Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Final Grade ❯ Chapter 15

Title: Final Grade

Chapter: 15/?

Warnings: Angst and hormones, shameless muse insertion (it wasn't my fault, I swear!)

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.

"What did he say?"

"I'm not sure. Most of it was in Mandarin and Cantonese." Relena sighed and trembled a bit, holding Triton tighter. "The part I got was that he didn't like it and I couldn't, that he forbid me. I told him that it's my choice, my body and that I don't need his permission to do anything. He told me that if I wanted to be a whore then that was my choice, but he didn't want anything to do with it, or me." Relena was tense and shuddered, starting to cry.

Triton held his Queen tightly, horrified that he'd caused her this pain. "I'm sorry. You don't have to do anything. I don't care."

"I want to help you, Triton. Fuck whatever Wufei says or thinks. I don't need him to rule my life and I don't need him *in* my life if all he's going to *do* is rule it."

"You love him."

"Yes, yes, I love him. I love him very much."

"But, didn't you just meet a few days ago?"

Relena sighed. "That was our . . . informal meeting. We've met briefly a few times, but we've never been able to talk or get to know each other. We know things about each other that others don't, simply because I need to know about my Preventers and they need to know about me, but . . ." She gulped and Triton looked up into her tear-streaked face. "I don't know. Do I really love him, or is it another crush like I had on Heero? I just . . . I don't want to fight with Wufei. I don't want to fight with him at all. But I don't want him to order me around, either. Hell, the man won't even admit that we're dating, yet he tells me what I can and can not do. He told me *once* that he loves me. Once. I know that he was raised to not show much emotion, or to speak about his feelings, but . . ." Relena sighed. "I don't know. I suppose it's a female thing, wanting to have verbal confirmation of feelings. I want him to tell me that he loves me, if not every day, then at the very least two or three times a week. Is that so much to ask for?"

Triton shook his head. "I don't think so. I don't know why Wufei *wouldn't* tell you that he loves you, if he does."

Relena yawned. "Don't go to school today, please? Stay with me?" She looked vulnerable, frightened, almost.

Triton shrugged. "Hell, I haven't gone to sleep yet, so why not? I don't want to sleep through any of my classes at school." He got up and grabbed a pair of boxers, sliding them on under the towel around his waist before draping the towel over the back of a chair.

Relena laughed softly and scooted back, pulling the covers over herself. "Come on. First things first, let's just sleep. You may decide you're gay or not from just sleeping next to me."

Triton smiled and climbed in next to Relena, letting her adjust herself so that she was curled up close to him. He wrapped his arms around her, ending up with her head resting on his chest. It felt . . . comfortable. Reassuring, having someone next to him. Triton yawned. "Goodnight, Relena."

"Goodnight, Triton. Night? It's not night."

"Night is whenever you go to sleep."

Relena giggled and nodded. "Good. Right. I get it. Goodnight."

* * *

"If she wants to whore around, then what business do I have with her? Why should I care if she throws herself at every man she meets? Neither of them are here today. What are they doing? How dare he touch her? She's the *Queen*! He has no *right* to touch her!"

"And you do?" Wufei started spluttering and Quatre leaned back in his chair. "Relena's not whoring around, Wufei. She's slept with you. Is that being a whore? I didn't think so. She's *thinking* about sleeping with Triton, apparently to help him know if he's gay or not. Do you think *I* like the idea of Relena sleeping with Triton?"

"Triton hates you, though."

"Or so he claims. That has very little impact on the point I'm trying to make. Neither of us is happy about this, but what can we do about it? Ordering Relena around will *not* get you your way. If anything, she may decide to do it just to spite you. And have you ever thought that she really *does* love you, and doesn't want you to leave? Wufei, *I* heard you screaming at her. Do you really think she appreciates being called a whore by the man she loves?"

Wufei was silent, face set stubbornly. He was wrong and he didn't want to admit it. Quatre sighed. The man had burst into his classroom, demanding that Quatre do something about the situation, but Quatre was even more powerless to do anything than Wufei was.

"I don't want her sleeping with him."

"And you've told her so, and she knows that, and there's nothing more you can do, unless you *really* want to pick a fight with her. Even then, that probably won't get you anywhere good. You know Relena as well as I do." Wufei was silent, sulking. "Don't press her about it," Quatre suggested gently. "She's not going to fall in love with Triton and even if she does, she won't do anything about it."

"And how do *you* know this?"

Quatre smiled slightly. "One, there's very little doubt in my mind that Triton's gay. Two, she knows that I'm in love with Triton and as long as there's a chance he may love me in return, she won't act on her feelings. Three, I've seen the way she looks at you and she's so head over heels in love that it's almost frightening."

"Four, if Triton doesn't end up with you Amir will pitch a huge fit," Wufei finished.

Quatre started laughing. "That, too."

"So, what *are* you going to do about him?" Wufei asked as he leaned on the blonde's desk.

"About Triton? I'm not too sure. But I agreed to have dinner with Ms. Ybarra tonight and since Amir loves Triton so much, I think I'll ask him to baby-sit." The young man grinned.

Wufei shook his head. "Wicked, Quatre, very wicked. Well, I won't be around to see the fit Triton throws when he hears you've got a date. I'm going back home; you've got enough people staying at your house as it is."

"I don't mind much. Amir loves company." Quatre looked up as the door opened and smiled as Shelby poked her head in. In a softer voice, "Is Relena going with you?"

Wufei watched, as well, as Shelby walked toward them. "I'm going home alone, thank you muchly," he murmured back.

"Don't break her heart, Wufei. I'll have to kill you if you do."

The Chinese man covered a chuckle and bowed to the redhead in front of them. "Madam Dean."

"Mr. Chang," Shelby curtsied back, then she turned to Quatre and nodded. "Mr. Winner."

"Ms. Ybarra," Quatre half-bowed.

"I'll be going now," Wufei murmured. "You two have a pleasant day."

"And you," Quatre said, eyes on Shelby. Her hair was a dark red, curling under at her chin in a fashion rather similar to Triton's sister's hair. She had sparkling blue eyes and a dimple in her left cheek when she smiled, which she was doing just then. "May I help you, Ms. Ybarra?"

"You can," she nodded. She was shorter than Quatre by about three inches, and tilted her head up to look at him. "The school is having its annual end-of-school banquet this weekend . . . I'm rather at a loss for someone to take. I was wondering if you were in the same predicament as I, and if so, if you could be bothered to accompany me."

"Bothered? I wouldn't be bothered at all, Ms. Ybarra. I would be delighted to escort you."

Shelby laughed. "Oh, wonderful. And here I thought I was being too forward."

"Not too forward," Quatre said, "not at all."

"Well, that's good. Now all I have to worry about is how short my dress can be and still be considered formal, because I have the tendency to trip on formal dresses, hence the reason I try not to wear them." She looked around, then tilted her head to the side as she gazed at Quatre's desk. "Cute kid. Is that you?"

"Pardon?" The Arab turned and chuckled as he picked up the picture of Amir. "No, this is my son." He handed the picture to her, smiling.

"You're not married, are you?" Quatre shook his head. "Good. Well, not to say good, but---"

"Don't worry, his mother and I are still good friends."

"That may give me more reason to worry," Shelby murmured, glancing at Quatre out of the corner of her eye. After Triton's hesitant attitude and refusal to take the initiative, Shelby's attitude was rather refreshing.

"Good friends, and nothing more," the young man reassured her. Students started coming in and he took her hand, kissing the back of it. "Then I'll see you later tonight?"

"But of course," she nodded, bobbing a quick curtsy and leaving with another smile.

'I think Triton's going to pitch a fit,' Quatre thought with just a hint of smugness. 'Good. Maybe . . . But really, it's none of my concern anymore, what Triton thinks. Good.'

* * *

Warmth next to him. The last time he'd woken up with someone next to him . . . had been when . . . Triton concentrated. No headache. No hangover. He was wearing his boxers. He felt clean. Then he hadn't had sex again. That left the question of who was laying next to him, their head on his chest. Soft fingertips were slowly tracing from his navel to his throat, across his chest and back. The form felt . . . curvy. Men weren't that curvy. Triton took a chance.

"Relena?"

The young woman eeped a bit and the fingers on his chest were gone suddenly. Triton could feel her cheek start to heat up where it lay on his shoulder.

"Uhm, Triton, good afternoon. How did you sleep?"

The young man opened his eyes. "Good, thank you. You?"

"Good." There was an awkward silence before Relena sat up. "Well!" she said brightly. "How was that?"

"That? Oh, that." Triton shrugged. "Nothing particularly exciting happened."

"No revulsion about sleeping next to a woman?"

"No." Triton smiled a little. "Not even to having said woman feel me up in my sleep."

Relena's whole face burned a lovely shade of dark pink and her hands flew to her cheeks. "Oh! Well, that! That, uhm, that was . . . you see, I wasn't really *aware* of what I was doing, and . . . And your skin! It's so soft, but I wasn't copping a feel or anything like that, really!"

Triton started to chuckle and sat up. "That's all right. I don't mind."

"Really?" Relena reached for him again. "Let me do it again, then."

"Ack! No! That I *do* mind!"

The young woman made a face. "Party-pooper."

"Yes," Triton agreed.

"Well, I'm hungry. Let's eat!" She scrambled out of bed and threw Triton his robe, pulling him out of the room and down the hall. "I never had many real friends growing up," she said over her shoulder, "so forgive me if I start acting like a teenage girl. Come to think of it, I never really got the chance to be a teenager. Hmph. You and Sylvia are going to put up with me acting like a teenager today, all right?" Without waiting for Triton's reply she stopped and started banging on a door. "Sylvia! Get up! Open up! Let's go out for brunch! Come on, get up! I'm bored! Let's go shopping!"

"She's busy," Heero's slightly annoyed voice replied.

"Damn it, get your mouth off his dick and get *out* here," Relena shouted. Triton started laughing, slightly embarrassed, and Relena just cracked up.

"She's doing no such thing!" Heero shouted back.

"Then why isn't *she* replying, huh?"

"She's in the shower!"

"Excuses, excuses! I'm coming in!"

"No!"

Hand on the doorknob, Relena winked at Triton. "Well, if she's not giving you a blowjob, then it's safe!"

"*I'm* not dressed!"

"Oh, honey, I've seen it before!"

"Not *mine*."

The Queen sank to the ground, she was laughing so hard. Triton almost joined her. "It can't be that much different than Wufei's! Come on, let me in!"

"It's a lot different, and no!"

"As your Queen---"

"As your babysitter---"

"I'm in charge here!"

"Not on your vacation!"

By that time Triton was sitting next to Relena, laughing with her. The door opened and Heero glared down at them.

"You are a bad influence on her, Triton."

"It wasn't *my* fault," the young man protested.

"Yeah! It was . . . it was . . . it was . . . it was that other person's fault." Relena and Triton looked at each other and burst out laughing again.

"What'd I miss?" Sylvia asked from behind Heero.

"Heero wouldn't let me in, so I had to convince him," Relena explained, using Heero's waist to pull herself up standing. She helped Triton up, leaning against him when Sylvia pulled Heero close to her.

"Oh, that's what the shouting about blowjobs was about."

"Well, yeah. I mean, if you *weren't* giving him a blowjob then it would have been perfectly safe for me to come in!"

"Actually, I wasn't. I was showering."

"Probably to clean up after he came," Relena giggled.

Sylvia shrugged. "Yeah, that too." Relena started laughing again and Triton just turned red. "What do you want, lunatic?"

"I want to go shopping! I want you and me and Triton to go out for brunch and then go shopping! Heero can tag along too, I guess."

Sylvia looked up at Heero, who crossed his arms over his bare chest and glowered. She glanced down, then snickered. "Those shorts match your skin tone, Heero. I thought you were naked for a moment."

"Relena would have noticed," he muttered. "If you three are going out then wait until I'm showered and dressed." He turned on his heel and marched back into the bedroom. "And close the door!"

"Poor sport!" Relena hollered after him. "Come on, let's leave him and Sylvia to get dressed and go wake up Duo!"

"You delight in waking people up, don't you?" Triton asked as he was jerked along after Relena.

"It's fun! Besides, I got to sleep in and I never get to sleep in! I'm on vacation and damn it, I'm going to be on *vacation*! Nothing's going to stop me! Not emergencies, not anal lovers, nothing!" Suddenly she half-shrieked and doubled over, moaning softly as she clutched her abdomen. "Well, maybe my period will stop me . . ."

"Oooh," Triton murmured sympathetically, kneeling and rubbing her back. "Do you need some painkiller?"

"Naw, I'll be fine." She stood up again. "See? Attack failed. Damned ovaries hate me."

The young man chuckled and shook his head. "I don't envy you."

"Oh, then I start bleeding. Speaking of, I need to get a tampon in me before I ruin my underwear." All Relena got in reply was a blink. She snickered. "Well, at least you're pink instead of red. Wait here and I'll be back."

As she hurried down the hall Triton crossed his arms over her chest and glared down at the dress he wore. It was as close as he could get to a Renaissance gown and both look female and not attract stares. The skirt hung straight down and didn't fill out, and the top wasn't an actual bodice.

'Wish I had the money for an actual Renaissance dress. They're beautiful. Too bad there's nowhere I could wear one regularly.' Well, there *was* that Faire the next weekend that Ralph had invited him to . . . 'Hm. But still, even if I started going to Faires, I don't have the money for a dress. Damn it, damn it, damn it.' He scuffed his foot on the carpet and allowed himself a moment of self-pity. It took but a second for him to stop and think. Self-pity. He seemed to grant himself a lot of self-pity time. 'But I didn't do anything wrong and besides, Quatre had to have known I was drunk.' That didn't give him the right to mope around and hate Quatre when he wasn't completely sure that the blond *had* known he was drunk. 'So? It can't be that hard to tell that someone's drunk. He wanted me and he took me. Just like James.' But James had forced him, and he'd gone willing to Quatre's bed.

"Que saco," Triton cursed, "o Quatre obviamente não sabia que eu tava bêbado, pediu desculpas até cansar, e tudo o que eu faço é agir como um idiota porque eu não consigo aceitar o fato de que eu não tava consciente o bastante para aproveitar a droga do sexo!"(1) He froze and felt the blood drain from his face. Had he just said that? Had he just *meant* that?!

"That was a really big run-on sentence," Sylvia remarked from behind him. "I've only heard Amir say that much that fast with no pauses. What'd you say?"

The young man turned slowly, still in shock, and blinked at his friend. "I . . . I . . . I don't . . ."

"Psh, none of my business anyway. Where's 'Lena?"

"Sticking a tampon up my pussy, why? Wanna help next time?"

Sylvia stared at Relena for a moment before she burst out laughing. "Oh, you dirty, nasty woman, you!" Relena joined in the laughter and Triton just muttered.

"Are we ready to go? Let's go!" Looping her arms through Triton and Sylvia's arms, Relena led them down the hallway and down the staircase, apparently forgetting about waking Duo up. "We're going to go shopping, we're going to go shopping, we're---"

"I'm pregnant," Sylvia said.

Relena continued chant-singing for a moment before the sentence sank in. Then she froze and whirled on Sylvia. "What?! You're *pregnant*?! When? How? You're not married yet! Why the hell wasn't I informed?!"

Sylvia smirked. "You just got informed. Don't worry, Heero and I will be married by the time the baby's born." She rested her hand on her stomach and smiled softly. "Besides, we're not sure that I am, yet."

"Are you *trying* to get pregnant?" Triton asked. He watched Sylvia's stomach, not quite comprehending.

"Yes. Heero's paranoid about dying during a mission and not leaving a bit of himself in the world. He wants children more than I do. He wants . . . I guess he wants to be the parents he never had, lame as that sounds."

"Why not wait?" Relena questioned as they got in Triton's car. Heero was already in he and Sylvia's car, giving them the semblance of privacy.

"Because he wants one as soon as possible."

"And you? What about yourself?"

The young woman slid into the front seat and smiled at Triton. "I agree with him. If he died . . . He's left his mark on the world, he's done a lot of good, but . . . I want something of him that I can hold, that I know he loved and he died to keep safe."

"Being a Preventer is dangerous," Relena explained at Triton's half-befuzzled look. "The earth and colonies are in constant danger of being thrown into chaos because people don't care for my rule."

"Yeah, they don't dig that ruthless dictator thing 'Lena's got going on," Sylvia snorted.

"Uh-huh, me the dictator, me the one who demands everyone give to me and not themselves . . . What did the French ambassador call me that one time?"

"Wasn't he the one who called you the, uhm, 'pinko-commie dyke bitch-tator'?"

"Oh, there were other names . . . It was all rolled into one." Relena giggled. "I considered putting it on a shirt and wearing it. But anyway, if not for the Preventers I would be dead several times over and who knows who would be ruling? I admit, a lot of people aren't happy with another monarchy because those often turn into dictatorships, but better me and the freedoms I grant rather than another Barton."

"Besides, Relena's Queen because she doesn't trust anyone else to rule and no one else *but* her has the love of most everyone."

"So I send out the Preventers to take care of uprisings and to investigate, and a lot of the time they come back in casts or body-bags." Relena sighed and closed her eyes, head bowing. "I wish I could stop them, I wish I didn't have to send them out, knowing they may not come back alive, but what else can I do? I've met every single Preventer, I know a lot, and a few I'm personally close with. These are my friends, people who do this because they love me, because they believe in me, and I send them out to die . . ."

"Hey, sweety, don't get glum," Sylvia spoke up gently. "They know and they understand. Preventers aren't Preventers because they *have* to, they're Preventers because they *want* to. Heero's said so often enough."

"Mm." Relena wiped at her eyes and looked up, smiling again. "So do we get to shop for baby clothes?" she teased.

Sylvia giggled. "Not quite yet. I haven't been off the Pill for that long. I'm just *hoping* I'm pregnant."

"And when's the wedding?" Triton asked.

"We're not sure yet. I want a spring wedding and Heero just wants to get married."

"And weddings take a long time to plan, don't they?"

"If you want a big fancy one, yes," Relena nodded.

"Then it would be next spring. That's about a year away. If you get pregnant within then next two months you'll have the baby before the wedding."

"That's all right," Sylvia said flippantly. "I don't care. Heero did until I told him that it doesn't matter if we're married or not because it's still *our* child." She started laughing. "Oh my goodness, did I tell you he started going to church?"

Relena laughed, leaning forward from the back seat. "No way! How's it going?"

"It's not," Sylvia giggled. "He went for a month and came home one day, saying that if God was so powerful then he'd smite the hell out of anyone who wasn't behaving, and that it didn't make sense that all they gave to the feminine aspect of life was some virgin who was content to let others rule her life. Then he went and got into a fight about the Goddess with Dorothy. She smote the hell out of him." All three were laughing. "Then she gave him books on Wicca to read and invited him to a Sabbat. Just *my* luck, it was Beltane."

"Beltane?"

"A Sabbat. A Fire Festival. A fertility festival." Sylvia grinned. "You know that old thing of weaving ribbons around the May Pole?" Triton nodded. "That's a Beltane ritual for fertility for the land. So naturally I went, seeing as Heero was going to get laid by someone and I was determined that no one got him but *me*."

"Did you?"

"Did I what?"

"Get him?"

Sylvia grinned. "Oh yeah. All night long, baby. I'm telling you, Relena, that man has *stamina*, and even when *he's* done, he doesn't stop until *I'm* done. And the things he does with his tongue, ooooooo . . ." She curled her knees to her chest and squeezed her eyes shut, giggling in delight.

"That's . . . nice," Relena forced out. She looked to the side and Triton frowned a bit.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. No, I'm not, but I'll *be* fine."

"Crap," Sylvia exclaimed, "I forgot about that! I'm sorry, Relena. I know you still . . . still love him. Like that, I mean."

"No, it's fine," Relena insisted. "I can't have Heero and we wouldn't get along as lovers, anyway. And it wouldn't be smart, sleeping with my bodyguard."

She didn't say anything about sleeping with Wufei, however. Triton sighed and pulled into the nearest mall's parking lot, locking the doors once they'd all gotten out of the car.

"Hmmm, what to do first? I know, breakfast." Relena led them into the mall and to the Café Court, looking around at the food selections. "All right, what do we want? And why is this called the Bayshore Mall when there's not a bay around for several hundred miles?"

"I'd like some pizza," Triton offered. "The cheese pizza Porccetti's has is the best I've ever had."

"Still doesn't answer the name question."

"Because they only *want* to have a bay near?" Sylvia asked. "I'm going to get a baked potato."

"All right, then we get our food and meet at that table over there." Relena pointed to one near them. "Got it?"

"Yup!"

Sylvia headed off and Relena took Triton's hand. She looked at the pizzas on display and pursed her lips. "I want two slices, one of vegetarian and one of cheese. I'm hungry. Fighting makes me hungry."

"We'll have two slices of cheese and one of vegetarian, please," Triton said to the young man behind the counter.

"Anything to drink?"

"A medium pink lemonade for me, please. 'Lena?"

"Oh, sure, pink lemonade is fine." She smiled at the young man, who nodded and slid two slices of cheese on one plate and the vegetarian slice on another, putting them in the large pizza oven behind him and getting their drinks as the oven slowly moved the slices back out. He put everything on a tray and rang up their order.

"That'll be five credits, please."

Triton paid and smiled back when the young man smiled at him, turning with Relena to go back to their seat.

"Oh, he is *so* checking you out," she whispered.

"What?" Triton looked back and caught the young man's eye. Another smile passed between them. "He's not checking me out," he whispered back.

"Yeah, he is. He's watching your ass and he was watching you from the moment he saw you."

"Whatever," the young man muttered, flushing a little with pleasure. "So what if he is?"

"So, he thinks you're hot."

"He does not."

"He does too! Look at him!"

"I refuse," Triton muttered out of tightly pursed lips. Now that Relena mentioned it, his back started itching. He wanted to turn around but he felt silly doing so.

"Well, hey, you might have scored a date, but . . ."

"Oh, hush up!" The young man stood as Sylvia approached and held her chair out for her. "Tell Relena the guy at Porccetti's isn't checking me out."

Sylvia glanced over as she sat. "Want me to lie or tell the truth?"

"The truth."

"He's checking you out."

"Damn it, he's *not*!" Triton hissed.

"Sure he is!" Sylvia raised her hand and waved.

"What are you doing?!"

"Calling him over here." She grinned at him as Relena giggled. "Come on, he's cute!"

"And he probably thinks I'm a girl."

"I doubt it."

"Damn it, don't call him over here!"

"Why not?" Sylvia laughed. "You need to get out more! Hey, sweety," she purred as the young man walked up. "What's your name?"

"Dominique," was the soft tenor reply. Dominique smiled politely at Relena and Sylvia, stealing glances at Triton. Not that Triton was looking.

"I'm Sylvia, this is 'Lena and this is Triton."

"Pleased to meet you." He kissed Relena's offered hand and offered his own to Triton, who took it cautiously. "I'm more than pleased to meet you, Triton."

Hesitantly meeting gray eyes, Triton swallowed and nodded. "Nice to meet you, too."

"Would you like to eat with us, Dominique?"

Without taking his eyes off of Triton, the young man answered Relena's question. "Well, I'm not off of work quite yet, though I would love to if I could."

"When do you get off work?" Sylvia asked.

"An hour. How long will you three be here?"

"Longer than that. We'll come back in an hour, then, and you can hang out with us."

"I'd love that. I'll see you three in an hour, then?"

"But of course. We'll be here."

As Dominique nodded and walked off Triton lowered his head and glared at the table. "I can't *believe* you *did* that, Sylvia!"

"Why not? Don't you think he's cute? Tall, great build, gray eyes, wavy dark blond hair . . . Come on, he's hot!"

"That's not the *point*!" Triton could feel his face burning. "*I* didn't want you to do that!"

Sylvia leaned over and pat Triton's cheek. "It's all right, dear, 'Lena and I will do the talking."

(1) - "Damn it!" Triton cursed. "Quatre obviously didn't know I was drunk and he's apologized until he's blue in the face and all I'm doing is being a bitch because I can't stand the fact that I wasn't aware enough to fully enjoy the damned sex!"