Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Beautiful Dawn ❯ Chapter 04 ( Chapter 4 )

Beautiful Dawn

Part Four

"Treize, I'm telling you, the boy was exquisite."

Zechs slid forward on the slick vinyl seating ,leaning forward as he tried to shout over the din of the diner. Constant chatter bubbled from the tables around them, erupting sporadically in loud bursts of shouting, cackling or, at one point, even singing. Somewhere in the background a jukebox blared petulantly, adding to the confusion of sound. The melee of sight, sound and the smells of establishment's calorically rich cuisine produced an effect which was at best distracting. And Treize seemed definitely distracted, the blonde decided The ginger-haired man's gaze seemed intent on the doorway over Zechs' shoulder. Zechs massaged the bridge of his nose, glaring at his companion.

"Khush," he growled impatiently, "are you listening?"

His ginger-haired companion's focus warily returned to him as an exasperated sigh gusted past his lips. "Milliardo, is this still about that boy you met last week in the library, while I," he said, jabbing an elegant finger emphatically against his chest, " was waiting patiently in the godforsaken heat of a parking lot for you?" Treize finished off with mock sweetness. "Do you have any idea of how long I was waiting for you, you bastard?" he asked, pinning Zechs with a glare.

Zechs shrugged nonchalantly. "Come now Khush, you exaggerate," he cooed mischievously "I was a mere moment late."

A forked eyebrow rose incredulously. " A mere moment my ass. Let's just say that by the time I made it to Emmet Hall, Wufei was less than pleased."

Zechs waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. "I'm positive you were able to make it up to him somehow ," he retorted archly, eyes twinkling with mirth.

Treize's sapphire eyes darkened and he grinned wickedly. "Ah," he said throatily. "And that I did indeed."

Zechs rolled his eyes at his friend's antics. " I'm serious, Treize, I have to see that boy again."

It was Treize's turn to roll his eyes in mock impatience. "What is this fascination with this boy?" he questioned exasperatedly. "If I'm not mistaken, did he not, and in no uncertain terms might I add...," Treize said, pausing to sip from his glass before continuing on "how shall I put this delicately?" Ginger head tilted to one side, Treize pretended to be searching for the appropriate phrase. "Ah yes," he said, turning once again to his best friend. "I believe the phrase is: he told you to fuck off." Laughter -rich and musical- bubbled from his throat.

"Really Miri, the look upon your face at that moment must have been well worth my wait."

Zechs scowled, recalling his surprise at the boy's scathing rebuff. " I'm a fool I know," he admitted ruefully, "but I just can't seem to get him out of my head."

"He's gotten under my skin Khush. I have to have him."

Treize shook his head in sympathy as he listened to his friend, all joking put aside. He remembered his own seemingly insane pursuit of Wufei, when everything was shouting at him to abandon all hope of ever forming a relationship with the beautiful Chinese. It had not helped of course, that at the time his lover seemed to loathe the sight of his person. He chuckled warmly to himself, recalling the night they'd just shared together. His pains had been rewarded a thousand times over in pleasure.

As if on cue, the sable-haired youth walked through the door. Ah finally!

Seeing the sudden light in his eyes and the softening of his gaze towards the doorway, Zechs looked over his shoulder to see Wufei approaching. The fierce Chinese slid into the booth next to Treize, nodding towards the blonde as he did so.

"Milliardo," he greeted, tone formal as always, but his dark eyes were warm as he regarded the tall blonde who had come to be his friend.

Treize had slid an arm around the back of the soft vinyl seat he now shared, and was currently in the process of teasing the silky strands at the sensitive nape of his lover's neck. Zechs was watching amusedly as Wufei tried to ignore those teasing fingers, hissing at Treize to stop, but unconsciously leaning into the touch. Treize leant to murmur something in the exotic beauty's ear, and color bloomed prettily on his cheeks.

"Treize," he protested weakly, a tilt of his head indicating Zechs when Treize moved to surreptitiously nibble on the sensitive lobe of his ear.

As if sensing his cue, Zechs slid out of the booth, making his farewells despite Treize's and Wufei's protestations. Grabbing his coat, he chuckled. "No, no, don't mind me," he insisted, raising a palm to ward off further protests. " I'll leave you love-birds to enjoy the ... ah ... menu," he said, winking as he turned to leave. " I'll see you guys later."

"Miri," Concerned, Treize called after him. "Don't get yourself hurt."

Zechs flashed him a winning smile. "I'm a big boy," he called, as he swung his jacket over his shoulder "I can take care of myself."

*

Cruising along the curving belt of highway, Zech's mind kept returning to what had occupied most of his thoughts for the past week: a boy's liquid blue gaze promising the heart of passion -- only to vanish in the sudden frigid gust of rejection. With the perception provided by hindsight, he went over the events of that day in his mind, trying to make sense of why things had gone so terribly wrong. Zechs' grip on the steering wheel tightened as his resolve strengthened. He had not imagined the want in the boy's gaze. He was sure of it. In that brief moment, before the cobalt gaze became shuttered and the walls had come crashing down, he had seen it -- desire yes -- but beneath that, unadulterated, naked yearning. So what had caused that cool indifference, the anger that vibrated of self-betrayal?

That was the part that flummoxed him. If anyone had overstepped his boundaries it had been he. Why was the boy so afraid of his own passion? What had caused him to deny the lush sensuality that was as much a part of his nature as those blue, blue eyes?

He found that he must have the answers. His own unaccountable obsession with the nameless beauty was illogical he knew, but he found that he didn't care. What was becoming obvious to him was this: the dark beauty had stirred something deeper within him than lust: a yearning that would not be satisfied until he was his.

*

My God, you are beautiful.

The phrase ran an endless rotation in Heero's brain. He grimaced, jaw clenching painfully, as the memory bloomed fresh, seeping from the raw wound of his anger and self-disgust. The blonde's soft mocking tone had been the final confirmation of his weakness. He remembered the shameful stirring of his body, the heat in his groin. Even worse, was the fact that he had enjoyed it. In that moment, he had deliberately opened up to the emotion he knew was a vulnerability. He had allowed his body to betray him. The wad of bills in Heero's hand crushed beneath the pressure of his fingernails digging into his palm. It would not happen again.

"Hey mister you okay?"

Startled out of his reverie by the childish voice, Heero found the large, curious eyes of a little girl peering up at him. Her mother -- a plump, ordinary woman in her mid-thirties -- waited impatiently for him to ring up their meal. Her mouth was compressed in a thin irritated line, but her dark eyes held a tinge of worry as well. Looking over her shoulder, Heero found the other customers in queue regarding him with the same mixture of concern and annoyance he found in the woman's eyes. He shook his head slightly, trying to clear the rotting silk of cobwebs clinging there.

His grip loosened on the crumbled wad of paper in his palm and another surge of self-disgust flooded him.

He had allowed himself to become distracted -- again.

*

Night was softly falling by the time Zechs pulled into the driveway of the small deli off the side of the road. A day spent prowling the highways, as he sought to figure out some way to find the youth who tormented his thoughts, had left him tired, hungry -- and no closer to forming a sensible plan of action. He shut off the engine, and the car purred to rest. The sounds of the night floated around him, and for a while, Zechs just sat there, berating himself for a fool even as his mind wandered to the mysterious youth once more. Where was he now? he wondered. Studying perhaps? His eyes narrowed. In somebody's warm bed?

Maybe the disgust he had seen had been directed at him, Zechs thought, beginning to second-guess himself all over again.He chuckled derisively. "Zechs Milliardo Peacecraft you are a bloody fool."

Abandoning the torment of his circuitous thoughts, Zechs got out of the car and walked towards the silently blinking sign over the deli's doorway. The place seemed decent enough, he decided, as he took in the 'old country' decorating style and the clean surroundings. He approached the counter and the attendant behind it: a lithe figure garbed in the ridiculously festive red and white uniform of the establishment.

There was something about that stance -- that golden tan …. Zech's gaze traveled incredulously from the rich, familiar mop of hair, the piercing gaze that had been etched into his memory and finally to the nametag declaring in bright, block lettering:

"HI I'M HEERO YUY!"

Part Five