Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Forged Together ❯ chapter 4 ( Chapter 4 )

Laughter4

 

“Why do you keep on pushing him?” Quatre asked as he sat on the sleeping bag, cross-legged.

 

“What do you mean?” Duo asked as he sat next to his friend, braiding his hair.

 

“Wufei,” Quatre said firmly. “You follow him around and you annoy him. Why in the world do you do that?”

 

“'Cause it's fun,” Duo guessed haphazardly.

 

“I thought you didn't lie,” the blond snorted then stood up, holding out a hand to Duo.

 

“Why can't I bug him?” Duo complained evasively letting the blond pull him up. Despite his boy-next-door look, Quatre was far stronger than he looked, and Duo had found that out the hard way during one of their sparing matches. “I mean, there's just the five of us and you can't even talk to Heero without getting a gun pointed at you and Trowa just ignores you.”

 

“And Wufei reacts to you,” Quatre said with a sigh. “Even if it's death threats, it's not as if he'd actually carry them out. If I wouldn't know better, I'd say you have a thing for him.”

 

“Him,” said Duo with a high pitched laugh. “Whatever makes you think that?”

 

“….”

 

“Will you look at the time,” Duo ploughed through what was going to be a couple of points he would rather not hear. “Come on, before they start the party without us.”

 

“Duo…”

 

“It's late and you know how the fucking perfect soldier is…”

 

“We are going to talk about this one way or another,” Quatre's voice was laced with certainty and Duo nodded, defeated. He might be the one everyone termed the baby of the group but Quatre had more steel in him that all of them put together.

 

`Fine,' thought Duo. `One thing at a time. Let's see if there's something to distract us.'

 

The distraction, when it came, was not very pleasant.

 

“Why can't I go?” Duo said with a glare, which made no impression whatsoever on anyone else. After all they'd all been glared at Wufei and Heero so many times they'd all developed a natural immunity.

 

“We need your gundam for the mission in two days' time,” Heero said. It was true; only Deathscythe could get through the radar of their next target. “It would be stupid if it got damaged before the required time.”

 

“I'll go,” said Quatre. “I don't have anything coming up until next week.”

 

“No,” said Heero.

 

“Why ever not?” Quatre snapped.

 

“Because Barton's going on this mission and I can't expect you to remain detached.”

 

“WHAT!” shouted Quatre, his eyes blazing. He was on his feet instantly. “I can remain…detached…” he stressed the word with sarcasm. “You do trust me don't you?” he added, turning around to look at Trowa for confirmation.

 

Trowa did not reply but his silence spoke for him anyway.

 

“I don't believe this,” Quatre fumed. “You think I'm a hysterical kid who doesn't know his priorities.”

 

“No,” said Heero sharply. “When you go on a mission Barton looses his objectivity as well. I cannot have you two blundering around. Chang, warm up Altron. You'll be backup.”

 

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

“You really don't think it's unfair the way Heero keeps on trying to keep Trowa and Quatre apart?” Duo asked as he helped steady the leg joint so Wufei could wield it in place. It was a one person job but an extra hand made the work go faster and everyone knew Duo was the best mechanic of the lot. Having Duo meddle with their gundams was not necessarily a bad thing (though the time Trowa had had his pants glued to his seat had not been thought funny by anyone).

 

“You should leave him alone,” Wufei said in a clipped voice as he started testing the hydraulic system.

 

“Who, Heero?” Duo asked mystified.

 

“Winner,” Wufei clarified. “He can manage on his own. He's an extremely capable individual and you and Barton keep undermining him.”

 

“Wait a second,” said Duo swinging around to face the Chinese boy. “I do not undermine him. He's my friend. I watch out for him…”

 

“…because you think he's incapable of looking out for himself,” Wufei pointed out smugly.

 

“No,” said Duo then stopped. He did not lie and he needed to think this through. “Well, at least I don't order him around and tell him which missions to go to and what he can and not do.”

 

“Perhaps if you thought less of others you'd have more time for a hobby,” Wufei grumbled.

 

“Perhaps, if we left Quatre and Trowa alone they'd be able to figure out that they can make it work between the two of them,” Duo offered. “After all…left wire…the red one and then see where the feedback is coming from…if Heero isn't around to influence Trowa…” he left the rest of the sentence hanging suggestively. Wufei didn't need everything to be spelled out to him.

 

“What do you have in mind?” was it his imagination or did Wufei sound a little worried.

 

“Well, you did say you owed me a favor,” Duo couldn't help himself from smiling. “Just keep Heero busy so Trowa has more time to figure things out on his own. He doesn't get enough breathing space with Heero picking on him for everything.”

 

“I don't think Barton is naïve,” Wufei said pointedly. “He's the most sensible person here.” `Next to me,' remained unspoken. “And if you think distancing Yuy from Barton is easy, you are mistaken. They are the two who's worked as a team the longest and they know each other very well. I will not whore myself for the sake of an insane plan you have cooked up.”

 

“Whoa there man, who said whore? Not have sex with him,” said Duo, realizing, even if Wufei had not, that this was an unspoken agreement. Still sex…“Just keep him busy so…ever think that maybe Trowa isn't all knowing when it comes to matters of the heart?”

 

“Yuy is an expert in such things, I expect,” the sarcasm threw Duo off for a moment and he smiled. Who knew Wufei had that in him.

 

“So will you?” pressed Duo. “Just keep Heero on his toes until Quatre can convince Trowa he can be …” what do you say when you are fifteen and interested in the same sex “…can keep his head in a battle and still be together.”

 

“You'd think Barton was the one who needed to convince himself,” Wufei said, contradicting what he had said earlier. “Still, I have no idea what you want me to do, but I would if Barton and Winner started working together.”

 

“Look,” said Duo trying to mellow out the deal. “You don't have to do anything much. I'll do my stuff. You just have to help me a little in keeping Heero busy so that he doesn't automatically go to Trowa for everything he needs.”

 

“Maybe, then I'd stop being the back up for every mission Yuy plans and be in the main attack force for a change,” Wufei said, throwing up his hands in despair as a wire sparked then shorted.

 

“Here,” said Duo. “Let me finish that wiring. Why don't you just tell him?”

 

“Because he's a true warrior,” Wufei admitted reluctantly. “He has worked with Barton before and knows his limits so he's comfortable working with someone whom he is familiar with. It would be detrimental to his performance to work with a new …”

 

“Partner,” Duo supplied.

 

“Do you really think that word is even there in his vocabulary?” Wufei snorted. “I'll hold the clamp down while you tighten the…the…” his cheeks colored a little.

 

“Can't say screw, now can we?” Duo said biting back laughter. As much as he wanted to pursuer that line of conversation, he was far too professional to stop his work to play giggling idiot.

 

Wufei looked up, loose hair falling over his forehead and…smiled. It was not the battle mode `let's kill them all in the name of justice' smile. It was a nice smile, which made Duo hastily put down the wire and straighten his spine. “You are a born pervert Maxwell,” he said. He was blushing, but for a moment Wufei Chang looked approachable instead of haughty and uptight, and annoyed at being caught blushing.

 

“Might be because you are a virgin,” Duo said going for a kill.

 

“But I'm not,” the Chinese pilot looked smug and for a moment Duo was flabbergasted.

 

“But…but…wow man, when and who was he…”

 

“He?” said Wufei, looking offended. “What makes you think it was a he?”

 

`What indeed,' thought Duo. Apart from the fact four of them had been showing signs of homosexual preference and those doctors who had chosen them had gone for similar specifications, for both the gundams and their pilots. “Was it Sally?” he asked.

 

“WHAT!” Wufei spluttered loudly, making Quarte and Heero who were working on their respective pieces of equipment look up. “No,” he said lowering his voice. “She's old. Almost twenty.”

 

“That is old,” said Duo thoughtfully. “So...who?”

 

“That is none of your concern,” Wufei said slipping back to his role as uptight moron.

 

“So, you've never been with a guy?” Duo guessed, throwing the pilot of Altron off balance before he could regain his feet.

 

“What is it to you…”

 

“A simple no is a good answer to such a question,” Duo answered his own question. “Ever been kissed by a guy, Chang?” The intimate nature of the question clashed with the use of the last name, which they used when they needed to distance themselves from each other. Gearing up for any situation, which could arise from the question.

 

“No,” Wufei snapped then looked away.

 

Duo was curious by then, his eyes alight with mischief. It was so nice to see the perfect warrior riled to the point he'd almost clamped his finger to the connection.

 

“Want to be?” he smirked suggestively. He knew Quatre would never understand it, his propensity to tease people to see how far they'd go before they snapped.

 

“Is that an offer, Duo?” Wufei asked, making him freeze. The tone had been oddly, suggestive and the use of his first name had only made it sound more friendly.

 

It was time for him to back up, Duo knew. All he had to do was make a few jokes and take a couple of step back, say something about looking at the alignment of something, hydraulics then run off to safe harbor. After all, running and hiding was what he did best when faced with a situation he couldn't handle. “Maybe,” he heard himself say.

 

Dark eyes looked at him, his expression expressionless.

 

“Hell, yes,” Duo could feel a part of him cringing with horror but really, Wufei had admitted that he'd been with a woman. That technically made him straight, right? And straight guys didn't molest other guys.

 

Wufei looked up, his face unreadable, his eyes pools of emotions. “Let's go into Nataku,” he said abruptly. Nataku, not Altron and that alone was enough for Duo to realize that it was serious.

 

Wufei's lips were soft. Compared to the rest of his body, which he held rigidly. Even if he had relaxed completely, Duo was sure the warrior would be all muscles and bones, with an underlying layer of gundanium. Duo let his body drape along the slender frame, knowing that Wufei was the strongest of them all, next to Heero. Where Heero could bend metal with his bare hands, Wufei could break it with a well placed kick.

Duo let Wufei take the lead, letting him deepen the kiss and as they did, he realized that at least some of the things Wufei had said were true. He knew how to kiss and he did kiss, but from the way he held Duo it was as if he expected Duo to crack like delicate china held too tight. His hold was tender and his hands did not wander towards the braided pilot's flat chest, almost as if he did not want to go there out of politeness as if …as if Duo was a girl.

 

Duo made a frustrated noise and pushed back. “I'm not going to break,” he said. “You saw those OZ soldiers do a number on me. For god's sake, kiss me like a guy not a wallflower.”

 

The grip on his upper arms increased but the pressure on his lips…Duo was slightly startled. He had been kissed…or at least the closest he could get to calling it a kiss, and each time it had been harsh and brutal. But Wufei had a tenderness to him that made him stagger a little. `I'm acting like a chick,' thought Duo even as he sank into the warm embrace, letting those lips ghost over his. They tasted faintly of grease and cheap ration bars, tastes Duo was familiar with, which helped him find his center. He slipped a hand around Wufei's waist, pulled the other pilot closer, letting him know that Duo was all male.

 

Their hands ghosted over each other's bodies and then they were kissing again…really kissing, open mouthed, tongues dueling. Then it was over as Duo broke free and moved back. He knew when to withdraw; too much passion and people got carried away and he knew Wufei was stronger than he was. He did not need the indignity of getting raped by someone he had pushed himself on to not five feet from his allies. Not that he would have cried out; he had too much pride but still…

 

“See,” he said, trying to still his heart, which was pounding away. “That wasn't too bad was it?”

 

“From what you told me earlier,” said Wufei. “I expected it to be less ….”

 

“…pleasurable?” Duo asked with a knowing look getting his breathing back under control. Let the other boy think it was due to passion and not fear. “You think Heero and Trowa do something like this?” They both looked at each other then grimaced. That was about as probable as imagining Treize ballet dancing in a pink tutu “But tell you what,” he added with a grin. “Whatever you dish out to keep Yuy busy, I'll pay you back, with interest in any way I can. After all, it isn't as if I'm not enjoying myself on this one.”

 

Wufei nodded, his eyes unfocused, almost as if his mind was already elsewhere, contemplating a new mission.