."

"But..." he hesitated. "It's kinda weird that you're just buying this for me..."

"Let's get back to the base paranoia I mentioned earlier," Duo suggested with a grin. "There's been some bullshit going on in the area of L-5 your uncle lives...if you gave me the right address. I'd just like a way to keep tabs on you. You can uninstall it when you get back to Earth."

The guy frowned slightly, then looked back at Duo's phone. "Who's Donovan?"

"Ian," Duo returned, looking up toward it. "Wha's he say?"

"It says Donovan invited you into chat...but it won't let me okay it."

"No one but me can okay it," Duo noted with a grin. "Part of the joy of the program. Its part of the request Ian sent."

"You guys chat?"

"Usually when we aren't all home we do it...but evidently all three of them...and Max are." He rolled his eyes, taking the phone. Wufei had a splash screen for entering the thing that consisted of a clip of a naked woman doing...interesting things to herself. Beneath it was a scroll of "Wanna have fun?" It was one of Wufei's random stabs at Quatre's naïveté...though it had long ago lost its ability to make the blond blush.

...but not Matty.

The guy's cheeks flashed bright red as he looked to Duo to see his reaction to the thing.

Duo laughed wickedly. "What? Never looked into the amusements of the female flesh?"

The guy blushed even more, covering his face with his arm.

Duo knew he shouldn't...but that was just cute. He laughed a bit more...and set the clip to play every time the guy touched his phone.

"What did that have to do with anything?" Matty demanded after a moment.

"Jason use to blush like you just did every time something slightly indecent crossed his path...we decided we needed to desensitize him to that...and with that splash screen, we all know it's Wufei's room we're using."

"Wufei?" Matty asked blankly.

Duo stopped short, staring at the guy before grinning. "Sorry...I...I meant Ian."

"That's his real name?"

"Real...name?"

"He said Ian was assumed," Matty reminded. "Do you have a different name, too, Warrick?"

"Yeah, actually," Duo agreed, smirking at him. "But unless you do me some pretty fantabulous favor you ain't gettin' it."

The kid grinned at him.

"The download is done, come on, let's calibrate the program."

"Who in the hell calls it calibrating?"

"The program itself," Duo retorted dryly. "Come on, boot it up."

- -

Matty was amazed to watch Trowa flipping through the air like the trained professional he was. The trapeze was one of Trowa's pastimes, but then again, he did just about everything in one of those shows that didn't include throwing the knives himself.

Hell, he'd probably be fine at that as well.

Heero fully appreciated how highly impressed his little friend was. The fact that the guy was nineteen hadn't more'n passed his mind before they'd met up on the colony, but with his note that his father and uncle would refuse to leave him behind, he had started to be reminded. After they'd met up with his uncle and father briefly and spirited him away, his comfort level had started to come into play.

Heero actually liked how much he chattered. He knew the others found it a bit mind numbing, but not in a way that showed them annoyed. He was grateful for that...but much more looking forward to when they'd all go away.

He grinned more as Matty glanced at him. It was a sidelong look full of pleasure...but Trowa was in mid-swing and living it up. He let go of the bar seemingly too early, which made people gasp as he spun suspended in mid-air, mid-flip...and started to fall. Whoever he was working with, of course, had the timing down to catch him, and even made it look a little freaked out...and the crowd cheered.

Heero caught Trowa glancing their way as Wufei and Duo rolled their eyes. Quatre was grinning in approval, and Matty looked almost like he should have his hands at his mouth. It made Trowa laugh slightly and focus back on what he was doing...which was getting the "are you okay?" body language from the fellow performers.

'Show off,' Duo mouthed.

Heero grinned back at him.

"He almost fell!" Matty muttered, grabbing Heero's arm with both hands and wide eyes. "Did you see that?"

"It's not that far to the ground," Heero returned, meeting his eyes.

Matty stared at him.

He laughed a bit and shook his head. "Sorry...I know...some days when he does this, I wish he didn't."

That was true enough, and phrased appropriately enough, to make it seem like he didn't mean that Trowa's show-offing gave him a big head and made him a bit annoying. Until Matty realized who they were, he wasn't going to understand what they were capable of. The fall would have hurt, Trowa would have been sore for a few days, but his mobility wouldn't have been severely compromised.

Matt grinned at that, leaning against Heero as he looked back to the next spectacle.

Heero assumed it was intriguing to the guy because he knew Trowa...or...

"Have you ever been to a circus?"

"Me?" Matty grinned up at him. "No, why?"

"Ah...I've seen this a thousand times," he gestured at the show in front of them. "If we're around he has us come watch him perform, so we all just sort of roll our eyes at him now...but I can tell you're really enjoying this."

"It is fun," he noted, looking back to the show. "There's no way my dad or my uncle would give a damn."

There it was again...

"They told me that meeting up with you was probably stupid, too...and they've been teasing me about you all texting me," he smiled again. "That's why they were all like that when they saw you guys."

Really, Heero wasn't sure they didn't recognize at least one of them.

"Hey," he muttered, leaning in closer to the guy's ear. "Do they know..."

"That you're fucking me with my full and complete consent?" he asked, his eyes wicked as he met Heero's. He nodded his head. "My dad told me he doesn't particularly care how good you are in bed, I needed to stop talking about...something about my little sister," his snicker was evil.

Heero sat back and gave him a look.

He laughed, then gasped and focused fully on Trowa—who had been swinging around in a swath of cloth and was unrolling from it.

"I think that actually was an accident," Quatre muttered, tilting his head.

"Either that or he's getting damn good at acting," Duo agreed.

"What?" Matty asked blankly, looking back to them.

"Uh...he has really good...body...control," Duo returned obviously picking his words carefully. "Really good..."

"Look, rolling up again," Wufei pointed out, grinning wickedly. "The idiot did fall."

Heero and his friends shared a triumphant smirk. An actual accident on the set would definitely take down the guy's ego trip.

"I dunno," Quatre muttered, thinking about it. "Even if that was, he's going to pretend like he did it on purpose...and we can't tell for sure he didn't just do it for the audience's amusement..."

"...or ours," Duo mused. "With the way he keeps looking over here, I wonder if he's not trying to impress Bobby..."

"His name is Matt," Heero muttered blankly, blinking at the guy.

Duo blinked back at him in confusion.

Matt snickered, giving Duo a look.

"Uh..." Duo looked between Heero and Matt a moment, then met Heero's eyes. "Matty Williams...William...Billy...Billy-Bob...Bob...Bobby," Duo looked around. "I swear it works."

"That works?" Wufei asked blankly.

"How does Donovan even come close to Ian?" Duo retorted.

"Same way War-Rick makes Warrick," Wufei retorted.

"Jason!" Quatre chirped, bouncing in his seat.

Matt started laughing.

"I don't know them," Heero muttered dryly, all but covering his face with a hand. "I really don't..."

"Wire," Duo retorted, looking back to the blond. "Just like Mad-Max, come on..."

"Hey, now," Heero cut him off. "I'm not in this conversation."

"You're all over this conversation like a good lay on the second night."

"Third," Matt retorted.

Duo started laughing.

"Actually, it'd be day," Quatre noted, raising an eyebrow at the kid. "And that means tonight'll be the first night."

Matt smirked back at him.

"Why, Q...Jason," Wufei purred happily.

Matt sighed and ran a hand down his face. Quatre was giving Wufei a look. "Oh, just give me your names already..."

"No, kid," Duo muttered. "I slipped on Wufei...and the rest you don't need."

"Say, what, now?" Wufei asked Duo pointedly. Duo'd managed to forget to mention that to the Chinese man.

"You giving me yours?" Matt's tone was mildly snappish as he looked to Heero.

"Erm..." Heero looked to his friends to see what their thoughts were, then bit his lip and met Matt's eyes. "There's a good reason that we haven't?"

Matt sighed and rolled his eyes. "You know what...I'm watching the show, stop talking to me." He shifted forward and focused on Trowa, who had a female dangling from his legs as they hung from the extremely long swath of pinkish material.

Heero looked to Duo uncertainly.

Duo considered the kid a moment, then shrugged and looked away.

Heero read that as: okay, if you tell him your name, he'll realize who we all are...but if you want to keep him, that'll come up eventually. Your call.

Heero frowned, then ran his hand along the guy's thigh, testing. Matt caught his hand fairly quickly, but didn't shove it away. He wrapped his own had somewhat around it, but didn't look back.

Heero translated that too: yes, I'm annoyed...but yes its okay.

That was a good sign, right?

He hoped so. The idea of Matty with his raven hair and almond-shaped eyes being a one-night stand didn't appeal. There was something about him that Heero rather appreciated...and it went beyond his fairly pale skin and dark-brown eyes...it was in the eyes, though. Maybe it was his trust or how easy going he seemed to be...maybe it was him announcing that he'd been talking to his father about their sex... What Heero actually figured, though, was that it was something beyond his own knowledge. That could lead in an insane spiral of confusion and chaos—it had before, ending badly—and he wouldn't be too shocked if...it.... Though, really, unless Duo told him it was bad...he wasn't going to give it up.

...and for some reason, he really doubted that Duo would tell him that any of it was bad.

- -

"I did not fall!" Trowa protested.

"Oh, sure you didn't..." Duo returned dryly. "That's why you had to roll all the way back..."

"You're supposed to!" Trowa gave him an irritated look. "You wouldn't even know! Half the show is tricks and teases...death-defying stunts aren't so amusing when they're entirely death-defying. I had to do three single rolls and I did..."

Quatre smirked slightly, holding his peace.

"Your arms were getting strained," Wufei noted. "When that girl..."

"Angeline was trying to make us start swinging around," Trowa cut him off, then pouted. "To hear you say it, I'm weak and playing games..."

"It's more amusing that way," Quatre noted.

Trowa gave him an amused look.

They all stopped as something caught their attention, then looked around until they realized it was the room over.

"Oh...I forgot he..." Trowa's cheeks flushed very slightly.

"What happened to modesty, really?" Quatre muttered, rolling his eyes.

"How long have they been gone?" Duo asked blankly, glancing at Wufei as he looked to his watch.

"An hour or more," Wufei returned, tilting his head as he glanced at the television. "The last show was an hour one, and this one is almost over...so probably an hour and a half."

"Huh," Duo shook his head, looking back to Quatre and Trowa.

"Turn up the tv, please," Quatre muttered, gesturing his head at it. "I'm glad Heero's having fun, but I'd rather not hear it—and don't make some homophobic joke," he added to Wufei when the other's mouth started to open. "I'd no more want to hear you and one of your little...kitties..."

"Kitties?" Wufei perked up at that, looking around to Duo. "I like that one."

"Yeah," Duo agreed happily. "You know you meet'em all at cat houses."

Trowa, who'd been taking a drink of a can, spat part of it out. It sprayed Quatre, who looked thoroughly offended and disgusted...which made Trowa laugh even harder.

"I give up!" Quatre announced, rising to his feet as he considered his arms and shirt with obvious distaste. "I give up! I'm done! I'm going to bed!"

"He needs some alone time to unwind," Wufei noted to Trowa, making a suggestive gesture with his hand.

Trowa started coughing as he laughed, trying to wipe his mouth off at the same time.

"You wish that bothered me," Quatre retorted from the door. "At least if I went into a cat-house, I could get laid! I don't have to knock them out!"

Wufei started at the blond in stunned silence.

"You stumped him!" Duo crowed as Trowa lay over sideways, laughing heartily. "He's speechless!"

Quatre laughed in a nervous sort of prideful embarrassment, looked back to Wufei, then turned and darted from the room.

"Holy shit, Trowa...he's speechless!"

- -

Heero considered the far wall of the little room quietly, thoughtful as Matt snoozed, his head on Heero's shoulder. He was obviously on his way to sleep. Heero wasn't so ready, but he'd gotten lost in thought and was trying to come to a decision.

...but there really was only one option.

"Hey, Matty?" he muttered quietly.

"Hm?"

"You awake?"

"Let's call it that," the guy muttered, snuggling more against his side. "If you really want to..." he sounded drowsy.

"You know earlier?" Heero asked quietly. "You asked about my name?"

"You want to hear me say that instead of Max?" Matt asked, grinning and looking up to Heero a moment.

"It wouldn't hurt anything," Heero retorted. "That's just a side-note, though...you said..."

"I said you were distracting me from the show," he noted somewhat pointedly.

"I know, but..."

"Max?"

Heero hesitated. "Yeah?"

"You said you have a good reason...and so far I haven't seen a reason to ignore your judgment."

"But..."

"But what?" Matt retorted, pressing himself up on his elbow to meet Heero's eyes properly. "Jason was right. This is our first night together...and lord only knows if you'll chase me down again—I understood that bit of Ian's comment about the tramp-stamp." He ran his hand across the bruise that was so near to gone you had to know it was there to see it. "Don't tell me something I don't need to know."

"But what if I want to hunt you down again?" Heero protested, blinking at him.

"Then do it...and you can tell me then."

"I can tell you when I hunt you down?" Heero asked, grinning slightly. "So in a few days when we're all texting you to meet us at the Mi-tai grill you'll have me say?"

"Mi-tai grill?" he echoed blankly.

"It's a place over on twentieth and York," Heero agreed. "I don't know if it's still there...but it was damn good food so it should be."

Matty blinked at him again.

Heero grinned, leaning up to nip his lip, then repeat the gesture more questioningly.

Matty grinned back, and turned the nip into a kiss.

- -

"Shit..." Heero half complained as he yawned again. "Shit shit..."

"Go take a nap," Quatre muttered, gesturing him off. "It's not like we're..."

"But we were going to lunch with the crew," Trowa protested, looking to Quatre with an almost wounded expression.

"They aren't going to realize he's not there, are they?" Quatre asked blankly.

"Cathy will," Trowa frowned at him.

"Will she understand that the only reason he woke up this morning was because his lover's daddy was calling to check up on him?"

Heero started laughing, rubbing at his eyes.

"I can't believe he actually called," Duo noted in amusement, looking back to the group. "I half expected you to answer..."

"I tried to," Heero noted dryly. "For some reason his phone has pax on it now and he didn't remember to put me in his list before bed." He gave Duo a pointed look. "And then when they were done talking and he tried to, he couldn't figure the program out."

"I didn't show him how to do that," Duo noted, frowning as he thought. "I meant to."

Heero rolled his eyes...and yawned again.

"Well...can you take a nap?" Trowa asked, understanding that Heero was tired, but not relenting on their lunch date.

"Trowa, his dad called at six this morning, and his flight left at seven. When I got back you were all up and dragged me down to breakfast...I need sleep."

"You can get up by noon, right?"

Heero sighed, rising to his feet and moving across the room.

"Heero?"

Heero sighed again, leaning against the doorjamb to look at the European man. "Wake me up and ask me, okay?"

"I don't want to..." Trowa started, obviously at a loss. "I know...but..."

"Just wake me up," Heero returned, starting from the room. "I should be fine...wake me up at eleven-thirty."

Trowa nodded, looking down.

Heero moved from the room and closed the door.

"You're a needy little bitch some days," Quatre muttered, looking away.

Wufei's jaw dropped.

Duo started sniggering.

Trowa blinked at Quatre blankly.

"Just sayin'..." Quatre shrugged innocently and stood up. "I'm gonna run down to the store. Anyone want anything?"

"Yeah, give me some of what you're taking," Duo returned easily, bouncing slightly. "Hey, I'll come with," he bounced up and grinned at the stunned pair...and followed the blond into the hall.