Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Final Grade ❯ Chapter 17

Title: Final Grade

Chapter: 17/?

Warnings: Hormones. Yaoi and het and lots of it.

Portuguese help: Dim Genesis

Disclaimers: Gundam Wing, its characters, and its settings are not mine, nor am I making any money from this story. GW is copyright Bandai/Sunrise/etc. and is used without permission, for entertainment purposes only. Amir, however, *is* mine and may *not* be used without my permission.

Triton stared at Ralph and trembled slightly. The man was very, very close to him and very, very attractive. His heart started to pound and the young man licked his lips as he tilted his head up a bit. Ralph pulled back and looked at him for a moment, smiling slightly before leaning forward again. His lips brushed up against Triton's again. The kiss was soft, barely there but it was enough. Triton leaned into it and raised his hands to Ralph's shoulders, delighted when Ralph's hands rested on his waist and pulled him closer. The older man nibbled gently on his lower lip and Triton opened his mouth, letting Ralph's tongue slip in a little. It was odd. It definitely wasn't against his will, and Ralph definitely wasn't Quatre. Triton gasped a little at the thought of his teacher and leaned his head back, hands clenching on Ralph's shoulders. Ralph kissed down his throat, nuzzling Triton's neck and biting it gently before kissing it again, his own hands tight on Triton's upper arms.

'This . . . this . . . This isn't right . . . This can't be right . . .' The young man straightened and met Ralph's mouth again, arms going about the older man's neck. After another long kiss he turned his head away and rested his cheek against Ralph's. "I thought you were supposed to stop flirting with me," he whispered shakily.

"I thought you were supposed to stop encouraging me," was Ralph's reply. He tilted Triton's head up and kissed him again, gently and softly and it made Triton's heart flutter and his knees go weak. The young man clung to his companion, gasping quietly.

"I . . . I thought that, that I was supposed to model for you . . . Can't date my employer . . ."

"I didn't say anything about dating," Ralph murmured, his voice low and somewhat rough. The look in his eyes made Triton flush and he looked away.

"I . . ." Triton pulled away sharply and stumbled, half-sprawling on the couch he landed on. He got up before Ralph could move to help him, pacing around the room on wobbly legs and trying to justify why he'd pulled away. "I can't . . . I can't do that. I mean, if I let you kiss me then I'd let you touch me and if we ended up doing that then my hormones would take control and then I'd end up, eu ia parar em um lugar em que eu não quero estar." Ralph was watching him and it made him even more nervous. "Quer dizer, não é que *não* eu te ache atraente, porque eu *acho*, mas . . . mas isso não é o que eu quero. Bem, eu quero, mas eu sei que devia ir embora se você não precisa mesmo que eu pose, porque quem sabe---" (1)

"Triton," Ralph interrupted gently. The younger man jumped and looked at him guiltily. "Speak a language that I know, please. Portuguese is beautiful, but I can't understand a word that you're saying."

"Oh! Well, I wasn't saying anything, not really. Just . . ." Ralph was walking toward him. ". . . babbling . . ." Ralph had him by the waist, pulling the younger man against him, kissing him again. "Oh . . ."

"Shh, shh . . ." Ralph kissed down his neck again, then back to his lips, up his temples, his forehead. "What are you afraid of? Are you a virgin?"

Offended, Triton tried to pull away. "No," he snapped, "I'm not. And I'm not afraid."

"You're trembling. Oh, I guess that's not in fear." The man was grinning as he slid one hand lower on Triton's waist and rested it on the curve of his rump. "You want me."

"That's not the point!"

"I wasn't aware there was a point to begin with."

Ralph was entirely too close to comfort. Triton leaned back in the man's grip. "Look, I don't care if I want you or not! I want several people," Quatre and Heero being two of them, "but that doesn't mean I'm going to sleep with them!" Of course not. Heero was engaged and Quatre he refused to let back in.

"Did I say anything about sleeping with me? What if all I want is a nice half hour or so of passionate necking?" The man was being too calm, as well.

"Yeah, *right*," Triton almost yelled. "It's never that simple with you! You *always* want something else!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!" No. He wasn't sure at all and Ralph was making it very, very hard to think. "Look, I . . . Are you going to do whatever you were planning on doing? I'm leaving if you're not."

He turned to leave and Ralph caught his arm again. "Sit down for a minute." When Triton just looked at him he sighed. "I'll keep my hands to myself until you say otherwise, I swear it. Now sit." With a soft push Triton was on the couch again and Ralph sat next to him, picking up a pad of drawing paper and a pencil. He started sketching, ignoring Triton for a moment. "You know, Triton, I'm not trying to hide that I find you attractive and would like to sleep with you sometime in the future. I'm not going to force myself on you and I've been trying to keep my hands to myself. That's hard to do when you look at me like that, like you *want* me to do something while you're telling me you're not. Mixed signals are a bitch, Triton. I'd appreciate it if you tried not to give them off."

Triton was silent, watching Ralph draw. He didn't know what to say. 'What *can* I say? I'm not going to throw myself at anyone ever again. I did it with Quatre and look where that got me.' He hadn't thrown himself at Quatre, actually, but Triton wasn't paying attention to the facts. He watched as the lines and curves gradually became a figure holding something, a figure in a dress. 'Oh, remember? You're supposed to be modeling for him, not making out with him.' But . . . but Ralph was so very gorgeous and so very different from Quatre . . . And truth to tell, Triton had *liked* it when Ralph kissed him. He'd liked it very, very much. 'Does that make me bad? Damned if *I* know. Cathrine would, but I don't want to bother her with my questions . . .'

Ralph looked over at Triton a while later. The young man was dozing, head resting on the artist's shoulder. When he moved Triton jerked a little and sat up, blinking. "Good morning," Ralph teased gently.

"I'm sorry," Triton said. "I didn't mean to . . ."

"That's all right. It's not often that I have an attractive young man fall asleep on me." Triton flushed. "Besides, I got another sketch done. You're cute when you sleep. You don't have that guarded look about you anymore."

"Oh. Thank you." Triton swallowed and looked down, to the side, anywhere. Ralph rested his arm across the back of the couch and Triton leaned back gingerly, not really sure what he was supposed to do. "May I . . . see the sketches, please?"

Ralph handed him the notepad of drawing paper and flipped it one page back. "Of course."

"Wow. I look like that?" Triton tilted his head to the side and smiled slightly. There was no way he could look that good. No way at all.

"I might have glorified you a bit but yes, you look like that. You're that good-looking."

"No," Triton protested softly, "I'm not."

"Why not?"

"I'm . . . I'm not." He shook his head and Ralph moved his arm to the young man's shoulders slowly. Triton tensed for a moment but then relaxed. 'What the hell? At least I won't think about things I don't want to think about.'

"*I* think you are," was the older man's low reply.

Triton swallowed nervously and leaned his head back on Ralph's arm, blinking rapidly. "I decided I'd like to go to the Renaissance Faire with you," he said suddenly.

"Really? I'm glad to hear that. I'm leaving Friday morning for it. Can you get out of school?"

"Sure. Where is it, exactly?"

"All the way on the other side of the colony." Ralph's grin was audible. "That's why I'm leaving Friday morning. We'd get back late Sunday or really, really early Monday."

"Oh." All weekend alone with this man . . . "Where would we sleep?"

"There are lodgings there, or I can bring a tent."

"How big is the tent?"

Ralph thought for a moment. "About two and a fifth people big. If you're not comfortable with that we can get a room there. They go all out at that Faire. It's in a permanent location so they've got buildings and everything, like a real Renaissance town."

"Oh." Triton smiled at the thought. Really, he should have been a history major. Then all this wouldn't have happened. 'But I love psychology too much, even with Quatre as my teacher.' Or *because* of Quatre as his teacher . . .

"So, tent or room?"

'Oh, nice. Sleep in a small tent with him or in a room? Hm, I wonder.' Triton shrugged. "I don't want you to waste money on me. The tent will do fine."

"All right. Tell me if you change your mind. I've got enough money to pay for a room."

"Just one?"

"The rooms either have two beds or one really big bed," Ralph explained. "Some people don't like sleeping outside, even on the colonies."

Triton nodded and glanced at Ralph's paper again. "You do everything from memory?"

"Not everything."

With his head tilted to the side and his bangs hanging in his face Ralph looked very much the artist as he worked, occasionally brushing his bangs out of his eyes. Triton smiled slightly.

"Why don't you cut your hair?"

"Hm?" Ralph blinked at the paper before looking up at Triton.

"Why don't you cut your hair if it's in your way?"

A shrug. "Too lazy, too busy, I forget, not enough time, it's too late at night when I remember. Take your pick. Any reason will do." Triton nodded and watched Ralph for a while until his stomach grumbled. Ralph raised an eyebrow. "I told you to tell me when you got hungry. I don't want you starving."

"I don't want to inconvenience you---"

"You're not, not if I offer first." Ralph set the pad of paper down and stood, stretching before holding his hand out to Triton. "Come on, beautiful, let's get us some food."

With a somewhat shy smile Triton followed his companion into the 'kitchen' and sat at the table, watching Ralph move around.

"What do you want?"

"Anything."

Ralph just breathed out a laugh and set a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in front of Triton a few minutes later, along with a glass of milk. "Hope you're not allergic."

"Just to a certain kind of grass(2)," Triton said as he picked his sandwich up. "Thank you."

"No problem. Just a certain kind of grass?" Ralph sat with his own sandwich.

Sitting in a near-strangers kitchen, eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and drinking milk like they were children, Triton started to tell Ralph more about himself.

* * *

"Hey, I'm not boring you, am I?"

"Hm?" Quatre jerked a bit and turned his gaze from the window to the lovely woman in front of him, grinning sheepishly. "No, you're not. I'm sorry."

Shelby raised her eyebrows and shook her head as she smiled slightly, one hand playing with the silver chain around her neck as the other waved her salad fork around for emphasis. "I was saying, I think it's wonderful that someone as young as you is teaching, and such a difficult subject."

"I'm twenty-five," Quatre protested. "Not *that* young."

"And I'm thirty. You're young." She smiled again. "How'd you get interested in psychology, if I may ask? And how are you teaching it this young?"

"I've always been interested in how the mind works and what makes people do what they do," Quatre explained. "The human psyche is really very complex and intriguing." He leaned toward Shelby a little and she leaned toward him. "As for your second question, I've got a photographic memory."

Red eyebrows went up again. "So if I leaned forward enough for you to see down my blouse, you'd always remember it?"

Quatre chuckled and nodded. "Not every waking moment, but yes, I'd remember it in perfect," he leaned forward as his gaze slid down to her throat and up, "detail."

The young teacher had the satisfaction of seeing Shelby blush and unconsciously take a deeper breath, with served to press her breasts against her shirt and outline them more than the semi-tight material already did. For a woman of thirty she was in good shape and good health, drinking only a light wine and eating sensibly. The young Arab was somewhat taken with her and, as she made no effort to hide her own attraction to him, didn't bother keeping it to himself. After all, he didn't need the heartache Triton gave him and since the boy was so intent on hating him, he might as well move on.

'And I wish I truly believed that.' Quatre shook his head slightly to get rid of the thought and smiled when Shelby brought up Amir. He'd been a little uneasy about what she'd think of him having an eight-year-old son, but Shelby was taking it quite well.

"How old is he, again?"

"He just turned eight."

"I bet he's a handful."

Quatre chuckled. "Sometimes. He's got a lot of life in him and he revels in it. I don't think Amir's ever been what you could call 'shy.' Even with people he doesn't know, he'll just hide behind someone he *does* know and question them until he's comfortable with them." He smiled at the thought. "He's really quite wonderful."

"How long have you and his mother been separated?"

Quatre thought for a moment, taking a sip of water. "About . . . four years."

"Do you live close to each other?"

"We both live in the L4 area, but she lives on a different sub-colony."

"Mm," Shelby nodded. "I'd like to meet Amir one day."

"I can arrange that," Quatre said as he smiled. "I think he'll like you." Mentally he added, 'If he doesn't see you as a threat to Triton and I, which, my lovely, you most certainly are.'

The redhead looked up and smiled as a waiter brought their dinner. "Thank you."

"Will there be anything else?"

After getting a shake from Shelby, Quatre shook his own head. "No, thank you."

"Have a nice meal."

Have a nice meal they did, discussing work, students, Shelby's crazy sister and each other. As Quatre opened the Python's passenger door after they'd finished he ran a hand through his blond locks and smiled down at the woman in his car. She'd just gotten in and was leaning out slightly to make sure her skirt wasn't in the way of the door, which tilted her blouse down and gave him a very good view down it. He smiled a bit and took slightly longer than a glance before stepping back as Shelby sat up, closing the door.

"I saw that," Shelby told him as he slid into his side.

"Saw what?"

"You looked down my blouse."

She didn't seem offended --- amused, if anything. Quatre shrugged. "It was rather hard not to notice, ma'am." He started the car and pulled out as she laughed.

"Not sorry at all?"

"Not one bit."

"Good."

Quatre laughed softly and leaned back in his seat, steering with one hand. He was a little tired, but the woman next to him was kind and good-looking and thought him the same. It *had* been a long time since he'd last been with a woman, too . . .

'Idiot!' he snapped at himself. 'Stop thinking like that. It's not proper to sleep together on the first date.' Besides, he stayed over whenever he slept with someone at their home and he hadn't planned on sleeping with Shelby. He glanced at the clock as he pulled into her driveway. It was after midnight. Everyone would be asleep and if he wasn't there in the morning then Amir would get upset, not knowing where his father was. He simply couldn't stay over at Shelby's. 'If she stayed at my house . . .' But no, it wouldn't be right to ask. 'Wonder if Duo's up for a midnight romp. Still, I rather miss the feel of loving a woman. Ah, well.'

He got out and walked to Shelby's side, holding the door open for her. "My lady, your home."

"Why thank you, kind sir," Shelby replied, taking Quatre's arm when he offered it and walking with him to her door. There she paused, looking him over several times and licking her lips. "Would you think it improper of me to ask you in for a drink?"

"No," Quatre said, "not at all. Much as I'd love to, though, I can't."

Shelby looked only a little put out. "Why not?"

"Because we may ending doing a little more than drinking, and we may end up in your room." That got him a short, soft laugh and gently flushed cheeks, but Shelby didn't deny it. "Much as I'd like that, I have a son at home who will be quite upset if I'm not there when he comes in to wake me up."

"He wakes you up?"

Quatre smiled. "He's my alarm clock, yes. We have morning prayers together."

"Oh." Shelby looked to the side and fiddled with her necklace again. "Well . . ."

Quatre took her hand and brought it to his lips slowly, kissing the back of it with a regretful smile. "But, if I may, I'd love to take a rain-check."

The redhead smiled and nodded. "I'd like that."

"Unless---" Quatre stopped short, a little frustrated. He couldn't ask her to his house. It wasn't right.

"Unless . . .?" Shelby prompted him, leaning forward.

"Nothing, I'm sorry."

"What were you about to say? Unless what?"

The young man looked down. "I don't think it's proper for me to ask you to stay over at my house tonight."

The older woman laughed. "*I* don't find it improper at all. I like that idea."

Quatre breathed a sigh of relief and laughed to release the tension. "Well, it serves me right for entertaining such old-fashioned ideas."

"Not old-fashioned, just not the ideas that I have." Shelby smiled as she turned and unlocked the door, then her eyebrows went up when Quatre took her by the shoulder gently and turned her, one arm sliding around her waist as he kissed her. Her small noise of surprise turned into one of pleasure. When they broke the kiss her cheeks were even more flushed. "I have to get something to wear in the morning," she told him.

"I'll stay out here," Quatre said, "or else I may not leave." Shelby nodded and opened her door, disappearing into the house. Quatre watched her go in, eyes moving up and down her body. 'Triton's going to pitch a fit,' he thought. 'Well . . . No, I'm not sure. He wasn't happy at all when I told him I had a date, but he claims he doesn't love me. So he may be indifferent.' But Triton's emotions were unpredictable and Quatre never knew what would set him off. Or make him happy. 'And now's not the time to be thinking of that boy,' he told himself firmly. 'He'll be as fickle as he wants and I've never had any use for fickle people.' He looked up as he heard Shelby's footsteps down the hall and straightened, smoothing out his shirt.

"You haven't changed your mind, have you?" she asked as she appeared in the doorway again, carrying a small overnight bag.

Quatre took the bag and kissed her hand, smiling. "Not at all."

"Good." They made small talk on the way to Quatre's house, and when they got there Shelby's eyes widened slightly. "I'd forgotten that you were the head of the Winner family," she laughed, then turned thoughtful. "You know, I think I remember the news about you getting married . . . She was one of your clients' daughters?"

Quatre nodded. "Yasmeen bint Umar. Her father was, and is, my biggest client."

"That would make Amir heir to your fortune *and* hers, right?" Quatre nodded. "Which, when he inherits, will make him the richest person alive."

The Arab laughed and got out, moving to her side to open her door. "Yes, it will." They walked to the front door and Quatre opened it, gesturing Shelby to precede him. He led her upstairs and peeked in on Amir. The child was fast asleep and as Shelby waited in the doorway, Quatre gave his son a kiss on the forehead before returning to her and closing Amir's door softly.

Shelby smiled. "You're a good father."

Quatre nodded. "I try my best."

They walked to his room, pausing occasionally along the way for a kiss or a soft touch, laughing quietly like they were teenagers sneaking out to see each other. Quatre closed the door and locked it, and when he turned around got an armful of Shelby and she was very determined that his mouth be occupied for quite some time. The Arab wasn't sure if she just wanted a kiss or if her intentions were somewhat more as the redhead's fingers started playing at the throat of his shirt. His tie was on the floor before it really registered and then Shelby was pushing his shirt down his arms.

The older woman laughed and shivered when Quatre licked her neck and then breathed softly on it, tilting her head back as they moved to the bed. The blond man fumbled just a little with her zipper until he got the small clasp above it off, then Shelby's dress was on the floor and she was in nothing but a short slip, a bra and pantyhose. He smiled and ran his hands from the backs of her thighs up, grinning more when he felt no underwear. With a small push Shelby was sitting on the bed with her feet curled under her, reaching out to help Quatre undo his belt and pull his pants off. He toed his shoes off and kicked his trousers away from him as he crawled onto the bed, nipping at Shelby's neck and making her laugh as her hands raised to push his face up to hers.

"Kiss me or suck my blood, but do it quickly," she whispered.

Quatre didn't bother to give any answer but his lips against hers, his hands dragging up and down her sides and moving to her stomach and back, getting a feel for all of her and noting where she liked to be touched. Quatre may not have had a woman in close to a year and a half but he was far from rusty and he planned on pleasing the delightful redhead in his arms.

The two were kneeling on the bed, their bodies pressed together in a tight line of desire. Quatre rubbed one hand down to the small of Shelby's back and briefly over her rump, gripping her upper thigh and edging the tips of his fingers just slightly between her legs as his other arm wound around her shoulders.

Shelby arched her back and her head fell back as her mouth opened in a silent gasp and Quatre took the opportunity to kiss her throat firmly, licking her soft skin as his hands tightened on her body. With a slight shift the woman in his arms moved her legs farther apart, her lips kissing his face and neck when he pulled back with a smile.

"I have---"

"Do you have---"

The two stopped and looked at each other, then laughed as Quatre nodded. With a kiss he scooted to the edge of the bed and into his nightstand, pulling out a wrapped condom.

"At least we're both thinking smart," Shelby murmured as she pulled him close again, raising an eyebrow when Quatre set the condom on the pillows.

"You expect me to rush into this?" he queried, taking her hand and kissing it.

"I was hoping you wouldn't, but please don't draw it out for too long."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

Quatre took his time, running his fingertips gently over Shelby's body, admiring the way she looked, the way she moved as he touched her. The redhead was wonderfully responsive, an active participant in their loving. They both cried out slightly when he buried himself in her, in her body, in her arms, in her scent, in her willingness and desire for his touch. She was beautiful.

* * *

"You're *still* fighting?" Triton leaned his forehead against his door at Relena's pitiful look, her pushed-out and trembling lower lip and the faint tears in her eyes. "Come in, come in." He turned away from the door and mumbled about having to go through a separate room to get to the bedroom. "Tá, então ele é rico. Ele tem dinheiro para construir suítes de hotel dentro de casas. Mas então por que ele não podia considerar o fato de que pessoas cansadas iriam andar *ao longo* dessas suítes? Que idiota." (3)

"What're you saying?"

Relena was following him. Apparently he was going to be sharing his bed with her again. Peachy. "I'm bitching."

"'Bout what?"

"The fucking hotel suites Quatre saw fit to build in his house."

The brought a tired giggle and then Relena flopped backward onto the bed, reaching up blindly. Triton jumped back before he got groped and let his Queen grab his hand and pull him down next to her. She sighed and stretched. "Yes, we're still fighting. He's anal; I can't help it."

She turned her head and kissed his cheek. After a moment Triton turned his own head to the side, letting her lips move across his face to his mouth. Relena turned onto her side and draped one arm across the young man's chest, pressing their lips together more firmly. Triton opened his mouth and so did Relena, gently playing their tongues against one another.

Triton pulled back and moved up, burrowing under the covers as Relena followed suit. She immediately curled up next to him, resting her head on his shoulders.

"Goodnight, Triton."

"Good night, Relena."

End notes: Yes, for those who are wondering, I *do* leave you with a cliffhanger and then sit back and laugh about it. ^.~

(1) ". . . end up somewhere else where I really don't want to be. . . . I mean, not that I *don't* find you attractive, because I *do*, but . . . but that's not what I want. Well, I do, but I know that I should really leave if you don't actually need me to model for you, because who knows---"

(2) No shit, I'm allergic to a certain kind of grass at the high school I went to freshman year. It gives me hives. I'm so glad I don't go to that high school anymore. ^^;;;;

(3) "So he's rich. So he has the money to build hotel suites in houses. So why couldn't he have taken in mind the fact that tired people were going to go *through* these suites? What an idiot."