Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Family Ties ❯ Chapter 34 ( Chapter 34 )

 

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Chapter Thirty-Four

 

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Early morning sun coaxed the perfect soldier from his slumber. With a deep sigh, Hiiro stretched and blinked lazily as he turned to check on his lover.

 

“DUO!”

 

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“Where's Sally?” Quatre asked innocently, reaching for the strawberry syrup as Wu Fei passed it to him.

 

The ebony-haired boy paused momentarily to glare at the small blonde, “After barging in on last night's… incident… she needed to go home quickly.”

 

“Oh?” Trowa raised an eyebrow as he stepped behind his lover, caressing thin shoulders subtly.

 

“Will she be return anyti- Aa-aa-uh!” Quatre gasped sharply, his hands grasping at his chest as his breathe was stolen from him.

 

“What is it, Koi?” The banged boy demanded as both he and Wu Fei jumped to assist the still recovering empath.

 

“H-Hiiro…”

 

“Yui?” The Chinese boy questioned as the near-panicked ex-soldier burst into the dinning room, startling them, urgency written on his face. “Is something the matter?”

 

“He's gone!”

 

“Who's gone?” Wu Fei frowned.

 

“DUO!” The Japanese boy exclaimed, “I woke up and he was GONE! I can't find him anywhere!”

 

“Did you look in the kitchen?” Trowa deadpanned.

 

“Nani?”

 

“Did you look in the kitchen?” The taller teen repeated.

 

“Iie…” Hiiro shook his head as he bolted around the table and into the kitchen.

 

With an annoyed sigh, Wu Fei looked at the pale blonde, “Are you alright, Winner?”

 

Quatre blew out a slow shuddering breath as he tried to still his pounding heart, “I-I'm fine…” He whispered, sounding exhausted. “My mental shields…are still not up to my usual stamina.”

 

“Let me take you back to bed.” Trowa suggested, as he helped the smaller teen stand. “I think you need more rest.”

 

“Wu Fei… would you please tell Hiiro that I need to speak with him this afternoon? It's very important.” The empath requested, as his tall lover swept him off his feet.

 

“Of course.”

 

“Thank you…”

 

“No problem… Just remember to lock your door this time? I don't want Sally suffering from another nose bleed.”

 

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“D-Duo?” Hiiro blinked incredulously at the braided boy who was currently popping some hash browns onto a cookie sheet.

 

Bright violet eyes blinked as they greeted the disgruntled appearance of his lover, “Ohayo, Koi… You `k, `Ro? You look awfully pale. Breakfast is almost ready if you're hungr-!”

 

Relief like he had never known flooded the normally stoic boy the instant he had laid eyes on his lover. “Duo.” He whispered, reaching out and engulfing the shorter teen in a possessive embrace. “You were gone!”

 

“Huh? Oh… Gomen ne, `Ro. I woke up about an hour ago feeling famished. You looked like you could use more sleep, so I didn't want to wake you. I thought I'd bring you some food in a bit… I didn't mean to scare you.”

 

Violet eyes blinked again as a worried hand brushed across his forehead. “Your fever is gone?”

 

“Fever? I feel fine.”

 

“Duo… what's the last thing you remember?” Hiiro asked with a tinge of hesitation.

 

The braided boy shook his head, “I don't know… waking up next to you?”

 

“And before that?”

 

“… Everything is a bit of a haze… I remember being really hot… hard to breathe…”

 

“You were so sick.”

 

“Really?” Duo shrugged, as he turned back to the oven to put the food in to cook, “Strange, I feel normal.”

 

“Do you remember the mission?” Hiiro frowned, crossing his arms across his chest as he leaned against the counter to watch his lover prepare breakfast.

 

“To rescue Quat? Sure. He sure seems to be recovering well.” He grinned, leaning over and giving his love a chaste kiss. “He came in here asking for pancakes. Since I was fixing some grub anyways- Did you want some? I've made extras.”

 

“Sure.”

 

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“How are you doing, Love?” Trowa asked, brushing back blonde stands.

 

“I'm fine.” Quatre smiled wearily, “The strength of Hiiro's sudden fear just caught me off guard. I just need to rest for a bit.”

 

“Duo seems to be doing much better.” The banged boy mused. “It was really close there. Good thing Sally was able to help.”

 

“Yes.” The empath smiled gently, “Though I think credit should go to Hiiro…Stay with me?”

 

“Of course.” The banged boy leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on the pale boy's forehead.

 

A quiet knock at their door gave warning before the knob was turned and someone entered. “Thought I warned you to lock your door.” Wu Fei complained. “Sally's back, but she's adamant about only seeing Quatre if the two of you are decent.”

 

“I didn't think that she was traumatized so easily.” Trowa smirked.

 

“It's not as if she didn't know we were together.” The blonde added, his eyes drooping.

 

“Knowing you're together and seeing you together are two different things and one is definitely something I didn't need to see.” Sally chuckled as she entered the room, closing the door behind her. “So, Quatre… You woke up from sleeping two days, felt fine, wore yourself out with sex and then wasn't able to handle your friend's basic emotions. Am I right?”

 

“Yes and no.” The empath yawned. “I slept for two days, wore Trowa out with fantastic sex and wasn't able to withstand a sudden and vibrant feeling of extreme fear unlike any I had felt from that particular individual.”

 

/“You wore me out?”/ The banged boy raised an eyebrow in silent protest. /“I seem recall differently.”/

 

`You… Me… Not really any difference since it was mutual effort.' Quatre suppressed a giggle. `Right?'

 

/”If you say so…”/

 

 

“Well excuse me, Mr. Smarty-pants…” Sally admonished, unaware of the mental conversation going on in front of her as she checked the blonde's pulse and blood pressure. “The truth is you pushed yourself too hard and now are paying for it.”

 

With a quiet sigh, the blonde shook his head as Trowa helped him sit up, “If you say so…”

 

“I do.” She shook her head, “How have your fainting spells been?”

 

“I haven't had one since just before I was abducted.” Quatre answered, blinking his eyes drowsily.

 

“Well that's good.” The doctor smiled, “Is there anything else that seems to be a problem?”

 

“Nothing that you can help me with…” The blonde yawned, “I just need to gradually rebuild my shields.”

 

“How did you loose them in the first place?”

 

The empath frowned as he thought for a moment. “I… was overwhelmed trying to protect those I cared for… I couldn't let that madman hurt anyone else. Something… something was pulling inside of me, forcing me to max out my abilities…” He shook his head again, leaning on his boyfriend's shoulder, “I can't think right now.” He complained, “If there's nothing else, I'd like to take a nap.”

 

“Very well, Quatre. I must check in on Duo anyway.” Sally said, as she made her way to the door. “Give me a call if there is anything I can do for you.”

 

Sleepily, the empath nodded as he shifted to lay down. “Bye, Sally…” He bade, with a deep sigh, his eyes drifting closed. `Trowa?'

 

/”Yes, Koi?”/

 

`Think we should warn her not to go into the kitchen?'

 

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“Quatre?” Hiiro called, knocking lightly on the blonde's bedroom door several hours later.

 

“Come in.”

 

“You… wanted to talk?” the teenager shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other.

 

The empath smiled at his friend, “I'm not going to bite you, Hiiro. That's a privilege reserved for Trowa alone… Come, sit.”

 

“Chess?” Hiiro asked, as he neared the bed.

 

The blonde nodded as he set up the last piece. “Would you like to play? I don't mind playing against myself, but it's much more… challenging to play against another person.”

 

“Which color?” He asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.

 

“You can be white.”

 

The Japanese boy carefully chose his piece and made his first move. “Where's Trowa?”

 

“He's out sulking.” Quatre shook his head as mild annoyance crossed his face. At his friend's raised eyebrow, he elaborated, moving his knight ahead of his pawns. “My lover is a tad bit overprotective. It was all I could do to get him to leave for an hour. He's afraid that you'll use this opportunity to execute me.”

 

“Oh.”

 

The empath sighed, moving his pawn to stand against his opponent's. “Hiiro, I know about your orders… and I sense that you feel you don't' have much of a choice in following them. They're threatening someone you hold dear, someone you want to protect.”

 

“Is that why you asked to talk? To beg for your life?” The soldier's persona was beginning to take control, as he moved one of his bishops.

 

Azure eyes flashed with a brief sense of anger, “I would think you'd know me better than that, Yui.” The smaller boy snapped, moving his rook. “I would not sacrifice an innocent just to save my own life, and I'm rather insulted that you would imply that I would. Check.”

 

“Gomen ne, Quatre…” The Japanese boy sighed, his eyes softening a bit. A rare, unchecked glimpse of emotion settled in the deep blue orbs. “I… I just don't know what to do. I'm being held in check. If I make the wrong move, my king will be killed, but I don't want to sacrifice my loyal comrades, just because someone doesn't like the fact that they're different.” Hiiro shook his head, moving his queen into the third row to block the threat. “I felt what it was like to lose Duo… I wouldn't wish that on anybody… If I kill you, then Trowa would suffer, and I'd lose Duo because He'd never forgive me…”

 

“Do you know how close Duo came to dieing?” Quatre asked suddenly, moving a pawn. “Do you know how he was able come back from the brink…? How he's alive?”

 

“Iie?” Hiiro took the pawn only to loose his bishop the next turn.

 

“It seems that your self healing abilities have grown.” The blonde took the other's rook followed by his knight.

 

“Nani!?” Hiiro frowned, moving his queen to block an onslaught from his opponent's pieces.

 

The strategist stared directly into the perfect soldier's eyes, as he took the white queen. “If that's true… I may have a plan that will satisfy them without unnecessary loss of life. Checkmate. You lasted a good minute longer than Wu Fei or Duo and five minutes longer than Trowa. I'm impressed… “ He moved to reset the board. “Interested?”

 

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To be continued…