Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Final Grade ❯ Chapter 7

Title: Final Grade
Chapter: 7/?
Warnings: You have three guesses. Yup, more limey stuff! 4+3!
Disclaimers: Gundam Wing and all characters associated with it is not mine, nor am I making any money from this. This is purely for my personal enjoyment, and the enjoyment of the people who read this. GW is copyright Bandai, Sunrise, etc.

"Ms. Triton! Ms. Triton!" The young man frowned a bit and slowly turned to face Amir as the boy skipped up to him, a small bouquet of flowers in his hand. "Ms. Triton, I picked you some flowers!"

"Amir, I'm not a girl." Triton took the daisies and smiled. "But thank you."

"Uh-huh, sure. I believe you." The tone of the boy's voice said that he didn't. "You're welcome! Are you feeling better yet?" He took Triton's hand and started tugging, smiling brightly as the young man followed him obediently. "I sure hope so, because since Father missed my birthday, we're having a party for me on Sunday! I get to stay up late! Did you bring a pretty dress to wear, Triton?"

"I'm feeling better, thank you. A party? I wasn't told. I would have gotten you something. I suppose I could find something, or just go back to my home and get a dress." They entered the dining room and Quatre looked up, a hesitant look on his face. Triton looked to the side and started to sit at the far end, near Professor Chang, but Amir tugged at his hand again.

"No, Triton, sit over here with me! Please?" The young child smiled brightly at Triton, and the Latin boy was helpless to resist. He allowed Amir to lead him to the head of the table, where Quatre stood and pulled out a chair. "Sit down, Triton. It's okay, really it is!"

Quatre just looked at the young man for a moment, then down as Amir coaxed Triton to sit. He pushed the chair in as Triton did, still not sure how one could sit down with help like that. Yasmeen did it, too. What was the secret? The young noble sat down and pondered this as Amir sat beside Triton, merrily chatting away, and had to smile. Amir was totally taken with Triton, it was obvious.

'And he'll get his hopes up about Triton staying, and if Triton doesn't . . .' Quatre didn't want to think about that. 'Still . . . I'd best take Amir aside and explain to him that, in all reality, Triton probably won't be staying in our lives. At most another year, if he decides to keep taking psychology. And even if he does continue the course, that doesn't mean he'll be coming over often, or even at all. Oh, God, this is depressing.' Quatre glanced around the table. 'What's even more depressing is that Heero and the others are drinking, and I can't. I should convert to some other religion; then I could get roaring drunk and not give a damn about anything.' He rolled his eyes and sighed to himself, then offered Triton a smile when the younger man turned his direction to get Amir some gravy.

Triton glanced at Quatre in time to see the smile, then bit his lower lip even as the corners of his mouth twitched upwards. He should really tell Quatre that he was all right, and wasn't angry with him for earlier, but he couldn't bring himself to talk. The protective shell of silence he'd created to block out James was proving to be more trouble than good at the moment.

'He doesn't deserve to be put through this. Quatre cares about me, I just know it. After all, would he have stopped if he didn't care about me? Would he have called Cathrine for me if he didn't care? I don't think so.' Butterflies started fluttering in his stomach as Triton dropped the hand next to Quatre below the table. He swallowed as he searched for Quatre's hand. It was resting on the blonde's thigh, and Triton covered half of it with his own hand. Quatre jumped and looked at him quickly, but Triton ignored his teacher and ate left-handed, heart racing.

Quatre almost choked when he felt Triton's hand on his leg and he looked at the young man, startled, but was ignored. 'God, what's he doing?' The Arab shifted his hand until it was lying palm-up, and gently closed his fingers over Triton's hand. He was rewarded with a slight squeeze and an even smaller smile. "Amir, chew and don't talk with your mouth full." The boy grumbled something and started chewing instead of inhaling, and Quatre dared to squeeze Triton's hand a bit. The young man didn't pull away. "I'm really sorry about not telling you about Amir, or his party this Sunday. I've been out of it all week, I guess."

"I don't mind."

Quatre breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God. You don't have to stay with everyone for long if you don't want to. It's going to be crowded. And . . ." Quatre looked over at Heero and raised a questioning eyebrow, mouthing 'Relena?' at his former lover. He got a nod and stood. "Everyone, I'd like your attention, please." His guests paused in their conversations and looked at him. Quatre smiled. "I'm pleased to announce to you, my closest friends, that I will be having a very special guest staying with me for a while, who will be arriving any moment. I'd like to request that you don't fawn over her, and treat her as you would anyone you meet on the street, please. This is a vacation for her, not a gawk-fest." He gave a small bow and sat, holding his hand face-up on his thigh again. Triton once again took it hesitantly, and Quatre gave him a slight squeeze of assurance.

"Father, who's coming over? Will she be staying long?"

Quatre leaned forward and looked at his son. "Sore wa himitsu desu."

Amir pouted, but got over it soon enough and it wasn't long before everyone was done and had moved to the living room. Sylvia was sitting on one of the loveseats while Duo and Amir sat on the floor, doing a puzzle as Wufei leaned near the door. Quatre leaned against the fireplace and watched Triton. The young man had started the fire currently going strong, and was now in a mock-contest with Heero to see who could do the most push-ups. Both men had removed their shirts, and Quatre and Sylvia were enthralled as the fire and the effort both were putting out made them sweat, a light sheen of it covering both finely toned bodies.

"Okay, see, this piece has the same color as that piece right there? See how they fit together? That's how you do it, now that we've got all the edge pieces out. You look for pieces of the same coloring. Got it, kid?"

"Uh-huh! Thank you, Uncle Duo!"

Duo laughed as the door opened and a servant entered, coughing lightly to get Quatre's attention. Quatre didn't respond, eyes locked on Triton's broad back. The servant coughed again, a little louder. Still no response. Rolling his eyes, the old man spoke loudly.

"Master Quatre, the lady is here." He bowed and left, revealing a black-cloaked figure standing behind him. The person moved to the doorway, and her gender would have been unidentifiable had the servant not called her a lady.

Quatre looked up finally and smiled as Wufei stood up straight, then motioned to him. "Help the lady with her cloak, Wufei, would you?"

Wufei gave a curt nod and moved next to the cloaked figure, who turned her head slightly toward him. The cloak parted and a slender hand reached up, pushing the hood back, and Quatre almost started laughing at the dumbfounded looks on Wufei and Relena's faces as they stared at each other. Triton and Heero both got up and turned to look at the young Queen as Duo, Amir and Sylvia also stood, but Relena had eyes only for Wufei. Her gaze roamed over his Oriental features as his own black eyes searched hers, and he bowed from the waist before taking her hand and kissing the back of it gently. A becoming flush rose to Relena's cheeks as she started to smile, a smile returned by the young man in front of her. Quatre cleared his throat.

"Miss Relena, it's good to see you again. It's been a long time." There was barely any response, so Quatre walked over and placed his hand on Wufei's shoulder. "Perhaps you two should introduce yourselves?"

Wufei shook himself visibly and swallowed, eyes a little wide as he bowed again. "My lady, I am Chang Wufei. It is an honor to be graced with your presence." His lips lightly brushed against Relena's hand again, and Quatre could see the shiver they caused. He smirked.

"Mr. Chang . . . The pleasure is all mine." Relena licked her lips and started breathing again before dropping into a curtsy. "My name is Relena Darlian. It's . . . wonderful to meet you . . ."

"Let me help you with your cloak." Wufei moved behind Relena and placed his hands gently on her shoulders, as if afraid to mar her beauty. Maybe he was. The young girl who had stalked Heero throughout the wars had blossomed into a beautiful, intelligent, responsible young woman, and Quatre didn't blame Wufei for his instant attraction.

Relena tuned her head to keep looking at Wufei and nodded, her cheeks rosy once again. "Please, do."

Quatre stepped back next to Triton and simply smiled as Wufei slowly slid his hands to the throat clasp and undid it, standing perhaps a tad bit closer than was necessary, but Relena didn't seem to mind. His hands never left Relena's creamy skin as the Chinese man drew the cloak back from her shoulders, face close to the young Queen's neck. He took a breath and murmured something to Relena, who flushed again and half-laughed, half-giggled as she tilted her head to the side. Quatre rolled his eyes.

"Twitterpated," Triton murmured, holding his shirt.

"What?" Quatre murmured back as Wufei hung up Relena's cloak and narrowed his eyes at Heero when the Japanese man stepped forward to greet Relena.

"They're twitterpated. In . . . well . . . lust, kind of. They've got crushes on each other," Triton explained, wondering if he and Quatre looked like that when they were together.

"Ah, I see. I'm inclined to agree with you." Quatre gestured at Triton's shirt. "Please, for my sanity's sake, put the shirt on. I'd love to ogle at you all day and night, but . . ." Triton flushed and slid his shirt on, but he left the top two buttons undone, which clearly revealed that he was, in fact, male. "Tease," Quatre muttered as Relena walked up to him, having met Sylvia and greeted the other pilots. Wufei stayed by her side, and gave Quatre a suspicious look as the blond shook Relena's hand. "It's wonderful to see you again, Relena. Though I hear that this is an enforced break, I do hope you enjoy staying here."

Relena laughed softly and cast a glance at Wufei. "Oh, I'm sure I will, Quatre. Who is this young . . . man?" She looked Triton up and down, and Triton was subjected to a glare from Wufei. He winced slightly as he extended his hand.

"Triton Bloom, Your--- Miss Relena." He mentally kicked himself. 'She's on vacation, remember? Quatre said to treat her like an everyday person on the street.' He offered her a very slight smiled and bowed from the waist, placing a kiss right above her hand, in the air. That was polite, and it wouldn't get him a punch from Wufei. Triton hoped. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"What a young gentleman. Is he a . . . friend?"

Quatre sighed at the slight pause and shook his head. Relena was assuming they were together, too. "He's a friend, yes, and a student."

Relena smiled and curtsied, then looked around. She was nervous, it was clear. "Well . . . Oh, my. I . . . I'm not sure what to say. Heero told me I was going to take a vacation, and now . . . I've nothing to do." She smiled, a sad smile. "How do you have fun, I wonder? How do you take a break . . ."

Wufei placed a hand on the young woman's shoulder. "Perhaps I could show you around, Miss Relena."

Blue-green eyes lit up slightly as Relena turned to Wufei. "Oh, I'd love that. And please, call me Relena." She looked back at her host. "Quatre?"

"It's your vacation, Relena. Do what you wish. My house is yours." That was all it took, and Quatre laughed as Relena and Wufei disappeared through the door. He smiled at everyone. "I don't think she'll be bored for very long."

"What does that mean?" Heero asked, eyes narrowing as he stepped forward slightly.

Quatre couldn't resist teasing Heero just a bit. "Oh, you know what I mean, Heero." His eyes twinkled. "They obviously seem to like each other, so I'm sure it's not hard to imagine where they're headed---"

"Enough!" Sylvia placed her hands on Heero's chest as the Japanese man snarled and went for Quatre. "Heero! Quatre! Behave, you two!" She glared at both young men. "Look, Heero, Quatre's just pulling your leg. He doesn't mean it. Quatre, don't bait him."

"I think Heero's jealous because Relena's not fawning over him anymore," Quatre said smugly, smirking at Heero.

"Quatre!" The blond winced. "What did I just say?!"

Quatre let it go and turned to smile at Triton. "I'm so sorry, Sylvia." It was obvious he wasn't, but Sylvia didn't pursue the situation. The Arab looked his student up and down and licked his lips before Amir tugged at his shirt.

"Father? What did you mean about where Uncle Wufei and Relena were going?"

Duo started laughing and picked Amir up. "Oh, he was just making fun of Heero, kidling. Come on, I'll toss you in the pool."

"Really?! Wow! Let's go!" The two dashed out of the room, leaving Heero, Sylvia, Quatre and Triton alone together.

Sylvia glanced at Quatre, then kissed Heero's cheek. "Come on, Heero. Let's go calm you down . . ." Her hand slid to Heero's upper leg as she made her suggestion, and Heero's eyes widened. "What do you say?" There was no verbal response, but Sylvia found herself tossed over Heero's shoulder like a sack of potatoes as he left the room. She smiled and winked at Triton and Quatre before the door shut.

"If you don't want me touching you, leave." Triton gave Quatre an odd look. Quatre elaborated. "In about five seconds I'm going to touch you. If you don't want me to touch you, leave now." The push-ups were getting to Quatre, and his control was slipping. He turned to face the fire and crossed his arms over his chest, counting out loud softly. "Four . . . three . . . two . . . one . . ." The young man was still in the room. "One and a half . . . one and a quarter . . . one and an eighth . . ."

Triton considered what Quatre had said and then sat on the couch, near the fire. 'Fine,' he thought at Quatre. 'Touch me. I know you'll stop if I want you to, and I want to be held right now.'

"Time's up." Quatre turned and walked over to the couch, kneeling over Triton with one leg between the boy's knees. His lips hovered briefly over Triton's as he fought with the last bits of his control, and lost miserably when Triton tilted his head up and touched his lips to Quatre's. The blond pressed their lips together in a bruising kiss, hands sliding under Triton's shirt and over his chest. The young man beneath him gasped and arched his back, fingers helping Quatre's fumble with the buttons on his shirt.

Triton gasped again as Quatre pulled him up to throw the shirt to the ground, his mouth descending on the Latin boy's bare chest. One slender leg wrapped around Quatre's waist as the other pressed up, the feeling of Quatre's arousal against it making Triton shudder with desire. He whimpered and arched his neck as Quatre sucked lightly on it. 'Oh, God . . .'

"I think you mean Allah." The passion-induced huskiness of Quatre's voice prompted a soft moan from Triton as the younger man tried to think.

"A---Allah?" Triton was a bit confused. Apparently he'd spoken out loud, but who was this Allah person?

A chuckle. "My god's name is Allah. Not that it matters right now . . ." Quatre's slender hands slid under Triton's rear, pulling their erections against one another. He groaned at the sounds that action coaxed out of his student's throat. "God, you're so beautiful . . ."

The Latin man moaned louder, then started shaking his head as he unbuttoned Quatre's shirt. "Quatre, I want . . . I want to be . . . be . . ." The vest and shirt came off and fell to the ground. Triton trembled and shut his eyes against the tantalizing sight of Quatre's bare chest.

The young Arab paused, mouth fixed on the pulse in Triton's throat. He slowly drew back, resting most of his weight on the younger man, and stared at him with passion-filled eyes. "Yes?" he asked. "You want to be . . . what? Alone?" 'In my bed, perhaps? Under me, naked and writhing?' Quatre stopped that train of thought right there. Those weren't the images he needed at the moment. He rested his forehead against Triton's and stared at the young man as he tried to catch his breath.

"Ho-ho-hold me . . . Just . . . hold me . . ." Triton trembled and slid his arms around Quatre's waist. "Please . . . hold me . . ."

"As my beloved wishes." Quatre slid in between Triton and the back of the couch, wrapping his arms around the young Latin man. He smiled when Triton rested his head on Quatre's chest, and ran his hand through the interesting haircut. "Is this better?" he inquired.

"Mmm . . ." Triton smiled softly and spread one hand at Quatre's collarbone, closing his eyes contentedly. It was obvious that Quatre was still highly aroused, but so was Triton. The mere fact that Quatre wasn't doing anything about it made Triton feel warm inside. "Do you like me?" The question was soft, asked without any prior thought given to it.

Quatre raised his eyebrows and looked down at the beauty resting trustingly in his arms. "Of course. I wouldn't be like this with you if I didn't."

Triton was silent a moment. "Do you . . . How much do you like me?"

'I suppose this had to come up sooner or later. I just hope I don't frighten him.' Quatre shifted and tilted Triton's head up to look him in the eye. "I'm not sure. I . . . I'd . . ." He frowned as he tried to put his emotions into words, unconsciously stroking Triton's cheek. "I'm not sure how deep my feelings go, but I care for you as far more than a friend."

Triton blinked as he thought that over. "How can you not know your own feelings?" He purred softly as Quatre's hand ran over his cheek.

Quatre smiled slightly. "Do you always know your own feelings?"

"Around you, no." That brought a laugh, which made Triton smile hesitantly. Quatre wasn't laughing at him, at least. "You're . . . in lust with me." He worried his lower lip, then his eyes widened when Quatre gently pushed at his lip until it wasn't in his mouth.

"No need to hurt yourself," the blond murmured softly. He sighed and kissed Triton's forehead. "Yes, I'm very much in lust with you. I think we've been over that before. As for love . . ." Quatre looked to the side. "Do you want me to be in love with you? What would you say and do if I am? If I'm not? Do you love me?" 'Oh, God, say yes . . .'

"I'm . . . I'm not . . . sure . . ." Triton flushed as Quatre's lips met his forehead. "I've never had anybody love me. Cathrine doesn't count; she's my sister. She's supposed to love me. As for another person . . ." Did Triton love Quatre? "No one has loved me like that, and I've never loved someone like that, either. I . . . I don't know how it feels. I want to be loved. I want to love." The Latin man sighed and settled his head on Quatre's shoulder again.

Neither question had been answered, but Quatre let it be. He simply lay there with Triton in his arms, each of them enjoying the other's company.

The door cracked open some time later, waking both men from the light sleep they'd fallen into.

"Are you two having sex yet?"

Quatre sat up, eyes wide as he stared at his son in shock. "Amir!"

The young boy leaned in the doorway and blinked innocently at his father as he whined. "Whaaaaat?"

"Amir, that's not an appropriate question to ask someone!"

The young boy sniffed. "Well, you look like you were having sex."

"What?" Quatre looked down at Triton, who had shifted so his head was still resting on Quatre's shoulder, one hand laying flat on the blonde's bare chest. It was obvious that Triton wasn't wearing a shirt, either, and their legs were still tangled tightly together. Quatre groaned. "Amir, go play."

"Are you going to have sex if I leave?"

"Amir . . ."

The child ignored the warning tone in his father's voice. "Because if you are, then you should go somewhere else. I mean, anyone could walk in on you in here!"

"Amir."

"Anyway, I just wanted to see if you were having sex yet. Duo went to bed early because he said he had a headache, and I can't find Wufei and Miss Relena. Are they having sex, too?"

"Amir!" Quatre's voice boomed across the room and his son jumped, eyes wide. "Amir, that is quite enough! Why don't you go find Sylvia and---"

"Oh, Amir! There you are!" Sylvia appeared in the doorway and scooped the young boy up in her arms. "Come on, let's go play charades with Heero."

Amir twisted around and frowned at Sylvia. "Are you and Uncle Heero going to have sex, too?"

Sylvia laughed and hugged the boy. "Only when you're not around."

"All right!"

Sylvia looked up at Quatre and mouthed 'I'm sorry' at him before taking Amir out of the room.

Triton looked down and blushed when Quatre looked back at him, licking his lips nervously. He shifted a bit, a soft sigh escaping his lips. "We should . . . move . . . I guess . . ."

"Do you want to move?" Quatre couldn't care less what the others would think of him laying like this with his student; they were all aware of his attraction, and Relena was too absorbed with Wufei to notice anything else. "I, for one, am comfortable. If you would like to move, then we can."

"I'm kind of tired . . ." Triton shivered slightly as he gazed at Quatre's chest. He could just imagine Quatre above him, chest slick with sweat as they made love . . . He trembled.

Quatre's eyes widened as Triton trembled, well aware that he was aroused again. 'Oh, God. What's he thinking now? Not that I'm complaining . . .' Quatre bit his lower lip as he thought, then decided to take a chance. "You know," he began, lightly dancing his fingers across Triton's hip, "if you'd like some company tonight, I'd be perfectly happy to stay with you." The Arab man swallowed and kissed the top of Triton's head as he slid his fingertips under the top of the Latin boy's skirt, pressing into the skin gently. His heart pounded as he waited for a response, not daring to hope that the young man's silence indicated a positive answer. 'God, if he says yes . . . I think I'll die from shock.'

"Maybe . . . maybe just for . . . for a bit . . . would be fine . . ." Triton's eyes went wide in shock at his answer. 'What the hell did I just say?! Oh God, did I just ask him to spend the night with me?! No . . . no, I didn't. Just for a bit . . . Oh, God, but "just a bit" could very well turn into "all night" . . .' But teenage hormones were hard at work, doing their best to keep Triton from thinking of anything but sex in general, and sex with Quatre in particular.

'Oh, God, have I died and gone to Heaven? I think I might have . . .' Quatre leaned on his elbow and looked down at his student, his own eyes wide. "Triton . . . are you sure? What you're saying . . ."

"Just for a bit. Ten minutes, then you leave." Triton swallowed and sat up shakily. "Please . . . just ten minutes . . ." He was sure that real sex took longer than ten minutes, so what could it hurt? 'I can stay in control for ten minutes. Can't I?'

"Well, since you insist . . ." Quatre slid to the other end of the couch and pulled Triton up with him, placing a light kiss on the younger man's neck as he did so. They made their way to Triton's room in a hurry, a little breathless when Triton finally closed the door and leaned against it. Quatre stepped forward nervously, placing one hand on Triton's cheek. "Triton . . ."

"I need to change for bed," Triton whispered, eyelids fluttering as he rubbed his cheek against Quatre's palm. "I could . . . use some help . . ." He bit his lip. Had that been too forward? Emerald orbs met sea blue ones, uncertainty and desire in both sets of eyes.

Quatre swallowed a bit and smiled, dropping his hand from the younger man's cheek to his waist, taking Triton's hand and leading him to the bedroom. Once there, the two worked to get Triton's skirt off and his short nightgown on, taking every opportunity to touch and kiss each other. Their eagerness to touch resulted in many awkward moments when hands and arms got tangled together in clothing, but there was never any discomfort with each other, just good humor.

The two men tumbled onto the bed with a laugh from Quatre, mouths finding each other once again. Hands wandered over shaking bodies and under clothing, never once pausing to think that what they were doing was wrong.

Quatre lifted himself up on his elbows and gazed down at Triton, shifting to wipe the damp locks of brown away from emerald orbs. This wasn't the kind of frantic passion that they'd indulged in so far, but a soft, loving kind. The Arab gently kissed Triton's forehead, pulling back and letting his eyes wander over his student's body. He smiled and laughed softly to see the dark marks he'd made on Triton's neck and shoulders, then lovingly kissed them. Triton was his and no one else's. A glance at the clock told Quatre that he'd stayed for far more than his allotted ten minutes; in fact, he'd stayed for forty-eight. But Triton had never once told him to leave, nor had Quatre asked if he should. He smiled again as Triton's eyes opened and he stared up at Quatre as he panted softly, a slight smile on his lips. His long, slender hands ran over Quatre's chest, eyes following them as he explored.

"You never answered my question," the Latin man said softly.

"Mm? What question is that?" Quatre arched his back and sighed appreciatively.

"If you love me or not." A soft kiss was placed in the center of Quatre's chest as the Arab raised both eyebrows, then shrugged.

"Yes, I love you. I've wanted you since I first saw you, standing in the doorway before class started on the first day of college, looking nervous and haunted and gorgeous . . . I've loved you for almost as long. What little I could get you to say before class intrigued me, and tutoring you only made me love you more." Quatre bit his lip and lay next to Triton, holding the young man loosely. If Triton rejected him . . .

Triton lay still and let Quatre's confession sink in. Quatre loved him . . . Quatre loved him. Was Quatre lying? Triton didn't want to think about it. He bit his lower lip gently and nodded, then his eyes caught site of the clock. It was so late . . . "You'd . . . better go," he said softly.

"I . . . know." Quatre sat up and looked down at Triton before getting off the bed and pulling his pants on. He zipped and buttoned them, then looked over his shoulder at Triton once again.

Triton bit his lower lip and blinked up at Quatre. "I . . . thank you," he murmured. He didn't know what else to say.

"You're welcome," Quatre murmured back, leaning over and kissing Triton's cheek. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Yes."

Quatre got up slowly and left, one hand in a fist over his heart. It hurt a bit, but not as much as it would have had Triton flat out rejected his love. 'Love . . . I do love him. Everything I said in there was true. Triton didn't seem to be opposed to the idea, so there's some hope right there, I guess. Still . . .' Still, it hurt that Triton hadn't said he loved Quatre. 'But I can't demand he love me back. I've made my confession, and it will take a lot of time, loving and patience before Triton makes his. That's assuming, of course, he even loves me. He's nineteen and has never had a girlfriend or boyfriend. I'd say the hormones have been suppressed too long, so I may very well be just a simple crush and nothing more. Rape victim or not, Triton has hormones, and they are active. So . . . I can only give him all of the love I hold for him. If he returns it, then I'm a very happy Muslim, indeed. If he decides I'm only a passing crush, then . . .' Quatre slowly undressed and lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. 'Then I get over it, slowly. I loved Heero, and I got over him. I can get over Triton.' Quatre wiped at his face and turned over, pulling the covers tighter around him as he fought the loneliness that haunted him at night. 'I even loved Yasmeen, though we both knew that we were together for the sole purpose of giving me an heir. But I could never have married her and had Amir with her if I didn't love her. She's still one of my best friends. So see? I can get over a broken heart. I survived two wars, damn it. I can survive this.' Quatre glanced at the clock and groaned as he realized it was past three, then forcibly willed himself to sleep. Amir would be in to wake him up soon enough; Quatre needed all the rest he could get.

* * *

"Fatheeeeeeer!" The door to Quatre's bedroom flew open and a giggling mass of Amir landed on his father's stomach, bouncing up and down excitedly. "It's my party! It's my party! Get up, Father! Get up and come on! You need to wake Triton up, Father, because he made me go away and locked me out of his room! Come on, Father, please?"

Quatre cracked one eye open and then the other, sitting up slowly. He shook his head and yawned, pushing Amir off of him. "All right, child, I'm up." Arabic was the only language Quatre was capable of speaking when first woken up, but it didn't matter because it was Amir's first language, too.

"You're going to miss the morning prayer time."

"No, I'm not, and you aren't either. I'm getting up right now. Go get ready."

Amir sighed and got off the bed, trotting around the room and preparing the prayer stuff. He opened the east balcony doors and set everything they needed up, then bounced up and down on one foot as he waited for Quatre to come outside.

Quatre sighed softly as he dressed, then joined his son for their morning prayers. He didn't bother telling Amir to let him finish resting after they were done. The boy was up and around, and there was no hope for Quatre to get back to sleep. He did, however, convince Amir to let Triton sleep for a few hours after sunrise. At eight they both went to Triton's room, and Quatre knocked softly. There was no reply, so Quatre knocked little louder. Again, no reply. Quatre though it safe to unlock the door, so he did and poked his head in. Triton was still asleep, apparently.

"Amir, stay here. Don't argue with me, just stay here." Amir pouted, but didn't move as Quatre entered the main room and headed for the bedroom. He opened the door softly and smiled when he saw Triton sprawled on the bed, sound asleep. The young noble tiptoed to the bed and leaned over the younger man, shaking him gently. "Triton, wake up. It's time to get up, Triton." All Quatre got was a sleepy murmur of protest as the Latin boy rolled over onto his stomach, face turned toward Quatre. Quatre just smiled and gently kissed the angel, watching carefully as Triton's eyes popped open.

The younger man didn't move, just stared at Quatre. Quatre didn't move, and after a moment Triton hesitantly returned the kiss. Their mouths moved slowly against one another, leaving both men breathless when they broke the kiss. Triton blinked and swallowed, sitting up slowly. The strap of his nightgown slid off one shoulder and Triton blushed as he lifted it partway back up with one hand, the other entwined with Quatre's. He saw Quatre's look as the Arab watched him, and slowly let the strap fall again. Quatre took a sharp breath in and liked his lips, leaning forward slightly. Triton removed his hand from his teacher's grasp and slid the other strap down, only his hands crossed over his chest keeping the nightgown covering him. Quatre was almost hyperventilating, eyes glued to Triton's chest as he leaned forward even more, biting his lower lip. Triton shivered, a thrill going through him at the knowledge that Quatre wanted him, and let his arms drop. The sheer fabric slid to his waist as he moved his arms out of the straps, leaning back as Quatre leaned forward again. They fell to the bed gently, Quatre's mouth descending on Triton's as the Latin man's arms slid around the Arab's waist, holding him close.

They fell into a pattern that had been unconsciously established since Friday night, touching and kissing, holding and wanting. Triton sighed and pushed at Quatre, smiling more than slightly as his teacher backed off.

"Do you always wake people up like this?" he murmured.

"Are you complaining?"

Triton smiled a little more and shook his head, moving to the edge of the bed and leaning over to grab his robe from the floor. He shivered when Quatre kissed his back gently, sitting back up and pulling it on. He'd gone back to the circus yesterday to get a dress for the party today, one that hid the hickeys Quatre had given him Friday night. Cathrine had raised both eyebrows at it and asked a few questions, but backed off when Triton pointed out her own lovely set of dark marks. Hilde had poked her head in and told Triton that it was different because she and Cathrine were dating, and he and Quatre weren't, and had asked when they were going to start. Triton had left as quickly as possible. Now, as he stood before Quatre, he wondered what it would be like to date the man. Quatre would spoil him, certainly. Triton guessed that it would all be terribly romantic, perhaps with evenings by the fire or diners at the most expensive restaurants. A soft smile crossed his features as Triton thought over the possibilities.

"Triton?" Quatre took the young man's hand and kissed it gently. "Are you still with me?" Though he wanted his student to keep smiling like that . . .

Triton shook himself and nodded. "Just . . . thinking."

"About what?"

"Nothing." Triton leaned down and offered his cheek to Quatre, who kissed it chastely. That done, Triton rummaged through his bags until he found a suitable skirt and blouse, taking them into the bathroom to change. He wondered why he was so willing to let Quatre kiss him and have him mostly naked on the bed, but was shy when it came to changing in front of the Arab. Triton didn't know the answer to that. He sighed and smoothed the dark burgundy velvet skirt down along his legs, adjusting the midnight blue satin blouse and buttoning the cuffs. He stepped out of the bathroom and blushed at Quatre's low fox whistle, putting his nightgown away.

"Mm, I'd ask you to come home with me tonight, but you're already here." Quatre smiled and stole a quick kiss before opening the bedroom door and bowing from the waist. "Please, after you."

"Thank you." Triton knelt and picked up Amir as the boy rushed at him, jabbering on about his party and how pretty Triton looked. The Latin man just smiled and nodded as the three walked down the hallway, greeting Heero when the Japanese man appeared in the dining room hallway.

"Barton is here."

Quatre raised an eyebrow. "Really? I hadn't thought he'd be able to make it." He took a closer look at Heero's guarded face. "Heero? What's wrong?"

"He brought her with him."

Quatre bit his lip and frowned. "All right . . . I don't see the problem. She's his family, after all. All they've got left is each other."

"Duo's here."

Quatre blinked, then covered a smile. "So he is. Your point?"

"Damn it, Quatre, you know how he feels about her! You also know she's only fifteen."

Quatre sighed and shrugged. "Look, Heero, Duo's a responsible adult. He knows she's off-limits for now." Heero snorted, and Quatre smiled. "Come on, I'm hungry. Please let us in?"

Heero scowled and moved to the side, and Quatre walked into the dining room, followed closely by Triton. Amir squirmed until he was set down, then shrieked with glee and ran to the table, skidding past a tall, sandy-haired man and throwing himself into the lap of a small red head. The girl smiled and held Amir close for a moment, then looked up at Triton, misty blue eyes smiling, but clouded with an old sadness.

The tall man turned to see who she was smiling at, raising an eyebrow at Triton. The younger man fidgeted, suddenly nervous. The man reminded him very faintly of James . . .

"You must be this Triton person," the man said gruffly. "I'm Trowa; Trowa Barton. Nice to meet you."

Triton nodded and looked back at the girl. She was sitting, but it looked odd . . . Triton frowned faintly when he realized that the reason she looked odd was because she sat in a wheelchair.

"Hello," the girl murmured. "I'm Mariemaia."