Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Gone Round ❯ Six ( Chapter 6 )

Six

"Heero! Help!"

Heero would have possibly been alarmed to hear Trowa calling for him if Trowa wasn't practically pissing himself with laughter...or maybe if he couldn't hear Lifon and Matty both...and Blake.

"Heero!"

"Help what?" Heero demanded, raising an eyebrow. He'd heard Lifon start giggling first...

Before Heero could properly turn into the living room, though, Matty started laughing that same helpless sound...

"How old are you?" Heero demanded, moving into the room properly to see the four on the floor. With how Lifon was sitting, it was pretty obvious that Trowa'd been the one pinned to the floor when he'd called for help. Trowa, however, had an arm around Matty's middle as Matty tried unsuccessfully to push away...and was being tickled with the other hand. Li and Blake were trying to unhook Trowa's arm around his waist...but Trowa had a good hold on him.

"I'm almost seventeen," Li noted, giving up to look up to Heero brightly. "My birthday is June twenty-seventh!"

"I know," Heero protested. "Don't say it like its news to me..."

She giggled, sitting back to look at her brother and Blake.

"Okay...okay..." Heero muttered—Matty was laughing helplessly and utterly winded.

"You think you can get him away?" Trowa asked happily, his eyes sparkling.

"You see what you do?" Heero demanded happily of Blake. "When he hasn't gotten laid he's all melancholy and sedate...and look at this!"

Blake started laughing again.

"Ready?" Heero added to Matty, then leaned down and caught Trowa's forearm. Trowa was ready for the challenge...and at the touch released the younger man. He jumped up, then over Matty's head as he jumped at Heero.

Lifon made a squeaking sort of protest, but Heero'd wrestled with Trowa before. The slammed to the ground nearer the hall, and Heero used the momentum to flip Trowa...and started laughing helplessly himself as Trowa did one thing he'd never expected. The spot on the inner part of Heero's thigh that was ticklish...Trowa was tickling it.

"What in the hell are you doing?" Wufei demanded, moving from his room to look at them blankly. Heero was trying, but didn't have the wherewithal to actually free himself...he could probably count the times he'd been tickled on one hand.

"Your turn?" Trowa asked brightly, and launched from Heero.

Wufei's reaction was more instinct than awareness, but Trowa had been expecting that, too. The leg Wufei'd raised to fend him off was caught in his left hand, above the knee...and Trowa started pinching his thigh as well.

Wufei squawked ungraciously for a moment, trying to free himself, but Trowa's hand was searching...and found the spot.

"Wow," Li muttered blankly as Wufei laughed just as helplessly as she had. "He is ticklish?"

"Only just," Heero returned, struggling to catch his breath.

"I never thought you were," Matty noted, moving to drop on him and watch as Wufei tried to free himself. "How does he know?"

"I have no idea," Heero groaned, then blinked as Wufei started to fall. He and Trowa landed in a heap, and Jin poked his head from Wufei's room to look blankly...and disappear back inside.

Matty snickered.

"Yeah...I think anyone he sees is going to get attacked," Heero muttered, pushing himself up...then turned to blinked as Trowa started shouting "uncle" repeatedly...Wufei was hitting him.

Matty started laughing.

"Hey, Matt?" Blake muttered, watching down the hall as Trowa caught his breath on the floor, and Wufei sitting up beside him. "I have to go."

"I...can't take you," Matty muttered, blinking at him. "Uh...Heero?"

"Why don't you just try it?" Heero suggested. "Just go drop him off and come back...we didn't find anyone on base loyal to Jaden...I think they all left town. Keep your cell phone in your hand...and run him home. It'll take...ten minutes, fifteen?"

"I think that's a good idea," Wufei muttered, picking himself up from the ground and kicking at Trowa—which made Trowa laugh more.

"Trowa?" Blake muttered.

"Yeah?" Trowa asked, pushing himself up tiredly. "What's up?"

"I...have a date...tonight."

Trowa blinked at him.

"I know I've been...spending Fridays here and all...but..."

"That's fine," Trowa reassured him, climbing up carefully.

"You sure?" he asked hesitantly. "I just..."

"Its fine, Blake," Trowa reassured him. "I'll make Wufei and Jinli go out tonight, too."

"And take me to a movie," Lifon informed him primly.

"On a Friday night," Trowa agreed, nodding at her. "And your dad will be perfectly okay with that."

She snickered.

"That's what I thought, no movie," he stuck his tongue out at her, then grinned at Blake. "Don't worry."

Blake smiled a little hesitantly at him, then looked to Matty.

Matty shifted uncomfortably, looking around to his sister, then Heero.

"I'll come," Li said brightly. "Then you won't be alone. You're starting school next term anyway, right? So you don't want this to bother you anymore...right?"

He frowned at her a moment, then nodded and gestured.

Heero watched as Matty darted into their room and dug around until he found his keys. He showed them to Heero with a slight smile, then turned and started for the exit.

"I don't like him going off by himself," Trowa said quietly as the noise of the three talking faded into the elevator.

"Me neither," Heero agreed, moving slowly down the hall. "Why the hell did you tickle me?"

"I tickled Li and Matty came to check out what was up—she said he was ticklish, and I decided it was a good idea to follow the distraction...and come on, you were begging for it."

Heero gave him a look.

Trowa grinned, running a hand through his hair. "And you were just there," he added to Wufei.

"Gee," Wufei retorted, moving down the hall after the other. "What were you idiots doing, wrestling?"

"No...I was tickling Li," Trowa repeated. "Then went after Matt...but Blake grabbed me so him and Li were tickling me...just one of those downward spirals where I got ahold of Matt when he came back to join them."

Wufei snorted.

Trowa chuckled, then wandered back to his laptop, righting the chair to sit in it and consider the machine on the screen.

It wasn't really that expensive...for what it was, at least. Lifon gamed a bit and liked movies, so the graphics weren't too high...and the rest of it was comparable to the price.

"You sure you're not going gay?" Heero asked from the kitchen, pulling the fridge open. "That's awfully pink for a straight guy."

"I haven't been properly straight in like...a month," Trowa retorted, looking around to him blankly. "With you and Duo around, it's only a matter of time before Wufei goes under too—he was already talking about getting Duo to go down on him."

Heero snickered.

"And," Trowa called to be heard as he clicked a button, "he's willingly marked as espoused at the base!"

"Shut-up!" Jinli protested that.

Wufei started laughing.

Heero grinned at him, then rolled his eyes. He glanced at the screen again, then started back from the second apartment.

If he didn't know any better, that laptop was the exact shade of purple as Lifon's phone. What was Trowa thinking? To buy it for her? That was an expensive gift to buy a girl you just liked...it was the sort of thing he'd do for Matty, but his and Matty's relationship was considerably more serious.

He shrugged slightly, putting that out of his mind. He needed to decide if he was going to go against Tro and build the closets again, or if he'd take Li's advice and make a loft area—and then ask her if she really thought Duo, Wufei, and Jinli would like anything zen.

Heero shook his head, then moved to sit in the window.

- -

The day Trowa turned and attacked Matty, they were in the old apartment. They'd been talking about Li's loft idea...and Trowa'd just turned. He'd just...moved at Matty. Heero thought he was going to have a heart attack, starting for Trowa, but there was something about how Trowa was moving that he couldn't get around. In the end, Trowa had Matty pinned to the wall, and after a moment of panic, realizing Heero couldn't get to him, Matty's eyes flashed. He lashed out with his legs and fell in a heap with Trowa on top of him...

"All you're doing is shoving at me," Trowa protested. "You have to figure out how to get me off..."

Heero's heart sank slowly from his throat. He'd known Trowa couldn't have gone over to the bad-guys...despite the fact that he'd thought the same about Wufei until they were fighting each other. The uncertainty and Trowa's skills had sent him beyond thought...

And Trowa had still held him off.

Heero growled in frustration, turning to punch the wall. Matty was trying his damnedest to get away from Trowa, and hearing the gasping—the hint of fear there, he wanted to attack Trowa. He didn't know if that was an okay response...he was pretty sure it was...Duo would probably be the same way...

"What are you doing!" Duo shouted, moving through the door to look at Heero in disbelief...and launched at Trowa.

Trowa started laughing—the sound was far too pleased...but he did release Matty to fend Duo off. When he sent Duo flying at the wall, though, Heero decided it was time to get Matty away, because Duo flipped midair...and launched himself from the wall at Trowa.

The fight, because Duo hadn't realized what was happening, turned vicious. Trowa spun Duo away...and jumped up the wall himself.

"Heero!" Matty hissed, half starting for the fight.

"Let them play it out," Heero retorted, pulling back. He knew Trowa could do him one-up, and he wanted to know if Duo could, too. Not only that, though, but if he interrupted, he'd be brought in. It'd happened before.

"But..."

"No..." Heero pulled him back more...he was impressed, really. The walls had been incorporated into their fight, and since they both could run up walls—parkour had been an amusement factor when they'd first gotten the apartment. Watching them made him think of a big-screen movie...except the part where he knew Duo was trying to hurt Trowa.

The moment the fight stopped was a shock. Trowa had gone a step further up the wall than Duo, which put him above, and turned with the fall. Duo wasn't able to gather himself at all, and slammed into the floor with a thud.

Matty squeaked.

"I was testing him," Trowa snarled, keeping Duo pinned. "Testing him..."

Duo took a moment to understand the words, trying to dislodge Trowa...then stopped, blinking. "What?"

"I was testing him," Trowa repeated, forcing himself to get off the other. He turned to attack the wall.

Duo blinked a few times, then looked up to Heero with wide eyes.

"You're so annoying!" Trowa snarled, nearly kicking Duo and obviously forcing himself to stop...and stormed away, back into the old apartment.

Duo collapsed onto the floor, rubbing at his eyes.

"Are you okay?" Matty squeaked, moving to kneel next to him. "Duo?"

"He's pissed," Duo returned, moving his hands to look at Heero.

"You were actually trying to hurt him," Heero agreed.

Duo frowned in response as he looked Matty over. "You do that often?"

"That?" the question was uncertain. "Which that?" Matty blinked as Duo gestured after Trowa, then shrugged a little uncomfortably, glancing at the wall. "He did it once before at the base."

Duo pushed himself up, glancing at Heero. "What are you lying about?"

"What?" Matty looked back to him sharply. "I didn't lie."

"Oh, but you don't want to say something," Duo studied his expression seriously. "I know you can lie better than that," he indicated the wall. "Which means you're avoiding something. What is it?"

"If I'm avoiding it," Matty hissed back, pushing himself to his feet, "why would I tell you?"

"Because Trowa's been riding the line of okay behavior since not long after he ranted at me to have some decorum."

"If it was worth mentioning," Matty snapped, starting for the apartment, "I'd have told Heero."

Duo watched him walk away, then looked up to Heero, raising an eyebrow.

"I figure if I press it, I'll get pissed at Trowa," Heero noted, looking after the guy. "And his adrenaline is up right now—that could make it fun...but very dangerous. He was handling Matty and keeping me away at the same time."

Duo ran a hand through his hair, which had grown out a bit, thinking. "He has been working out, hasn't he?" he noted. "Holy shit, he won..."

"I had that same thought myself," Heero agreed wryly. "What do you think? Just toss him and Wufei in a room together? If we put him and Quatre together, they'll tear each other up."

"You worried you're at the bottom?" Duo asked, a grin lighting his face. He stopped, though, stretching his neck, then his arms. He winced a couple times as he did it, but didn't seem to have any problem. "I think I see what you mean, though...how the fuck did he just kick my ass without hurting me?"

Heero snickered slightly, starting toward the apartment and his distraught boyfriend—okay, Matty may not have been distraught, but shit... "How did he keep me away from Matty?"

"Good point," Duo groaned, following after. "Trowa! You're an asshole!"

"Jump me again, fucker," Trowa retorted from his room.

Duo opened his mouth to retort but Heero rounded on him and he subsided.

"What?" Quatre asked, moving from the entryway. "What's going on?"

"Don't read me," Trowa ordered instantly, slamming his door shut.

Quatre jumped, blinking at the door, then looked back up to Duo and Heero blankly.

"He was testing Matt but all I saw was him...attacking...Matt."

"Why would he attack Matt?" Quatre asked blankly, moving up the hall to look to Heero for commiseration. "How does that even make sense?"

"You'd have jumped him, too," Duo retorted, "if you heard the noises Matt was making."

Matty moved to the door to his and Duo's room to look at the three of them almost curiously.

"What?" Duo asked, blinking back.

"You keep calling me Matt."

"That...would be your name," Quatre noted, vaguely amused.

"Only people who don't know me call me Matt," he protested, leaning against Heero as the other moved around behind him. "It's weird to hear you saying it...and you both do it all the time," he looked between the two men, then looked at Quatre's hair. He averted his eyes quickly.

"Yes, I'm aware that my roots are showing," Quatre retorted, giving him a look. "And doesn't it bug you?"

"What? Your roots?" the teen grinned wickedly. "They do."

Quatre smacked at him, snickering a bit, then shook his head. "I meant everyone calling you Matty...I mean..."

"My friends call me Matty," the guy shrugged. "Why would it bother me?"

"Because Matty seems like a kid's name," Duo decided, moving to lean against Quatre's back and kiss the top of his head as he wrapped his arms around the other. "Like you're a little boy or something."

Matty shrugged slightly, thinking that one over. "Only people who don't know me call me Matt...and as for names...don't call me Tox or Toxic, and we're fine."

They blinked at that.

"My...mom...called me Toxic," he explained, looking around a bit, then shook his head. "And everyone called me Tox growing up."

"Oh," Duo blinked, then squeezed at Quatre a bit.

"What?" Quatre muttered, turning to focus on him intently, kissing his jaw-line, then turning to hug him properly.

"Do we do that?" Matty muttered, pulling Heero into the room. "Stop mid-conversation and focus on each other?"

Duo started laughing, breaking the kiss to give them a look, then pull Quatre away toward their room.

"Are you okay?" Heero asked quietly, allowing himself to be pulled in, then dropped onto the bed. "Do you want to tell me about whatever it was that happened?"

Matty sighed, glancing toward Trowa's room and shrugging. "I was throwing a fit at him and he pinned me to the locker...then said for me to break the hold myself. I got him in the balls and he couldn't walk right for an hour."

"See? I don't have to do anything," Heero grinned and kissed him. "No harm, no foul, right?"

"But you didn't get him for today," Matty noted in amusement.

Heero snickered. "I'll see what I can do...but I think he'd kick my ass."

Matty started laughing.

- -

Wufei had barely stepped into the apartment when Trowa loomed in front of him. He stepped back, initially thinking he'd interrupted his friend, but Trowa kept moving forward. There was something about him that seemed remarkably dangerous, and Wufei wasn't sure what had happened to piss him off—or why he was being involved in it.

"I'm going out tonight," Trowa informed him, eye to eye. "Are you coming, or not?"

"What's wrong?" Wufei muttered, pulling back very slightly. "Why are you looming?"

"Looming?" Trowa snorted at him, then pinned him to the door by the throat. "Yes or no?"

Wufei remained very still a long moment, then snorted...and moved. He didn't care what Trowa was asking him, because the approach was a challenge. Wufei didn't intend to be beta.

Trowa laughed delightedly—but it sounded absolutely wicked...as he dodged backwards.

"Hey!" Matty shouted, moving from the hall and stopping. "You guys! Heero!"

Wufei didn't have time to focus properly on him, because Trowa really had meant to fight. The asshole ran up the wall, too, but Wufei moved around below him toward the lonely little room they were storing stuff in...did he hurt Trowa or not? Was this a fight or was it just a test? When Heero moved from the hall and pulled Matty back a step though...well, it didn't give Wufei much information. When Quatre and Duo joined Heero, though, it did give him one thing. Duo and Heero were watching—Quatre was staring with incomprehension on his face...and Matty looked perturbed...but Duo and Heero's reaction was telling.

Fuckers.

The Chinese man focused on Trowa. He hadn't sparred or fought any of his friends in months, so he wasn't sure who had the upper hand between them. By the time Trowa was half running across the ceiling, Wufei's adrenaline had kicked in, and he avoided the other, meeting his eyes—he could see the same thrill there. He laughed wickedly and dropped back, avoiding one blow, then swinging his leg at Trowa's knees. He had a moment to realize that if it landed, he was going to fuck his friend over, but Trowa jumped it.

Unfortunately, the distraction of realizing he was about to cause probably permanent damage distracted him, and Trowa's leg swept in. They fell hard onto the floor, and while Wufei was still reeling from that, Trowa moved to pin him.

He groaned.

"Well, that answers that," Matty noted wryly, moving forward. "You okay, Fian?"

"My head is ringing," Wufei returned, moving his hands to it as he waited for the pain to recede. "Ow...Trowa..."

"Sorry," Trowa muttered, moving off him. "I didn't want to screw up your legs and that was all I could think of to stop it...I didn't mean for you to hit your head."

"...the fuck were you doing, anyway?"

"Speaking...in...complete sentences?"

Wufei smacked him.

"I'm going out tonight," Trowa repeated his earlier comment pointedly. "Are you coming with me or not?"

"If I'm not concussed, fucker..."

Trowa laughed, then leaned down and scooped him off the floor...and slammed him to the wall. Wufei was about to protest that when Trowa started studying his eyes...and doing the other little tricks to test for concussions.

"Do you feel better?" Matty demanded pointedly. "Have you made a day of it, or are you gonna try Quatre?"

Trowa laughed at that, shrugging at Wufei as he turned. "We can't test Quatre. He was trained damn good to protect himself, but not to...control it. Me and Duo were taught street fighting shit, and Heero and Wufei were full-on martial artists...but..."

"Were?" Wufei demanded dryly.

"You were trained," Trowa agreed blandly. "Once upon a time you could kick my ass."

Wufei laughed at that and smacked him as he started into the kitchen.

He wondered if it was bad that he didn't mind that greeting. It probably was on some level, but it had been fun before his head hit the floor, so whatever.

"Where did your shirt go?" Matty asked blankly.

Everyone turned to actually look at Trowa, who blinked back at the kid before looking down to his bare chest. "I...took it off earlier," Trowa noted. "It's in my room."

"Why did you take it off?" Matty was confused.

"Because it had blood on it," Trowa's return was partially dry, partially challenging. He looked him over from head to foot, then looked to Duo.

"I made you bleed?" Duo sounded wicked.

"I made you bleed," Trowa purred almost in his ear as he walked slowly by him...and disappearing into his room.

"Did I make him bleed?" Wufei demanded, rolling his eyes.

"That was sort of hot," Duo noted, looking around to Heero. "Was it just me or was that sort of hot?"

"Yes, Heero," Quatre asked dryly, "was Trowa just hot to you?"

Trowa started laughing wickedly from his room.

"Uh...you're bitchy," Duo muttered to Quatre flippantly, turning and starting away.

"Because everyone wants their lover noting some other guy is being hot...on purpose," he added toward Trowa's room.

Trowa laughed even more, sounding about delighted.

"He's an asshole," Heero noted, looking to Matty thoughtfully. "Had you noticed that?"

"I thought it was hot," Matty shrugged, starting toward the living room. "I think it was how he was moving..."

"His tone, and he's being all cocky because he topped me, Duo, and Wufei today. He's gonna have a big head for a day or two..."

Wufei watched as they moved to sit and listened as Duo and Quatre moved down the hall. Quatre was bickering with Duo, but there didn't seem to be any real heart in it...and Matty and Heero were discussing what about Trowa's action had struck them as hot.

"You idiots take into account that he's built?" Wufei asked dryly, drinking from his cup as he looked down the bar at them.

Heero cast him a knowing smirk.

"Don't even pretend you got under my skin," Wufei retorted to that. "I just hear you dumbasses drooling over idiots who spend all their time working out," he made sure Trowa heard that one—but Trowa was already laughing again.

"Are you all right?" Matty asked him curiously, moving into the kitchen. "I'd ask Trowa, but I don't want him mistaking my concern." He pulled the fridge open.

Wufei laughed at that, ruffling the kid's hair. "We weren't trying to hurt each other. I realized he was testing me when he was looming and asking me if I wanted to go out tonight."

"He looms really good," Heero noted dryly. "Get me something?" he added to Matty.

Matty turned and opened the fridge again, pulling out another drink. He moved easily down to pass that over, then sat on the couch and sighed. "Fian?"

"Yes'm?" Wufei muttered, moving to join them on the couch.

"Could you teach me more self defense?" he muttered. "Duo was starting to, but he and Quatre are like...stuck at the hips...in the annoying way."

Wufei gave him a look.

Matty laughed happily, cuddling against Heero. "I just...I want to be able to really react, not just...shove...at anyone attacking me."

"You're doing good," Trowa protested, moving out with a shirt on. "Don't sell yourself short. For someone who was only taught a handful of moves by Duo, you aren't doing bad."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Duo demanded, moving into the area with a couple dirty cups in his hands. "That sounded bad."

"You've only taught him a few things," Trowa retorted. "We either need to get him through classes at the base, or start doing it ourselves. Personally, I think the base thing sounds like the best bet. We'll all be willing to let him pussy-out if he gives us puppy-dog eyes...they'll make him persist."

"That wasn't derogatory or anything," Matty noted dryly.

Trowa snickered at that and gave him a look. "Don't misunderstand me. Once you get deep into the training, it gets hard and you want to stop. You think you'll just take a break for a week or two, but if you're like me, you won't go back...or was that because I already have a way to fight?" he looked to Duo uncertainly.

"A little of both," Duo noted, grabbing a drink out of the fridge. "What the hell got into you today?" he added. "Why did you suddenly decide you needed to fight us?"

"I didn't suddenly decide to fight you," Trowa retorted. "I was just thinking that Matty needs to be able to react on the fly if shit starts happening. I thought I'd talked about it with Heero before, but evidently not because he spazzed as bad as you did."

"I'm sorry, but you scared him," Heero snapped back.

"That's the point," Trowa retorted. "If he's just fucking around with me it's one thing—he'll get all cocky and pull some move on me that would make my reaction violent and I'd take it so not to hurt him..."

Matty smirked at that.

"If I scare him," Trowa went on, moving to sit in the recliner, "it'll be a much closer reaction to what'd really happen."

"And it's not like I'm scared of him," Matty added. "It's more of a...I can't get away...which sounds worse, I suppose, but it's not."

Trowa grinned at him.

"And he hasn't gotten laid in a week or two," Quatre noted happily, moving into the kitchen.

Heero, Duo, and Wufei snickered at that.

"He was the one who set it up with Blake," Matty noted happily—there wasn't even a hint of sympathy in his tone. "And he's the one who said it was fine that Blake dated."

"No one said I wanted to date and or do anything more than get laid," Trowa reminded him. "And I'm going out tonight."

"And before you make some comment and wake up embarrassed," Wufei cut in as the teen opened his mouth, "when Trowa decides he's going out and is walking around the house topless, he'll come home with two or three chicks...at least, I'm hoping it'll be chicks tonight," he glanced at Trowa pointedly.

Trowa laughed wickedly, taking another drink.

"Two or three?" Matty demanded.

"It depends on who all remains behind who I think need laid," Trowa shrugged innocently. "You're not coming out?" he added to Wufei, turning to him in concern. "I thought you said you would if you felt okay."

"I don't know," he sighed. "I still haven't decided if you really concussed me or not."

Trowa snorted at him, then sat back and ran a hand through his hair. "Why is it that when I stop being picky, the two easiest bastards in the world are in relationships?"

"I'm not sure if that was really complimentary, or really offensive," Duo noted, looking to Heero. "What did you get out of it?"

"Matty, wanna threesome?" Heero grinned wickedly at Duo.

Trowa laughed at that, pushing himself up. "So, with or without you," Trowa noted to Wufei, "I'm bringing someone home for you and Jin both..."

Their phones beeped.

"You hear that, Jinli?" Trowa asked as the door opened. "I'm getting you laid."

"That's almost an interesting prospect," Lifon called back happily. "But you have the wrong Li."

Matty started laughing.

"Oh, hey, sweet," Trowa smiled at her. "Sorry, I thought you were going to Eve's today."

"I was going to, but she's a bitch," Li shrugged, moving into the kitchen to open the fridge. "She decided that she really had to watch this movie called Rewind..."

"That's the one where the snotty modern daughter goes back in time and is a peasant in the medieval era, right?" Trowa asked, moving to the cupboards and pulling out a package of cookies, which he slid to her down the counter. "I thought you said it was a B movie."

"It's a cult," she corrected, digging out another drink and smiling at Matty. "How are you?"

"Not bad...what's this, now?" Matty followed after.

Li moved down into the sunken area, and as she did so, she moved over and flicked on the radio. She took a moment to adjust the volume before moving to sit at the little table and open the cookies. "What playlist?"

"I'd say dirty, but Blake decided to make it actually dirty—and I have some amusing associations for that...so dark?"

"I don't feel like dark," she protested, swinging his laptop around and opening his music program.

Matty stared at her as she flicked through the options and finally started a playlist, then looked back up to him with a smile. "You remember that movie, right? I remember you telling me it was a stupid girl movie."

"Yeah," Matty hesitated, sitting in that chair.

"Watch it," Trowa muttered, moving up behind as he set a notebook and bunch of grapes in front of Li.

Matty moved from the chair uncertainly, then around to third. "Which is Eve, again?"

"Dark hair," Trowa explained, indicating a curly length with his free hand. "Likes telling Li to make me buy her more stuff."

Lifon giggled at that.

"Ade is the one who thinks I'm trying to make her fall in love with me," Trowa added, rolling his eyes and opening a program on his machine. "They're both twits who fall in love with every other guy who's popular...but that's just me being annoyed because they think I'm some lascivious stalker."

"Lascivious stalker?" Lifon asked, then giggled more. "I don't know about the stalker bit..."

Matty looked between them, then frowned slightly at Trowa. "What are you doing?"

"She decided that once a week she wants to go over the vocab from Spanish and there's a site for the standardized tests on English vocab."

"And I need to decide how many people I really want for my party," she noted, messing with the ends of her hair and staring into the distance.

"Tro?" Matty asked quietly.

"Hm?" Trowa logged into the account they'd made.

"What was her GPA?"

"Um...three point seven?" he looked to her for confirmation.

"Five," she corrected. "I was trying for the seven."

"Yeah...that," Trowa grinned at Matty. "Why?"

"Was just thinking about scholarships and stuff," Matty shrugged casually. "I mean, she's almost seventeen, she'll graduate next year."

"With A.P. classes," Trowa shot at her almost accusingly.

"I don't want to put the effort into the class," she bickered. "I can take the test at the end of the year."

"Don't half-ass your free education," Trowa chided. "I tell you and tell you that that sheet of paper that'll make people call you doctor Williams is expensive and time-consuming...and you have to really want it."

"Its summer," she pouted at him. "I've only had a week without classes, and you're still all over me about it!"

"For some reason," Trowa noted dryly, "I'd love to see you succeed, with minimal effort."

She blew out her nose at him.

Trowa rolled his eyes and looked back to Matty.

"And...Ade is the one who went to the movies with you two last time?"

"No, that was Eve," Trowa corrected casually, then turned the laptop for Li to see. "And I'm not taking her again, because I'm pretty sure she was trying to hold my hand."

"What was your first clue?" Li asked dryly, shifting forward to study the screen.

"When she grabbed my hand," Trowa retorted.

Matty closed his eyes.

"Anyway, you wanna sit here and keep time for her?" Trowa was interested as he looked back to Matty. "Heero said something a few minutes ago that caught my attention."

Matty guffawed at him, rising to his feet—that was almost offensive.

The phones beeped.

"Hey, Li!" Trowa called happily as the door opened. "I thought you were going to your friend's..."

"What?" Jin asked blankly, staring at him and looking to Li a moment as she laughed.

"Oh!" Trowa shook his head sharply. "Wait, I mean I'm gonna get you laid tonight."

"I'm straight," Jin reminded him with a raised eyebrow—the others in the living room were laughing

"Not by me, dipshit," Trowa snickered, "though..."

"Trowa!" Lifon smacked his arm.

Trowa laughed again. "I'm going out tonight—so if you're not coming with me, be ready when I come in, because three girls can get demanding."

"Say what now?" Lifon asked in a flat disbelieving voice.

"Don't worry," he muttered dryly, "you count as all three on your own."

She laughed at that as Matty smacked a hand to his face.

"If you're not out here when I bring them in," Trowa added, "there's a high chance that they'll end up in bed with me. Wufei knows the drill, he'll give you the rundown."

"What makes you think I want your cast-offs?" Jin demanded in disbelief.

"He doesn't give us the cast-offs," Wufei returned dryly. "He lets us pick which one we want and takes the last one to bed himself...he's generous."

"That is so wrong!" Li protested.

"And so not the conversation to have with the teeny-bopper girl in the house," Quatre agreed pointedly.

Trowa sighed, looking around to the girl and shrugging. "Sorry, adult matters, you understand."

She narrowed her eyes at him, tapping her fingernails pointedly on the table-top.

Trowa gave her a very wide-eyed innocent look.

"I'm calling dad," Matty muttered dryly, rising to his feet. "I want to explain to him quick-like that you're warping his baby girl."

"I am not," Trowa protested after him. "Heero says you use your nails, too!"

Lifon started giggling.

"Even I know that's not what he was talking about," Heero noted happily, moving into the kitchen. "Lifon-baby, come away from the pervert now, come on..." he gestured her toward him.

Lifon kept giggling, then refocused on the screen.