Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Final Grade ❯ Chapter 14

Title: Final Grade

Chapter: 14/?

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

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.

**Note: I'm going to be straying from the original Gundam Wing timeline for the rest of the fic. I don't know where, I don't know when, but it *will* happen. This is due to the fact that after the fanfic is done I'm going to be publishing it as a non-GW novel and I can't have it exactly like the series and Endless Waltz. Therefore, some changes will be made to the plot/timeline/etc. of Gundam Wing. Please note that these are deliberate and do not stem from ignorance on my part. There will also be the use of carefully thought-out original characters, also due to the future novelisation of this fanfiction. I'm aware the a lot of fans dislike OCs, but these, I assure you, are necessary and, I hope, will add to rather than detract from the story. Thank you.**

"Where are *you* three going?" Wufei asked as Triton, Relena and Sylvia stopped in the living room on their way out. Heero and Quatre were playing a card game and looked up, and Duo was braiding tiny braids in Mariemaia's hair. Trowa and Amir were nowhere to be seen.

"Out, out, out! Girls' night out! No guys allowed!" Relena and Sylvia both moved to their lovers and kissed them. "Be good, boys. Marie, you're in charge. Keep an eye on them." Heero stood and Sylvia put her hand out.

"No no, girls only. Well, girls and guy only. We're all three of us going out and none of you can come with us."

"I'm going," Heero stated, ignoring Relena's glare. "Relena can't be without a bodyguard."

"Oh, God, come on! I'll be fine, Heero. No one's going to---"

"I'm coming with you," Heero snapped. "No more discussion."

The young Queen leveled a deadly glare at the Japanese man. "No, you're not. Sylvia and Triton will be with me. I'll be perfectly all right."

"Heero, I know how to take care of myself, and I'm perfectly capable of keeping Relena safe. We'll be fine, lover."

Heero shook his head and reached into a cloth bag sitting on the couch. He pulled out a harness of some sort and strapped it on. It had shoulder straps and from them hung two pouch-like containers, each with something metal in it. Triton frowned and tilted his head to the side. They looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn't quite place what they were. Certainly something he'd never seen anything but pictures of.

"Oh, no no no no *no*! Absolutely *not*! Heero Yuy, you are *not* coming with us! That's an order from your Queen!"

The glare Heero turned on Relena was far meaner than hers was. "You know damn well that I can't follow that order, Your *Highness*. You know damn well that I took a vow to protect you at all costs, and that includes defying an order to let you go out on your own, alone. One of us pilots is coming with you whether you like it or not."

"I can keep her safe," Triton murmured. Immediately all eyes turned to him and he fidgeted under the intense scrutiny.

"How? What are your qualifications?"

The young man returned Heero's glare evenly. "I'm quick, I'm protective, and I'm strong." Heero snorted at his last remark and Triton narrowed his eyes slightly. "I can do a triple-axle flip with a maximum height of eight feet from a standing position and fifteen feet from a running start. I'm far more flexible than most people. And," he added with a brief glance at Quatre, "I can cause enough of a disturbance for Sylvia to get Relena to safety should a problem come up."

"Amen to *that*," Duo muttered. Heero glared at him and he gave his friend the bird with a grin.

Heero turned back to Triton and drew out one of the metal objects, pointing it at him. It was bulky, slendering off at the end pointing at Triton, and had a hole in the middle. Triton frowned and tilted his head, vaguely aware that this was a bad thing, but not really afraid.

"You're not afraid." Triton shook his head and Heero gave a disgusted sigh as he reholstered the thing. "He's not afraid because he's never *seen* one," he snapped at Relena. "You keep people in the dark about weapons and when they come face-to-face with them they don't know the danger they're in."

"That's a gun, Triton," Sylvia murmured.

For a moment Triton didn't quite comprehend what she'd said, then it sank in and he stared. "A . . . gun? Aren't those illegal?" The moment the words left his mouth Triton regretted them. Of course Heero would have a gun; he was the Queen's bodyguard.

"Not illegal, just damned hard to own." Relena sighed. "Look, Heero, please? Between Sylvia and Triton I'll be fine. I haven't gotten any death threats in the last eight months and no one's tried to kill me for the last year." Heero was silent for a long, long time. Finally he left the room, not looking back. Relena sighed again. "I'm never gong to have a real life."

"You know how dangerous it is to be alone, Relena," Quatre started gently.

"And I'm damned aware of how stifled I am *because* of it!" Relena uttered a curse in what sounded to Triton like German and flung herself into Wufei's lap, sulking. "And you probably agree with them." Wufei nodded. "Damn it!"

There was an uncomfortable silence for a minute or so, then Heero marched back in with his arms full of more harnesses. He dropped them on the couch and pulled Sylvia up to him, fastening one on her, checking two guns before holstering one and holding the other up, curling her hand around it.

"The safety's on. Push the red button on the left in to take it off. Point, aim, hold it steady. Hold it with both hands."

"I know how to shoot a gun, Heero," Sylvia interrupted. "Chill out."

Heero nodded and kissed her before turning to Relena. She stood obediently when he held his hand out and then he started taking her shirt off.

"*Heero*!"

"I'm putting the harness on under your shirt. Be quiet." The Japanese man's voice was gruffer than usual and Triton politely averted his eyes as Wufei glared at Heero. As soon as Heero had secured the harness and explained to Relena how to use a gun, which she told him she knew how to use already, Triton turned around in time to see Heero hold Relena tightly against him and tilt her head up, kissing her gently. "Don't die," he whispered in a voice rough with emotion. "Come back to me."

There may have possibly been tears in Heero's eyes but there was no doubt of the tears in Relena's. She nodded and returned Heero's tight embrace before Wufei pulled her away for his own embrace. Once everyone had said goodbye Sylvia, Triton and Relena left, taking Triton's car.

"He's not going to stay there," Relena murmured as she looked in the rearview mirror at Heero, who was standing on the front porch and watching them drive off.

"How do you know?" Triton wanted to know.

"Because he's my bodyguard. He's my friend. He was right when he said he took a vow to protect me, even if it meant going against my orders to leave me alone. Even if he hadn't taken that vow, he still wouldn't stay. Besides, the harnesses and guns Sylvia and I have are bugged with tracking devices. I found that out the last time I left on my own with no bodyguards. I took a gun with me, just to prove I could take care of myself. Heero was furious. He dragged me bodily home and yelled, screamed, pushed me and almost hit me. God, I've never been so afraid in my entire life. I've been shot, shot *at*, kidnapped, threatened with torture and/or the death of loved ones. I've been afraid, scared for my life, terrified even, but not like having Heero yell at me for going off alone." She sighed and looked down at her hands. "He was afraid. That's what was so frightening, I think. He was terrified that I'd get killed and he wouldn't be able to save me. He was terrified that he'd fail me. After he was finished screaming he just . . . cried. Quietly. Just looked at me and let the tears fall down his face."

"If anything ever happened to Relena, Heero would never forgive himself, even if it wasn't his shift to protect her or if he couldn't do anything about it. Much as I don't like admitting it, Heero's in love with Relena. He is," Sylvia insisted as Relena raised her head. "He's in love with you. Oh, not like he is with me, but if he ever had to decide to let you live or let me live, he'd choose you, and it's not just because you're the Queen. First loves die hard."

"So, every time I go out 'alone,' Heero follows me. He once said he'd protect me from the shadows, never in the light. He's kept that promise. I have very few friends as dear to me as Heero." The young Queen sighed and leaned back, resting her head on the headrest.

Sylvia poked her head between the front seats and grinned. "Hey, did you hear the rumor going around the college?"

"No; what's it about?"

Snickering, "Apparently you're a sorceress who's using black magic and demons to keep your people under control."

Relena burst out laughing, her shoulders shaking as she laughed. "Oh, sweet God, that's wonderful! Oh, we have *got* to tell Dorothy that!"

"Dorothy?"
"Dorothy Catalonia, our close friend and resident pagan. I'm sure that's what they're meaning. Someone got a whiff of Dorothy's paganism and turned it *all* around." Relena continued to giggle.

"P . . . paganism? Pagan? Like, witches?"

"Um . . . You'd have to ask Dorothy, but I know that Witchcraft is different than paganism. Not all pagans are witches and not all witches are pagans."

"I don't understand," Triton said. "I thought all witches were evil, and consorted with the Devil."

"Do you *really* believe that, Triton?" Relena wanted to know.

"I don't believe in any sort of deity."

"Well, then how can witches consort with the Devil? According to Dorothy, pagans, well, Wiccans at least, don't believe in absolute evil. Something about thinking something makes it and giving it more thought gives it more power, so if you think about Satan or the Devil or absolute evil a lot then you give it a lot of power."

"I was raised to think that witches were evil, though." Triton thought back to his early religious education. Both of his parents had been Catholic and had been raising he and Cathrine the same way. All the information he'd ever gotten on the subject of witchcraft was that it was bad.

"There's truth in all religion, as well as falsehood. You're Portuguese?" Triton nodded. "Raised Catholic?" He nodded again.

"You know," Sylvia broke in gently, "I personally respect all religion though I don't really have one of my own, but . . . The Catholic Church doesn't have the best of histories. What most don't realize is that most of what 'it' did was not the Church itself, but people like the monarchs of Spain and Hitler and Mussolini twisting the Vatican's arm, so to speak, to get it to submit to their wills. Still, the Church imprisoned Galileo and Coper-what's-his-face---"

"Copernicus," Triton murmured.

"Yeah, him. They imprisoned those two for their views. The Inquisition was by the monarchs of Spain to get rid of Moors, Muslims---"

"Poor Quatre," Relena snickered.

"At least he doesn't *look* stereotypically Arabic. But back to my speech, the Church didn't, and still doesn't, like Witchcraft and they nevver condoned the Inquisition, but it was all politics."

"Remind me later to tell you about when Dorothy met the Pope."

"Shut up, you lush," Sylvia bit out, slightly harsher than playful. "Sorry. Anyway. Anything else?"

"You should have been a history teacher," Triton told Sylvia, who grinned. "What about Joan of Arc? Wait, she was burned by the English throne after France refused to pay her ransom, right? And she was canonized in . . . in . . ." He rubbed his temples and groaned. "Nineteen . . . forty . . . four? Five?"

"Five, I think."

"And during World War Two, the Church would have been more concerned about communism, right?"

"Yep, but a lot of factions within the Church helped Jews."

"All of Christianity has a dark past and less-than-shiny reputation," Relena admitted sadly. "Christians have persecuted Jews, Muslims, pagans, each other . . . It's sad, really, because at its roots Christianity teaches a lot of good things. Every positive religion does, including Wicca."

"We're assuming that other pagan religions do, too, but Dorothy's Wiccan so that's what we know the most about."

Triton nodded. "So . . . If paganism is so positive, then why has it been bashed for so long?"

"Because . . . I'm not sure. I know that Christianity is a God-oriented religion and paganism, for the most part, worships a Goddess, as well, sometimes more than a God. Then Christianity became more than an obscure Jewish cult --- Ironic, if you ask me, because all these anti-Jewish people don't realize that Christianity was started by a Jewish prophet --- and it emphasized God as being the One True Creator and all of that. It gave more power to men, and they were afraid of the power that the women who followed the Old Ways had."

"Old Ways?"

"Pre-Christian ways. The old, old pagan religions. Earth religions, actually. And really, there wasn't any 'one' pagan religion to start with. It was isolated groups of peasants worshipping different deities. The men who started the Inquisition made a list of tortures, called the Rule of Three---"

"Not to be confused with the Threefold Law, which states that everything you do comes back to you times three, good or bad," Sylvia interrupted.

"---that was a list of tortures that accused witches were put through, and each one was worse than the one before. It was designed so that by the third torture, the Pope himself would have admitted to fornicating with Satan had he been put through it. The Inquisition was a witch-hunt to end the Old Ways and instill Christianity as the only religion in the English-speaking world, it was a land-grab by the greedy and the Church because if someone was accused and convicted of being a witch then the Church got all their lands, and it was full of politics. It was mostly the monarchs, though. Politics. It wasn't about just one thing, one group of people, like the Holocaust wasn't about just killing the Jewish people. In both the Inquisition and the Holocaust pagans were killed, Jews were killed, gypsies, homosexuals, blacks, the old and mentally ill were killed . . . Basically, everyone who didn't quite fit in was offed. It was all politics. Politics is an evil, nasty thing."

Triton frowned a bit as he pulled into the parking lot of a dance club. "Isn't 'black' a, um, incorrect term?"

Sylvia rolled her eyes as they all got out. "Please. What shall we call people who have skin darker than ours? African-American? African? African-Japanese? Not all people who have darker skin are from Africa. Some are from Brazil. Some are from Europe. Some are from the colonies. Besides, I had a friend in school who was black, and if someone called him anything other than 'black' he'd throw a fit. He was about your height, with this wonderfully ebony skin that seemed to glow, had a British accent and talked like he was from an American ghetto. 'I am not African,' he'd say, 'I am *black*. You will *not* be disrespectin' me by callin' me *African* because I am *not* African, I am *black*!' He was hilarious." She grinned. "Just the combination of how he talked and his accent was hilarious, in fact. So there's no real 'politically correct' way of referring to black people. Skeezers, you'd wind up with so many names it's not even funny. Well, here we are. Oooh, this is a straight place. I wanted to go to a gay bar."

"I'm not gay," Triton pointed out as he smoothed down his soft pink dress. The right side fell to his knees and rose gently as it curved to his left side, eventually raising to his upper thigh. It was sleeveless.

"You're not gay, huh? You like men and find them physically attractive, and you find girls to be icky. And you're not gay."

The young man muttered under his breath and glowered at Relena. "All right, I'm not *sure* if I'm gay. I could be bisexual."

"I think Sylvia had a good point. Sleep with a woman and find out."

"Who would I sleep with? We've been over this."

Relena took his arm and looked him up and down slowly. "My dear, I'm your Queen. I'm here to help all my subjects through any problem they're having." Her voice had lowered from its normal high-ish pitch to a soft, sultry tone and Triton gulped, nervous all of a sudden.

"Ah, Your Highness, we came here to, uhm, dance . . ."

"Yes, we did. But I'm always willing to help a friend, especially the loved one of a closer friend."

That was the voice that must have ensnared Wufei, Triton decided. Low and sultry, promising wonderful things, eyes that promised the same.

'If only I found her physically attractive.' In an instant the temptress was gone and Relena was once more laughing with Sylvia and teasing her and Triton like they were all old friends, dragging them to the line of people waiting to get in. They flashed their IDs at the bouncer and he paused, looking closely at Relena.

"Hey, you look like the Queen."

"Yeah, I get that a lot." Relena's voice was one again low, but no longer had any sexual hints to it. "I have people mistaking me for her all the time. Can we go in, please?"

"Sure thing, missy." He waved them in and Relena stuck a finger in her mouth, miming gagging, shouting over the loud music to be heard.

"Geez! Should I dye my hair or something? Get colored contacts?"

"Wig, I'd say," Triton offered. "I think maybe an auburn wig and hazel eyes. That would look nice with your complexion."

The young woman blushed and giggled. "Go wig-shopping with me tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow's Monday; I have class and then work."

"Work? When did you get a job?"

"Ralph convinced me to give modeling a try."

Sylvia snorted. "Nude or clothed?"

"He said whatever I was comfortable with was fine, actually."

"Ah, a gentleman pervert. I see." The blonde giggled and then looked Triton up and down. "What gender does it have on your ID?"

"Male, why?"

"Because you don't *look* male in that outfit. Breasts and all! Crappy bouncer. Ah, well."

"Who's sober driver?" Relena asked.

"Me," Triton said quickly. "I'm not drinking anything alcoholic ever again."

"And I suppose *I* can't drink since I have to protect your skinny ass, 'Lena. Damn." Sylvia rolled her eyes.

"Good, then *I* can drink." Relena dragged them to the bar and secured three seats, grinning at the bar tender.

"What'll it be, miss? Hey, you look like---"

"I know, I know, I look like the Queen. I'm not. I'd like a Bloody Mary, please."

"Sure. Would either of you ladies like something?"

"No, we're fine, thank you," Sylvia said.

The two women looked at each other and started to giggle as soon as the bartender moved off, making fun of him and how everyone recognized Relena.

"Damn, girl, get some plastic surgery! Or, no, you'd have to get a mask." Sylvia was poking Relena's cheeks, pinching them at times. "But definitely get that wig and those contacts. A couple wigs! Multi-colored contacts!"

"Shut up, you! Just because I'm famous doesn't mean . . . mean . . ." Relena laughed harder, leaning across Triton to smack Sylvia's thigh. "Damn, I don't even know how to make a good comeback for that . . ."

Sylvia snickered for a moment before turning to Triton. "So, Triton, are you going to go back to wearing guy clothes after school's over?"

The young man thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah. Women's clothing is nice and all, but I like my clothes better. Besides, I can't dance well in a dress."

"You lovely ladies have been sitting at this bar since you came in," a man said from behind them. All three turned around, looking him up and down. He was a little taller than Triton, dressed neatly, with darkish hair and a wide smile. "Maybe one of you would like to dance?"

"Go on, Trinity," Sylvia urged. Triton looked at her like she'd sprouted another head. "What's your name sir?"

"Jack. Yours?"

"My name's Sylvia, this is Lena and this is Trinity. Trinity's shy, but I'm sure she'd love to dance with you." There was a twinkle in Sylvia's eyes as she pushed Triton off his seat and toward Jack. "Have fun, Tri!"

Triton glared at the two laughing women and tried to refuse the dance, but Jack had him by the elbow and was leading him to the dance floor. He was attractive, Triton had to admit, but he didn't want to particularly dance with the man.

"So your name's Trinity, huh?"

"Yes," Triton answered softly as Jack put his arms around him, pulling him close.

"You seem shy. Do you go out much?" Triton shook his head and slid his arms around Jack's neck. "How old are you?"

"Nineteen."

Jack did a double take. "No shit!" Triton smiled and nodded. "Talk about barely legal. Those two your friends?"

"Yeah, they are." Well, maybe this could be fun, because obviously Jack didn't realize that Triton wasn't a girl.

"Pretty cute." Triton shrugged. "Are you in college?"

"I go to Joiston." He figured he might want to actually have a conversation with the man, so Triton looked up at him. "How old are *you*?"

"I'm twenty-eight."

"What do you do for a living?"

"I'm a computer technician. What about you?"

Triton flushed a little. "I'm a model." Not quite the truth, but not quite a lie.

Jack gave a low whistle. "I'm not surprised." His hands slid from Triton's waist to his hips. "You doing anything after this?"

Triton's heart skipped a couple of beats. "No, I think we'll stay here for a few hours, then go home."

"Oh, you three live together?" Triton nodded. Again, it was almost the truth. "Would they mind if you went home with me?"
Triton's eyes widened and his mind spun. He had no idea how to gracefully get out of this situation. "Well, uhm, I'm not sure about that. I don't really do that sort of thing, not with men, and . . ."

"Oh, I get it. You're gay, huh?"

"Yes," Triton agreed quickly. "I'm just here to keep them company."

Jack nodded and walked Triton back to Relena and Sylvia as the song ended. "Well, I can dig that." He grinned at Triton's companions. "Well, since your friend doesn't like guys, would one of you like to dance?"

Sylvia arched an eyebrow at Triton and he smiled sweetly at her. "Sorry, I'm engaged, but Lena's free."

"Lena? Care to dance?"

"Are you looking for just a dance or someone to go home with you?" Relena asked pointedly.

Jack laughed. "I'm looking for someone to take home."

"Well, I'm not the girl to ask, then."

"Huh. You gay, too?"

"Yeah, I am."

"Hey, that's all right. I'm down with a threesome."

Triton had sat down and stared at Jack for a moment, as did Relena and Sylvia. He was the first to recover. "Jack, I don't think you get the implications of someone being gay. They're homosexual. They aren't attracted to the opposite gender. Threesomes, unless with the same gender all around, are out."

The man snorted. "Look, everyone knows that a lesbian is just a woman who hasn't found the right man, so why fight it?"

"That is *not* what a lesbian is," Triton shot back. "None of us are interested, all right? Please leave us alone."

"You just haven't been dicked right, baby, that's all. No need to fear guys."

Before Relena could claw the man's eyes out Triton pulled her close, kissing her full on the mouth. She made a small noise of surprised but kissed him back, making another noise when he opened his mouth. They deepened the kiss, not letting go of each other until Jack walked away, muttering curses under his breath. As the young man let his Queen go he was mortified to find that he was aroused, and turned to the bar quickly, hoping his erection would go away soon as he buried his face in his hands.

"Triton? Triton, are you all right?" Relena put her hand on his back and he flinched. "Honey, what's wrong? I'm not *that* icky, am I?"

"No," he mumbled, slumping down and covering his face with his folded arms. "I'm . . . I . . . Shit!" He made vague gestures with his hands.

After a moment, it dawned on Relena. "Oh. You're aroused, huh?" Miserable, Triton nodded, his face on fire. "You don't like women, though?" He shook his head. "Don't worry about it, Triton. I'm not offended, I'm not laughing at you, neither is Sylvia and we won't tell anyone."

Triton sighed and mumbled under his breath in Portuguese. He was positive that he didn't like women, so why had he gotten excited while kissing the Queen? He thought for a moment, comparing how he felt now to what he'd felt when . . . before. Before, desire had taken hold of his entire body, making him tingle and want to beg for more. But now, desire had nothing to do with it. He didn't feel any desire other than the desire for his erection to go away.

'Well, then I don't think it means that I'm straight, or bi. That's good. Women are icky that way.' But still . . . Triton glanced at Relena out of the corner of his eye. Sylvia had gone to the bathroom, he noted, and cleared his throat softly.

Relena turned her slightly worried gaze to him. "Honey? You all right now?"

"No," he muttered, "but . . . What you said earlier . . . About helping . . . well . . ."

Relena nibbled her lower lip absently. "I meant it, if that's what you're asking. I'd be willing to sleep with you if you thought that may help you decide if you like women or not."

"But I'm already sure I don't."

"You just want to make extra sure?" Triton nodded and Relena smiled. "Then I'm perfectly willing to help. I'll need to talk with Wufei about it, and he'll probably pitch a fit, but don't worry about it. I'm pretty sure you're gay, and even if you aren't, I'm off-limits and we both know it. Besides, my body is not Wufei's to order around." She grinned.

"Why are you willing to do this?"

"Because I care about you, and I want you to be completely sure about yourself. I don't like seeing people in pain, or confused, and I like helping people. Plus you're gorgeous, so it's not like it's going to be a big chore for me."

Triton looked away, wanting to say a lot but not having any idea of how to say it. "How can you be so willing to help others?"

"Because I'm just that way, because it hurts *me* if I can't help someone who I know needs help. I'm frantic and my heart physically aches until I've done something to help and whoever it is doesn't need help anymore." Relena scooted her stool closer and then slid an arm around Triton's waist. "I like you, Triton, I really do, and not just because Quatre's in love with you." Triton flinched. "You've got so much depth to you, so much going on. You're such a wonderful person and don't you dare snort at me, because others see things about you that you yourself don't see. And what they see---"

"Gets me molested," the young man muttered.

"No, what they see makes them want to get to know you, to make you smile." Triton turned his lips up. Relena shook her head. "A real smile, one that reaches your eyes. One that makes others smile, just because it's so contagious. I've seen your real smile before, lovey."

"Really. Where." Triton's voice was as dull as he felt. He couldn't even summon up the energy to put emotion into his speech.

"Like it or not, when you were with Quatre before Amir's party. Around him you were either smiling, almost smiling, or trying *not* to smile." The young woman hugged Triton. "Now come on, come dance with me. I don't like to be gloomy." Triton just sighed and stood, following Relena onto the dance floor.

* * *

"Father, where's Miss Triton?"

Quatre opened his eyes and looked at his son, who was sitting up. "He went out with Aunt Sylvia and Aunt Relena."

Amir rubbed his eyes sleepily and burrowed under the covers again. "Oh. She didn't come in and say goodnight to me before, so I was wondering."

"He, Amir. Triton is a boy."

"Bitch," Duo muttered from the other side of Amir.

"What did Uncle Duo say, Father?"

"Nothing, Amir. Go to sleep."

"The monsters might eat me, though . . ."

Quatre sighed, a sigh that turned into a yawn. "Not with Duo and I here. Amir, please go to sleep. Both Uncle Duo and I have to get up early tomorrow."

"All right . . ." The boy curled up in a tight ball and wiggled until his back was firmly pressed against Quatre's chest, murmuring softly when the blond rested an arm across he and Duo. Duo just twitched a little and muttered, having not woken fully up when Amir had crawled in bed with the two after a nightmare.

* * *

"I am *exhausted*," Relena complained as Triton pulled into Quatre's driveway. She was laying down in the back seat, arms pillowing her head.

"You're also more than a little drunk," Sylvia murmured. "Told you not to drink so much."

"I never drink," the young Queen muttered back. "I wanted to have fun."

Triton just rested his head on the steering wheel and closed his eyes. Relena hadn't needed to drink to have fun or get enough energy. He'd discovered that his Queen had a nearly boundless reserve of energy, and she loved to dance almost as much as he did.

As it was looking like the three would be spending the night in the car, the right passenger door opened and Heero leaned in, gathering Relena in his arms. The blonde muttered under her breath and curled against the Japanese man's chest, fingers curling at his collar.

"Fine, be that way. Help her, but not your fiancée." There was a slight bitterness in Sylvia's voice, tinged with jealousy.

"Stay here and I'll get you after I put Relena to bed."

Sylvia giggled sleepily and fumbled with the car door, half-falling out. She knelt on the ground and giggled again, pulling herself up, face tired yet defiant. "I can get myself in."

Triton snorted and got out. "What time is it?"

"Three-oh-two."

"Merda, eu tenho aula daqui algumas horas . . ."

"What? Speak a language we know, Tri."

The young man mumbled in his native tongue again as he shut the door and locked it.

"That's not funny."

"Fine, fine, but I don't speak well when I lack for sleep."

Heero had shifted his grip on Relena so he was supporting her weight mostly with one hand, then he took Sylvia's elbow and pulled her against him. "Come on, let's get you two to bed."

"What about Tri?"

"Triton can get himself to bed."

"I'll take Relena," Wufei said as he walked up, a robe wrapped around himself. He took Relena from Heero after Heero kissed her forehead, turning sharply and walking back to the house.

"Good night, Triton." Heero picked Sylvia up and followed Wufei, leaving Triton leaning against his car.

"Goodnight," Triton whispered. He shivered and crossed his arms over his chest, looking around. 'The colony's weather system must be on the fritz. Mist everywhere.' Cathrine was fond of ghost stories and she had volumes of them. She used to scare him with them when he was younger. The young man shivered again and looked around sharply. 'Great. I'm scaring myself.'

The mist swirled around, stirred up by a faint breeze. The breeze rustled the leaves of the willow tree and a small branch fell, making Triton jump. He looked around again as he backed toward the house, eyes darting everywhere. The mist swirled around his shins, small droplets of water clinging to his legs. Triton turned around and walked quicker, cursing Quatre's long driveway.

'Shit. What ghosts don't have feet? Japanese? Why am I thinking this?' Triton jumped at another noise and looked around. No one was around and all but one light was off in Quatre's house, and the curtains were drawn. 'Well, no one's here to see me run frightened into the house, so . . .' Triton looked around once more before taking off, not stopping until he was in the house. He locked the door and then hurried to his room, diving under the covers and pulling them over him as he curled into a tight ball, shivering. 'Shitshitshitshitshitshitshit that was *not* fun! Damn you, Cathrine, for telling me those stories!' He contemplated crawling in bed with Amir, but figured that wouldn't be appropriate at all. His next thought was to sleep with Quatre. That didn't help, either. 'Sure, we could fuck all night long.' Then again . . . 'Stop it! Stop it stop it stop it!' Triton bit his cheek until he tasted blood, then rolled his eyes and listened to his loud breathing. 'That's going to hurt really bad in the morning. I'm not the brightest of people.'

Some time later Triton peeked out from under the covers and looked at his clock. Five thirty. His alarm would go off in fifteen minutes. The young man sighed and sat up, looking around cautiously. Nothing in his room, that he could see. There was no use trying to sleep any longer, so he got up to take a shower. He leaned his head against the cool porcelain and let the warm water run down his body, eyes closed.

'I am *so* going to be sleeping in class . . . Maybe I'll sleep through Psychology . . .' But he couldn't do that, because he really liked that class, even though Quatre was his teacher. 'Shit. I'm fucked. And Wufei will eat me alive if I try to sleep through Colonial History. Damn it . . .'

Triton shut the water off and wrapped a towel around his waist, fatigue already setting in. He dragged his feet back to the bedroom, blinking to see Relena sitting on his bed. She was looking down, but looked up nervously and simply held her arms out. The young man wearily knelt between her legs and rested his head on her chest, and Relena pet his hair gently, her cheek against the top of his head, one arm wrapped around his shoulders. It was like what Cathrine had done when he used to get scared at night. It was comforting. It was making Triton fall asleep. He jerked himself awake and looked up at Relena's tear-streaked face, and she leaned down and rested her forehead against his.

"I talked with Wufei."