Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Because of You ❯ Two's company... ( Chapter 6 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Title: Because of You
Author: Supurrkitty
Disclaimer: I do not own any Gundam wing characters, never have, never will, and that's it!

A/N: Yay! Reader responsivenessism...yeah, that's not a word Supurrkitty...

Poetry in Motion: Thank you for reviewing. I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter. I wasn't too sure about it at first, but, it's all good. I like your GW fic, by the way, that poem always makes me cry...*sobs thinking about it*...

Horizont: Thanks for reviewing yet again! I was soo happy to see reviews! I literally do a happy dance when I find out I have more reviews!

I will do a special happy dance next chapter for anyone who reviews. Of course, you won't see it...but, won't you feel happy that you made someone dance?




Two's Company...

Quatre led Demetri down the hall towards the apartment. There were a few people scattered around that he hadn't seen in the building for a while. He could blame this on the fact that, lately, he had been getting back at late hours in the night, when normal people slept. Some people looked at him strangely. He was jacketless and soaking wet, while the girl behind him seemed to disappear under the oversized jacket.

Quatre looked over at Demetri, worried. She had been rather quiet all the way there. Her face was pale, her nose was red, and she kept her head down. Her hair was still tied back, but it was soggy and jostled about. Quatre would never say she wasn't beautiful, but he had seen her look much better.

They reached the door and Quatre realized that he had left his keys in the car. He mumbled a curse in Arabic, and then knocked on the door, loudly. A voice was heard on the other side, telling them to hold on, then a clanking of a pair of locks, fallowed by the turning doorknob. The door opened and Duo greeted the odd pair. He raised an eyebrow at Quatre.

" With this kind of weather, you should really consider buying yourself an umbrella." Duo laughed, then looked to the left of Quatre. Demetri was barely visible from behind him, but highly noticeable in his jacket. " Quatre, the landlord said there's no pets aloud..." He winked at Demetri, " No matter how cute."

" Duo," Quatre said, slightly peeved and giving Duo a stern look, " This is Demetri. She's pretty sick, so I brought her over."

Quatre pushed past him through the door and told Demetri to come in, pretty much ignoring Duo after that.

" Oh." Duo said, closing the door behind them.

Quatre led Demetri to the couch and told her to make herself comfortable and he'd get some coffee.

Duo plopped down in a chair in front of her and leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand.

" So, what's a gal like you doing in a pad like this?" He asked, a spark in his voice. Demetri smiled.

" Duo," Quatre stopped before going to get coffee, " Be nice."

Duo leaned back in the chair, slouching as he watched Quatre walk out of the room.

" I was being nice." Duo mumbled after he left. Demetri smiled again.

Duo noticed her smile and examined her for the first time. He leaned forward again and smiled at her.

" You talk?" Duo asked, " I know Quatre likes to make friends with people that don't talk much. I think it makes him feel like the things he says are more interesting."

" I talk," Demetri said, bluntly.

" Do you form sentences?" Duo asked.

" Yes." Demetri answered, but Duo just smiled back.

" Then, answer me this..." Duo started.

Demetri was expecting to get some sort of intellectual question or something trying of her grammatical skills.

" Do chicks really dig Quatre's sensitive guy act, or would they rather go for a smart-ass bad-boy, like...*cough* myself?" Duo asked, stroking his chin for affect. " Or is it all looks? In which case it's no contest."

Demetri blinked at him, then let out a small laugh.

" No, I mean it." Duo said, trying to sound serious.

" Well, Duo," Demetri smiled at him, " I really think that depends on the 'chick'. On first appearances, many girls would go for the 'bad-ass'. Let's call him guy A and we'll call the 'sensitive' one guy B"

Duo made a sound of satisfaction.

" But that might only last for a little while, until that girl gets to know that guy." Demetri added.

" What's that supposed to mean?" Duo asked, agitation in his voice.

" Don't get me wrong, I believe certain people are meant for certain people, but you have to get to know them. Relationships can't be based on looks and reputation." Demetri said. " Lots of women don't even know what they want. They search for...uh...how should I put this? ...They search for a trophy, usually guy A, they date on first impressions, and then they are disappointed when they demand a change from that side, based on their needs. Or, in worst-case, they think they're in love and are used. Those never end well..."

" You sound rather knowledgeable." Duo crossed his legs in the chair.

" Well..." Demetri smiled weakly, " I've had my share of experience."

" Okay..." Duo said, folding his arms behind his head, " So, if things go like that, do you think anyone will ever be happy?"

" Oh yes, of course!" Demetri brightened, " It's destiny! I believe that some women never go through something like that and others learn from their mistakes. Men also learn from similar mistakes. They're all different and can't always be labeled as A or B."

" So?" Duo asked, " Which do chicks dig more? A or B?"

" Both," Demetri smiled, " Both are equal. Usually, guy B will try to get to know the girl first, and she'll try to get to know him and things might work out. On the other side, guy A might go through more women and if there's a certain spark, he'll want to get to know her, and she'll respond accordingly. You see, they both have an equal chance for love."

" Well, that certainly takes all the fun out of it." Duo said, looking up at the ceiling.

" The key is just to get to know that other person, even as a friend," Demetri picked at a thread in the couch as she spoke. " You don't have to expect anything out of them and you don't have to rush. Getting to know them and just seeing them should make you happy."

Duo looked at Demetri, and then smiled widely.

" Hey, how'd Quatre get to know a cool chick like you?" Duo asked.

Demetri blushed slightly and tugged at the sleeve of Quatre's jacket that she was wearing.

" He's just lucky I guess." Demetri said, burying herself deeper in the jacket.

" How about you get to know me and I get to know you?" Duo said with a sly grin on his face.

Demetri looked up at him, eyes wide and mouth shut. There was a cough in the room towards the kitchen entrance. Both Duo and Demetri looked over to where the sound was. Quatre was walking towards them with coffee cups in his hands. He handed one to Demetri almost shoved one at Duo and took one for himself. He sat down on the couch next to Demetri and smiled at her.

" I hope Duo's not giving you too much trouble." Quatre said to her, setting his cup on the table. Demetri gladly sipped at her cup and held it in her hands, just happy for the warmth of the liquid.

" Oh no, not at all. Actually, me and him were just talking." Demetri said, holding the cup close to her face and feeling the vapors soothe her cold skin.

" Yeah, he tends to do that a lot." Quatre said, quietly.

" Hello. I'm right here." Duo said, snapping his fingers. " Don't talk like I'm not around."

" Sorry." Demetri said

" Oh no, not you Demetri. I was talking to guy B." Duo said.

Both him and Demetri laughed together. Quatre blinked in confusion, then sighed in frustration. They must have talked a lot when he was getting the coffee ready. He didn't like the feeling of being left out of something that had to do with these two. He especially didn't like the feeling of these two getting along so well.

' And, how did Duo cheer her up so easily!?' Quatre thought angrily, ' It takes a lot for me to make her laugh like that, especially after that dark mood she was in earlier.'

" Duo, I'm sure you know there's more to Quatre than just Guy B." Demetri said kindly.

Quatre looked over at Demetri, who was now smiling at him, and his spirits lifted again. This smile wasn't for Duo, it was for him. But, the moment was interrupted by another sneezing fit from Demetri. Quatre silently kept count. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six! Six sneezes! That was one more!!

" Wow, that's the most sneezes I've ever heard in one fit." Duo said, surprised, " You must be really sick..."

Quatre glanced at Duo from the corner of his eye, but then focused his attention on Demetri. Her head was still down and her eyes were closed. Quatre heard her sniff so he grabbed a tissue box and handed her a few tissues. She took them, but her face was still half hidden in...

" Quatre..." Demetri said, weakly after wiping her nose.

" Wh-what? What's wrong?" Quatre asked, concerned.

" I'm sorry, but..." She took off Quatre jacket and held it in front of her, " Your jacket...I...uh...sneezed in your jacket..."

Quatre saw her eyes shine with tears. He wasn't sure if it was from the sneezing or the build-up to that situation. He smiled sympathetically at her and took the jacket from her hands, not bothering to look at it.

" That's alright, Demetri. If you wanted to use my jacket as a tissue, I would gladly let you." Quatre said, setting the jacket on the table in front of him. Duo jumped back from it a little.

Demetri smiled back at Quatre her eyes watering more. She looked like she would burst into tears at any moment.

The whole room seemed to jump when the silence was interrupted by a loud crash of thunder, fallowed by the lights diminishing. They sat in silence for a few seconds in shock.

" Well, that was interesting." Duo said as their eyes started to adapt to the unfriendly dark.

Quatre shot him a glare, knowing that no one would be able to see it. He listened for any noise from Demetri. She let out a small chuckle and sigh.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Some time later, they had found some candles and flashlights and were entertaining themselves quite nicely. They exchanged some stories, no one talking about the war or the Gundams. Demetri told in-depth stories about her experiences with horses and the rodeo. Some were very amusing, and some were about frightening situations. They told some jokes and even poked fun at some college issues, mainly professors.

' I guess it makes sense that the three of us get along, ' Quatre thought as they talked, ' I mean, we're all friends.'

" So, what're you boys gunna do for a vacation this summer?" Demetri asked, curled up at the end of the couch.

" I'm not sure," Quatre said, " I'm going to be pretty busy with business this summer."

" Oh yeah, Winner corp., right?" Demetri asked, " So, you're still the head of that? I thought, since you were going to school, surely you'd given up your position."

" You told her?" Duo asked looking at Quatre, " Hey, she could be playing you up for money."

" What? No!" Quatre said in Demetri's defense, " I never told her. And, Demetri would never do that!"

" Whoa, sorry!" Duo held his hands up, " I was just pulling your leg! I know she wouldn't do anything like that."

Demetri looked over at Quatre, shocked. He relaxed and leaned back, rubbing his forehead.

" A little protective, maybe?" Duo asked, jokingly.

Quatre gave Duo a small glare.

" Quatre..." Demetri said softly, " Don't worry, I'm not offended or anything. You should relax."

Quatre smiled at her reassuringly as well as gratefully.

" Say! I have an idea!" Duo said, jumping up. " Why don't the three of us go do something this summer?"

" That's a great idea, Duo." Demetri responded, excitement in her voice, making Quatre smile more. " We can set aside a week and go somewhere. I'm sure I'll be able to get someone to cover for me at the stables."

" I know the best place, too." Quatre said " I have a nice place up north."

" Maybe we could invite the other guys, too." Duo suggested.

" Duo, if you can track them down, they're welcome to come. I wouldn't bet on it, though." Quatre put in, " They've been out of touch for a while now."

" Other guys?" Demetri asked, puzzled.

" Oh...uh..." Duo looked over at Duo, who looked from Duo to Demetri.

" Just some friends from High school." Quatre answered.

" Oh." Demetri rubbed her eyes, tiredly, " I thought for sure you'd have private schooling, Quatre."

" Well, no, I wanted to go to a regular school." Quatre lied. He did have private schooling.

" That's cool..." Demetri said, yawning.

Quatre could tell she was really tired, and, sure enough, she was asleep about five minutes later.

" That girl read my mind." Duo said in between yawns " I'm gonna head off to bed."

Duo waved as he left the room. Quatre was slightly confused as to why everyone was going to sleep so early. Then, he looked at his watch and almost gasped. It was almost eleven at night and it had been a tiring day. How did so much time pass?
He sighed and stood up from his spot next to Demetri, taking off his watch. He looked at the girl sleeping on his couch and smiled. There was so much about that girl...

The phone rang, startling Quatre from looking at Demetri. He went to answer it and was greeted by a familiar male voice.

" Hey, Quatre. I lost Demetri, do you know where she is?" Lee asked, worried.

" Yeah, she's over at my place right now. She wasn't feeling at all well today." Quatre said. Lee let out a sigh of relief.

" I'm glad she's safe. She's been kind of out of it for the last few days and I kept calling her cell, but no one answered..."

Quatre remembered that Demetri left all her stuff in his car.

" Does she need a ride home?" Lee asked.

" Oh, uh, no." Quatre said, " She's asleep on my couch right now. I think it'd be best if she gets her rest. She should be okay to stay here tonight. Besides, it's pouring outside and all the lights are out."

" Okay then, but keep an eye on her for me. I have a feeling she's been holding this back for a while now." Lee said, which made Quatre think.

" What, her illness?" Quatre asked.

" Err...yeah, that too. Talk to you later." Lee said and hung up before Quatre could question any further.

Quatre hung up the phone, confused. He walked back into the front room. He looked at the little ball of Demetri on the couch and went to get a woven blanket. He came back and draped it over her still form. He thought she had dried off all the way, but her face seemed to be dripping with water. It didn't take long for him to realize that she was crying in her sleep. He looked at her face and brushed some hair away.

' 'she's been holding this back for a while now.' ' Quatre remembered what Lee had said on the phone. Now he thought he understood just what that meant. ' But, I can't help her unless she wants me to. There's nothing I can do right now...'

Quatre stepped away from her and picked up the, now empty, coffee cups. He discarded them in the kitchen sink, and then examined himself. He had taken off his shoes and socks long ago, but his pants and shirt were still wet. He slipped the shirt over his head and set it down on a chair. He'd rather go shirtless than have that soggy material on his skin. He went back in the front room and started to put out the candles.

He took a long look at Demetri before putting out the last one.

A/N- Shirtless Quatre *sigh*...I couldn't help myself...
There will be horses in the next chappie, having to do with Demetri's fears and her confidence. Yay!