Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Fly on Broken Wings ❯ A Rough Encounter ( Chapter 7 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Violet_Nyte 
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Psychological / Drama | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 04.21.2004 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.1K | Visits: 1.0K | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Psychological / Drama | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 04.21.2004 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.1K | Visits: 1.0K | Status: Completed
LSE // 4-22-04
(Fly on Broken Wings - Chapter Seven: A Rough Encounter)
rated: R - language, content, violence
shounen-ai/yaoi
A Rough Encounter
-
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quatre wandered around the main area, but had no interest in television or socializing. He hoped to find Trowa or Duo, but neither boy was among the teens wandering around. Giving up, he started back to his room, but then remembered Trowa's room was in the same hall. Quatre hurried down to the right room and hesitated at the door; Trowa lay on the bed, back to the door. Quatre glanced to the brass plate beside the door, which had slots for two names, but only Trowa's was there. The room was identical to Quatre and Duo's, with twin beds and one dresser.
"No roommate?" Quatre asked out loud, more to announce his presence than anything else. To his disappointment, Trowa gave no indication he'd heard. The boy's posture denied the possibility of sleep, however, so Quatre cautiously pressed forward into the room. "Trowa?"
Still, no response, and Quatre backed out just as carefully. "Well... I'll be in my room, if you want to talk or anything," he said awkwardly, trying to hide the hurt from his voice.
He started back to his room, head lowered to Sandy's. Had he upset Trowa somehow? Uneasy, Quatre decided Trowa most likely just wanted to be alone.
So wrapped up in his misery was he that Quatre didn't see the two boys approaching until an elbow caught his stomach, knocking him down. Quatre landed hard on the floor but caught himself in time to prevent the unforgiving linoleum cracking his head.
"Watch where you're going!" one of them snarled, and Quatre muttered an apology, searching around for Sandy, who had rolled free in the fall. At the same time, the taller of the two boys looked down at the teddy bear lying there on the floor, halfway between the small blond and himself. Quatre reached out, but the boy snatched Sandy up before the rightful owner could.
"What's this?" the boy sneered, holding up the bear by one foot.
"Please give that back," Quatre spoke softly, gaining his feet.
The boy holding Sandy tossed a dark head of curls and exchanged knowing looks with his friend, a stocky boy with a nose that looked to have been broken a few times. "And if I don't?" the first boy challenged.
"What do you think's inside?" Broken-nose asked with a smirk. "Maybe it'd be fun to rip it open and find out."
"Give him back!" Quatre cried, surging forward to grab Sandy from the boy's grip.
The dark headed boy jerked the bear back and grabbed Quatre's thin wrist easily, pulling the blond the rest of the way so roughly that Quatre lost his balance. Crying out with pain, he fell awkwardly to his knees at the boy's feet. "I didn't hear please," the boy said, twisting Quatre's arm.
"Ah! Let go!" Quatre beat at the boy's iron grip with his free hand, but Broken-nose grabbed that flailing hand as well, pulling Quatre off balance once more. He brought a knee up into the small blonde's gut, and all the air left Quatre in one sickening gasp. Quatre stopped struggling, all efforts focused instead on drawing breath. Tears stung at his eyes, and Quatre would have screamed for help if only he could get the air. Panic overwhelmed him, causing sounds to dim under the rushing sound in his ears.
Suddenly, the painful grips on his arms vanished, and he fell forward, forgot how to catch himself, and felt cool tile kiss his cheek. Spots danced in front of his eyes, swirling around in a blurred view of the floor -- and Sandy's paw. Tilting his head, Quatre could see the rest of his bear, lying there forgotten as the two boys hurried away. But what had made them leave?
A hand touched his face, and a soft voice registered through the haze of confusion. "Breathe slowly, okay?" His rescuer helped him to his feet, and Quatre found himself leaning against Trowa, who presented Sandy to the trembling blond. Finding his breath at last, Quatre started to gasp painfully, desperately, but remembered whispered words and concentrated on slow, even breaths that calmed the mad racing of his heart.
Trowa kept a supporting arm around him, guiding the smaller boy out of the hall and into Trowa's room. Just as carefully, Trowa eased Quatre onto the bed before sitting on the protesting mattress himself. He took one of the boy's fragile wrists into his hand, studying the way the pale skin already showed signs of bruising. The bones seemed intact, however, and Quatre felt no pain when Trowa gently rotated the joints.
"Thanks," Quatre managed when he could, still feeling lightheaded and on edge, but Trowa's stoic presence grounded him, offering comfort.
Trowa nodded and released Quatre's hand, reaching up instead to brush a tear away from the blonde's pale cheek.
Not even aware he was crying, Quatre flushed crimson and turned his head away in embarrassment. A firm but gentle hand guided his face back around, and Quatre glanced at the frown on Trowa's face before avoiding the older boy's eyes. "Stupid bear," he whispered, hugging Sandy close before jumping to his feet, ready to leave. The room spun alarmingly as black spots danced over his vision.
Trowa quickly caught him and set the smaller boy back on the bed. "Don't go," Trowa ordered, the look in his eyes anxious as he sat beside Quatre again. Nodding his acquiescence, it took Quatre a moment to realize Trowa had spoken. Before he could react, however, Trowa spoke again. "I'm sorry I ignored you before."
Dazed, Quatre just stared at him before quickly finding his own voice, "It's okay. Thanks for helping me?"
Trowa stared at his knees in thought, "Have you told Duo?"
Quatre's brow creased in bewilderment, "Told him what?"
"That I talked to you."
"Oh," Quatre said in relief. "No, I didn't. I... I thought maybe you didn't want me to."
"I don't. I guess. I don't know..."
Trowa sounded so forlorn that Quatre impulsively embraced the other boy in a tender, reassuring hug. "Okay, then it can be our secret. And you don't have to talk if you don't want to."
Trowa shrugged, "You're the first person I've talked to in nine years."
"Why?" Quatre wondered aloud, genuinely confused. "Why me?"
Trowa turned sorrowful green eyes on the younger boy, "I don't know."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afraid of running into his two bullies, Quatre shadowed Trowa. They left Trowa's room and wandered through the common rooms, the tall stoic once more holding his silence. However, Quatre found the boy's company agreeable. Just as Duo had assured him, Trowa got along just fine without talking, even if a few of his gestures confused Quatre at first.
Since he rarely had enough points to do anything else, Trowa mostly sat and pretended to watch television when he was actually watching the people. "Is this all you do?" Quatre asked after while, trying and failing to conceal his boredom.
Trowa shook his head and gestured to the two of them before waving a hand to dismiss Quatre's presence. He lifted his left hand, fingers to thumb so that it made a circle, except for the index finger, which was raised. Quatre frowned, clearly puzzled, then realization dawned on him. "You talk to Duo?"
Trowa nodded, showing him again the symbol for Duo, a lowercase “d” formed from his fingers. Trowa held up three fingers, spread apart, and pointed across the way to one of the corridors.
"Duo and Wufei?" Quatre guessed, since this new sign resembled a “w.”
Trowa nodded again, pleased Quatre understood.
"Do I have one?" Quatre asked in earnest.
Trowa considered this for a moment, then lifted his hand, nimble fingers effortlessly forming the new sign. Unlike the others, this one bore no resemblance to any letters. The index and middle finger were crossed, as if for luck, but the pink remained up while the ring finger tucked underneath, held in place by the thumb.
"That's me?" Quatre asked as Trowa settled his hands back in his lap.
Trowa nodded and Quatre smiled, words starting to form on his lips just as Duo suddenly swung an around Trowa's shoulder. "Tro! Just the boy I was looking for! Have you seen Wufei? He's good at this, too. Anyway, I need a one syllable word that means sorrow."
"Sad?" Quatre suggested, trying to recover from the surprise of his roommate's sudden appearance.
Duo whispered under his breath, fingers flicking out in silent count, before shaking his head, "No, doesn't fit. Maybe I'll just rewrite that line entirely..." he plunked down into the chair across from them, feet landing with a thud on the low coffee table.
"What are you working on?" Quatre hazarded, seeing Duo had a notebook at hand, and a much-chewed pencil.
"A haiku.'Winter snow blankets, a lonely lover awaits, sorrow for company.' Except sorrow makes that last line six syllables," Duo complained, chewing on his eraser in thought.
Trowa gave him a level look, which Duo returned, wide grin in place. "They're fun! Besides, Heero likes them even if he won't admit it. I want a few to give him Saturday. Even thought I'd illustrate them, too, if I found the time."
Quatre considered it for a moment, but knew he wasn't much of a poet. It was Trowa who held out his hand with a small, knowing smile, and Duo turned the notebook over to him. Trowa wrote briefly, and then returned it. A beaming smile rose on Duo's face as he read it. "This is great! Thanks, Tro. 'Winter snow blankets, a lonely lover awaits, trapped by sorrow,'" he read, looking to Quatre for approval.
"It's very good," Quatre assured him, shifting to set Sandy in his lap.
Duo leaned forward, expression dark and deadly across his usually cheerful face, and Quatre froze, eyes wide with fear. His roommate reached out, a surprisingly gentle touch taking up Quatre's wrist. He turned the thin arm carefully to expose vivid blue-black bruises which were shaped almost perfectly in echo of the rough grip that had caused them. "Who did this?" Duo asked, all good humor gone from his face.
Terrified by the abrupt change in the boy's demeanor, Quatre sunk into the chair, trembling. Trowa leaned forward and carefully freed the small boy's arm from Duo's grip and pushed the braided boy's hand back, giving him a stern look of reproof. Chagrined, Duo quickly hid the dark anger and settled for a trademark grin, eyes still glittering with the promise of retribution.
"Quatre?" he questioned gently. "What's up? Run into some trouble?"
Like a frightened rabbit, Quatre quivered and shook his head in frantic denial, eyes flicking between Duo and Trowa as his shoulders hunched -- drawing away, expecting a blow that never came. Duo threw Trowa a questioning glance, but the other boy's face betrayed nothing and warned against further insistence, so Duo let the matter drop.
"Is Cathy coming later?" Duo asked, turning to Trowa, who shook his head in response. "Oh. Well, you'll see her Thursday?" To this, Trowa nodded. "Fantastic. And where is the charming Wufei?" Duo rambled cheerfully, glancing down to his watch. "It's almost lunch time."
The normalcy had the desired effect on Quatre; the young boy relaxed slowly, but remained skittish and withdrawn, eyes flicking nervously around the room. He saw Wufei before the others, but kept silent, waiting instead for the Chinese boy to take a seat much as Duo had done, only with far more composure.
Duo turned to him, delighted. "Ah! I have summoned the erstwhile Chang, who has been neglecting us of his delightful companionship."
"Perhaps," Wufei responded dryly, "I wished a moment alone?"
"Now, why would you want to be separated from my sparkling presence?"
Wufei rolled his eyes and continued the friendly banter, and soon the three friends were deep in conversation, even Trowa, who offered the occasion nod or gesture. Quatre sat back in his chair, knees pulled up and Sandy close, and watched them, feeling a heavy sadness fall over him. Although they didn't mean to exclude him, he felt alone. Quatre had never had a friend before, or else he would realize that Wufei and Trowa were his friend's as well as Duo's, but he the thought did not occur to him. For that same reason, he felt no resentment at his exclusion.
Quatre rested his chin on his knees with a sigh, and then realized that Trowa's eyes were on him. He started, looking to Duo and Wufei, but the two boys chatted, oblivious. Trowa reached out and lightly touched Quatre's knee, gentle concern plain on his face. Surprised, Quatre nodded without fully realizing the question, and Trowa sat back in his chair, still watching Quatre from the corner of one eye.
Shaken that his thoughts had been read so easily, Quatre made an effort to look like he was following the conversation. Fortunately, just then a soft chime sounded over the ward, signaling lunch time. Duo immediately sprang to his feet and whirled on Quatre, a manic bundle of energy that grabbed the small blond and dragged him out of the chair. "Lunch!" he shouted cheerfully.
"Excellent, Maxwell. You're going to make his eardrums bleed," Wufei said in a wry sort of tone, already walking sedately towards the dining hall with Trowa.
"I bet today's Salisbury steak day," Duo was saying, letting go of Quatre's arm. "Carrots, mashed potatoes and milk. I like chocolate milk the best, because it doesn't taste like chalk. Chalk doesn't taste good. I should know, I ate chalk once. I forget why."
Quatre felt himself cheering up as the four of them went into the cafeteria and loaded up their trays. He knew they were trying to include him as much as possible, and he felt a surge of affection for his roommate. At the clinic, no one had made an effort to get to know him. Then again, he hadn't wanted them to.
Wandering over to the far side of the room, Duo and his friends plunked down in the same spots as the previous two meals. Although there did not seem to be a seating arrangement in the dining hall, everyone understood the unspoken claims. Wufei and Duo carried most of the conversation, their amicable banter needing little input from Trowa beyond the occasional shake of the silent boy's head. Quatre, for his part, was content to watch.
And he forgot entirely the bruises on his wrists, even if Duo did not.
-
-
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Author's Notes: Whew! Took me long enough, didn't it? Sorry about that! The problem is I ever want to type, I want to keep writing! I started another notebook and I write in it when I'm not busy with class, so, yeah, lots more fic to come! I'm sorry the last chapter wasn't very exciting, I hope this one makes up for that.
Thanks to everyone who reviews the last chapter -- wow! Your reviews give me motivation to continue, thank you very much! I'm trying something new, giving responses to reviews, please let me know if you like it or if you think it's stupid ^_^() I've seen other authors do it and I thought it was kind of neat, because it shows how much I appreciate reviews. I especially loves reviews that give me feedback on the story -- what you liked, what you didn't like, what your thoughts are while reading it and all that. So, here it goes!
-
Tia, you're so obsessed with Wufei!
Hotaru7 - Thank you very much! I'm so glad you appreciate the set up. I didn't start this with a short fic in mind, and I have lots planned, so I am taking my time to explain everything and introduce all the characters.
Die Spitze, DarkEnglishRose, Akenna and Solo's Ghost - Thanks! I'll try to update as fast as I can!
D, I always post as soon as I can
Patty 40, Yoko Sakino and Cat - Thanks, and please don't beat me, Cat! Here, here, I'm updating!
Pia Bartolini and Hikaru - Sorry you found it uneventful, but it's still early in the story!
Merit Somnia, lil mi1, Zero Wolfwood and lisha - ouch, Lisha, you poke hard! lol! Thanks for the reviews, gals, I hope you like chapter seven
Mistress Blaed - thank you for a very detailed review! I'm glad you found Duo's little explanation funny ^_^ I enjoy writing Duo's dialogue, it's a nice balance to all the angst. Not that I don't love angst...
Well, there you are. Please tell me what you think! Should I give responses? Yes, no? I'm deeply sorry if I missed anyone, I'm recovering from illness and it's postmidnight! ^_^ see you in chapter eight! (Yes, there will be a chapter eight, no matter how long it takes me to post!)
Feedback/reviews are very much appreciated!
copyright 2003 - Gundam Wing and characters copyright other people.
Email me to join my Update ML!
LSE - Violet Nyte (VioletNyteML@yahoo.com)
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(Fly on Broken Wings - Chapter Seven: A Rough Encounter)
rated: R - language, content, violence
shounen-ai/yaoi
A Rough Encounter
-
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quatre wandered around the main area, but had no interest in television or socializing. He hoped to find Trowa or Duo, but neither boy was among the teens wandering around. Giving up, he started back to his room, but then remembered Trowa's room was in the same hall. Quatre hurried down to the right room and hesitated at the door; Trowa lay on the bed, back to the door. Quatre glanced to the brass plate beside the door, which had slots for two names, but only Trowa's was there. The room was identical to Quatre and Duo's, with twin beds and one dresser.
"No roommate?" Quatre asked out loud, more to announce his presence than anything else. To his disappointment, Trowa gave no indication he'd heard. The boy's posture denied the possibility of sleep, however, so Quatre cautiously pressed forward into the room. "Trowa?"
Still, no response, and Quatre backed out just as carefully. "Well... I'll be in my room, if you want to talk or anything," he said awkwardly, trying to hide the hurt from his voice.
He started back to his room, head lowered to Sandy's. Had he upset Trowa somehow? Uneasy, Quatre decided Trowa most likely just wanted to be alone.
So wrapped up in his misery was he that Quatre didn't see the two boys approaching until an elbow caught his stomach, knocking him down. Quatre landed hard on the floor but caught himself in time to prevent the unforgiving linoleum cracking his head.
"Watch where you're going!" one of them snarled, and Quatre muttered an apology, searching around for Sandy, who had rolled free in the fall. At the same time, the taller of the two boys looked down at the teddy bear lying there on the floor, halfway between the small blond and himself. Quatre reached out, but the boy snatched Sandy up before the rightful owner could.
"What's this?" the boy sneered, holding up the bear by one foot.
"Please give that back," Quatre spoke softly, gaining his feet.
The boy holding Sandy tossed a dark head of curls and exchanged knowing looks with his friend, a stocky boy with a nose that looked to have been broken a few times. "And if I don't?" the first boy challenged.
"What do you think's inside?" Broken-nose asked with a smirk. "Maybe it'd be fun to rip it open and find out."
"Give him back!" Quatre cried, surging forward to grab Sandy from the boy's grip.
The dark headed boy jerked the bear back and grabbed Quatre's thin wrist easily, pulling the blond the rest of the way so roughly that Quatre lost his balance. Crying out with pain, he fell awkwardly to his knees at the boy's feet. "I didn't hear please," the boy said, twisting Quatre's arm.
"Ah! Let go!" Quatre beat at the boy's iron grip with his free hand, but Broken-nose grabbed that flailing hand as well, pulling Quatre off balance once more. He brought a knee up into the small blonde's gut, and all the air left Quatre in one sickening gasp. Quatre stopped struggling, all efforts focused instead on drawing breath. Tears stung at his eyes, and Quatre would have screamed for help if only he could get the air. Panic overwhelmed him, causing sounds to dim under the rushing sound in his ears.
Suddenly, the painful grips on his arms vanished, and he fell forward, forgot how to catch himself, and felt cool tile kiss his cheek. Spots danced in front of his eyes, swirling around in a blurred view of the floor -- and Sandy's paw. Tilting his head, Quatre could see the rest of his bear, lying there forgotten as the two boys hurried away. But what had made them leave?
A hand touched his face, and a soft voice registered through the haze of confusion. "Breathe slowly, okay?" His rescuer helped him to his feet, and Quatre found himself leaning against Trowa, who presented Sandy to the trembling blond. Finding his breath at last, Quatre started to gasp painfully, desperately, but remembered whispered words and concentrated on slow, even breaths that calmed the mad racing of his heart.
Trowa kept a supporting arm around him, guiding the smaller boy out of the hall and into Trowa's room. Just as carefully, Trowa eased Quatre onto the bed before sitting on the protesting mattress himself. He took one of the boy's fragile wrists into his hand, studying the way the pale skin already showed signs of bruising. The bones seemed intact, however, and Quatre felt no pain when Trowa gently rotated the joints.
"Thanks," Quatre managed when he could, still feeling lightheaded and on edge, but Trowa's stoic presence grounded him, offering comfort.
Trowa nodded and released Quatre's hand, reaching up instead to brush a tear away from the blonde's pale cheek.
Not even aware he was crying, Quatre flushed crimson and turned his head away in embarrassment. A firm but gentle hand guided his face back around, and Quatre glanced at the frown on Trowa's face before avoiding the older boy's eyes. "Stupid bear," he whispered, hugging Sandy close before jumping to his feet, ready to leave. The room spun alarmingly as black spots danced over his vision.
Trowa quickly caught him and set the smaller boy back on the bed. "Don't go," Trowa ordered, the look in his eyes anxious as he sat beside Quatre again. Nodding his acquiescence, it took Quatre a moment to realize Trowa had spoken. Before he could react, however, Trowa spoke again. "I'm sorry I ignored you before."
Dazed, Quatre just stared at him before quickly finding his own voice, "It's okay. Thanks for helping me?"
Trowa stared at his knees in thought, "Have you told Duo?"
Quatre's brow creased in bewilderment, "Told him what?"
"That I talked to you."
"Oh," Quatre said in relief. "No, I didn't. I... I thought maybe you didn't want me to."
"I don't. I guess. I don't know..."
Trowa sounded so forlorn that Quatre impulsively embraced the other boy in a tender, reassuring hug. "Okay, then it can be our secret. And you don't have to talk if you don't want to."
Trowa shrugged, "You're the first person I've talked to in nine years."
"Why?" Quatre wondered aloud, genuinely confused. "Why me?"
Trowa turned sorrowful green eyes on the younger boy, "I don't know."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afraid of running into his two bullies, Quatre shadowed Trowa. They left Trowa's room and wandered through the common rooms, the tall stoic once more holding his silence. However, Quatre found the boy's company agreeable. Just as Duo had assured him, Trowa got along just fine without talking, even if a few of his gestures confused Quatre at first.
Since he rarely had enough points to do anything else, Trowa mostly sat and pretended to watch television when he was actually watching the people. "Is this all you do?" Quatre asked after while, trying and failing to conceal his boredom.
Trowa shook his head and gestured to the two of them before waving a hand to dismiss Quatre's presence. He lifted his left hand, fingers to thumb so that it made a circle, except for the index finger, which was raised. Quatre frowned, clearly puzzled, then realization dawned on him. "You talk to Duo?"
Trowa nodded, showing him again the symbol for Duo, a lowercase “d” formed from his fingers. Trowa held up three fingers, spread apart, and pointed across the way to one of the corridors.
"Duo and Wufei?" Quatre guessed, since this new sign resembled a “w.”
Trowa nodded again, pleased Quatre understood.
"Do I have one?" Quatre asked in earnest.
Trowa considered this for a moment, then lifted his hand, nimble fingers effortlessly forming the new sign. Unlike the others, this one bore no resemblance to any letters. The index and middle finger were crossed, as if for luck, but the pink remained up while the ring finger tucked underneath, held in place by the thumb.
"That's me?" Quatre asked as Trowa settled his hands back in his lap.
Trowa nodded and Quatre smiled, words starting to form on his lips just as Duo suddenly swung an around Trowa's shoulder. "Tro! Just the boy I was looking for! Have you seen Wufei? He's good at this, too. Anyway, I need a one syllable word that means sorrow."
"Sad?" Quatre suggested, trying to recover from the surprise of his roommate's sudden appearance.
Duo whispered under his breath, fingers flicking out in silent count, before shaking his head, "No, doesn't fit. Maybe I'll just rewrite that line entirely..." he plunked down into the chair across from them, feet landing with a thud on the low coffee table.
"What are you working on?" Quatre hazarded, seeing Duo had a notebook at hand, and a much-chewed pencil.
"A haiku.'Winter snow blankets, a lonely lover awaits, sorrow for company.' Except sorrow makes that last line six syllables," Duo complained, chewing on his eraser in thought.
Trowa gave him a level look, which Duo returned, wide grin in place. "They're fun! Besides, Heero likes them even if he won't admit it. I want a few to give him Saturday. Even thought I'd illustrate them, too, if I found the time."
Quatre considered it for a moment, but knew he wasn't much of a poet. It was Trowa who held out his hand with a small, knowing smile, and Duo turned the notebook over to him. Trowa wrote briefly, and then returned it. A beaming smile rose on Duo's face as he read it. "This is great! Thanks, Tro. 'Winter snow blankets, a lonely lover awaits, trapped by sorrow,'" he read, looking to Quatre for approval.
"It's very good," Quatre assured him, shifting to set Sandy in his lap.
Duo leaned forward, expression dark and deadly across his usually cheerful face, and Quatre froze, eyes wide with fear. His roommate reached out, a surprisingly gentle touch taking up Quatre's wrist. He turned the thin arm carefully to expose vivid blue-black bruises which were shaped almost perfectly in echo of the rough grip that had caused them. "Who did this?" Duo asked, all good humor gone from his face.
Terrified by the abrupt change in the boy's demeanor, Quatre sunk into the chair, trembling. Trowa leaned forward and carefully freed the small boy's arm from Duo's grip and pushed the braided boy's hand back, giving him a stern look of reproof. Chagrined, Duo quickly hid the dark anger and settled for a trademark grin, eyes still glittering with the promise of retribution.
"Quatre?" he questioned gently. "What's up? Run into some trouble?"
Like a frightened rabbit, Quatre quivered and shook his head in frantic denial, eyes flicking between Duo and Trowa as his shoulders hunched -- drawing away, expecting a blow that never came. Duo threw Trowa a questioning glance, but the other boy's face betrayed nothing and warned against further insistence, so Duo let the matter drop.
"Is Cathy coming later?" Duo asked, turning to Trowa, who shook his head in response. "Oh. Well, you'll see her Thursday?" To this, Trowa nodded. "Fantastic. And where is the charming Wufei?" Duo rambled cheerfully, glancing down to his watch. "It's almost lunch time."
The normalcy had the desired effect on Quatre; the young boy relaxed slowly, but remained skittish and withdrawn, eyes flicking nervously around the room. He saw Wufei before the others, but kept silent, waiting instead for the Chinese boy to take a seat much as Duo had done, only with far more composure.
Duo turned to him, delighted. "Ah! I have summoned the erstwhile Chang, who has been neglecting us of his delightful companionship."
"Perhaps," Wufei responded dryly, "I wished a moment alone?"
"Now, why would you want to be separated from my sparkling presence?"
Wufei rolled his eyes and continued the friendly banter, and soon the three friends were deep in conversation, even Trowa, who offered the occasion nod or gesture. Quatre sat back in his chair, knees pulled up and Sandy close, and watched them, feeling a heavy sadness fall over him. Although they didn't mean to exclude him, he felt alone. Quatre had never had a friend before, or else he would realize that Wufei and Trowa were his friend's as well as Duo's, but he the thought did not occur to him. For that same reason, he felt no resentment at his exclusion.
Quatre rested his chin on his knees with a sigh, and then realized that Trowa's eyes were on him. He started, looking to Duo and Wufei, but the two boys chatted, oblivious. Trowa reached out and lightly touched Quatre's knee, gentle concern plain on his face. Surprised, Quatre nodded without fully realizing the question, and Trowa sat back in his chair, still watching Quatre from the corner of one eye.
Shaken that his thoughts had been read so easily, Quatre made an effort to look like he was following the conversation. Fortunately, just then a soft chime sounded over the ward, signaling lunch time. Duo immediately sprang to his feet and whirled on Quatre, a manic bundle of energy that grabbed the small blond and dragged him out of the chair. "Lunch!" he shouted cheerfully.
"Excellent, Maxwell. You're going to make his eardrums bleed," Wufei said in a wry sort of tone, already walking sedately towards the dining hall with Trowa.
"I bet today's Salisbury steak day," Duo was saying, letting go of Quatre's arm. "Carrots, mashed potatoes and milk. I like chocolate milk the best, because it doesn't taste like chalk. Chalk doesn't taste good. I should know, I ate chalk once. I forget why."
Quatre felt himself cheering up as the four of them went into the cafeteria and loaded up their trays. He knew they were trying to include him as much as possible, and he felt a surge of affection for his roommate. At the clinic, no one had made an effort to get to know him. Then again, he hadn't wanted them to.
Wandering over to the far side of the room, Duo and his friends plunked down in the same spots as the previous two meals. Although there did not seem to be a seating arrangement in the dining hall, everyone understood the unspoken claims. Wufei and Duo carried most of the conversation, their amicable banter needing little input from Trowa beyond the occasional shake of the silent boy's head. Quatre, for his part, was content to watch.
And he forgot entirely the bruises on his wrists, even if Duo did not.
-
-
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Author's Notes: Whew! Took me long enough, didn't it? Sorry about that! The problem is I ever want to type, I want to keep writing! I started another notebook and I write in it when I'm not busy with class, so, yeah, lots more fic to come! I'm sorry the last chapter wasn't very exciting, I hope this one makes up for that.
Thanks to everyone who reviews the last chapter -- wow! Your reviews give me motivation to continue, thank you very much! I'm trying something new, giving responses to reviews, please let me know if you like it or if you think it's stupid ^_^() I've seen other authors do it and I thought it was kind of neat, because it shows how much I appreciate reviews. I especially loves reviews that give me feedback on the story -- what you liked, what you didn't like, what your thoughts are while reading it and all that. So, here it goes!
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Tia, you're so obsessed with Wufei!
Hotaru7 - Thank you very much! I'm so glad you appreciate the set up. I didn't start this with a short fic in mind, and I have lots planned, so I am taking my time to explain everything and introduce all the characters.
Die Spitze, DarkEnglishRose, Akenna and Solo's Ghost - Thanks! I'll try to update as fast as I can!
D, I always post as soon as I can
Patty 40, Yoko Sakino and Cat - Thanks, and please don't beat me, Cat! Here, here, I'm updating!
Pia Bartolini and Hikaru - Sorry you found it uneventful, but it's still early in the story!
Merit Somnia, lil mi1, Zero Wolfwood and lisha - ouch, Lisha, you poke hard! lol! Thanks for the reviews, gals, I hope you like chapter seven
Mistress Blaed - thank you for a very detailed review! I'm glad you found Duo's little explanation funny ^_^ I enjoy writing Duo's dialogue, it's a nice balance to all the angst. Not that I don't love angst...
Well, there you are. Please tell me what you think! Should I give responses? Yes, no? I'm deeply sorry if I missed anyone, I'm recovering from illness and it's postmidnight! ^_^ see you in chapter eight! (Yes, there will be a chapter eight, no matter how long it takes me to post!)
Feedback/reviews are very much appreciated!
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LSE - Violet Nyte (VioletNyteML@yahoo.com)
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