Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Half Cocked ❯ Three ( Chapter 3 )

Three

"See?" Heero muttered quietly, pulling the map around so Matty could see it from another angle. "If you're standing on this head, it'll be at this angle." He shifted it slightly as he considered it. "The door is built into the cliff-side."

"I don't think I should know this," Matty whispered, staring at the map. "I think it's dangerous for me to know this."

"Patel and a few of his men will be here in the apartment," Heero reassured him quietly. "You won't be alone. I'm pretty sure there's no one left up here connected to Gerrange at all. You'll be safe...and if something happens..."

"Don't go," Matty whispered, grabbing Heero's wrist and staring into his eyes. "Stay with me..."

"We can't just sit here and watch the world burn to ashes," Heero returned, touching his face. "I know you don't...I don't want to leave you...but I can't take you with me. It goes beyond Quatre's order...beyond that logic at all. If you come, what can I do? I'm going to be there protecting you and that means it's not me protecting them...I know...I know you're not happy," he cupped Matty's face gently. "But I have to do this."

"Oh great martyr," Matty grumped, climbing into his arms, then onto his lap. He knew he'd cry before dawn...he'd probably cry himself to sleep.

"I'm only a martyr if I give myself up to die," Heero retorted. "And with you here and you wanting me, I'll come back. I can't leave you, right?"

"But you are," Matty whispered.

"But not for long," Heero retorted. "I don't want to leave, which means I'm not going to play soft with them. I'm gonna make it hard and fast."

Matty pouted at him.

Heero sighed, pulling him tightly into his arms. "Come on, Matty," he whispered. "The five of us went into that colony with what was it? Twenty-thousand men? Something ridiculous like that, and we got you and forty some-odd hostages out uninjured."

"That's not a guarantee," he snapped.

"But it's how we do it," Heero retorted. "I'll come back. I will come back."

Matty clung to him.

"Besides," Heero added, hugging him. "If nothing happens, I'll be back by Friday or Saturday, alright?"

"Right," Matty sighed, holding him close.

- -

"Come here," Trowa muttered, pulling Blake to him. "I know you have an early day tomorrow," he added when the guy started opening his mouth. "But so do I."

"You're just going to check out the Brazil situation," Blake protested, relaxing against his chest. Trowa was standing at the window in the corner. "Why is Matty freaking out?"

"Who said it that way?" Trowa asked blankly. "Have you not heard about the Brazil situation?"

"What do you mean?" Blake protested.

"What do you mean?" Trowa retorted. "This isn't just some recon mission, Blake. We're down there until Gerrange is dead and gone...or just dead."

Blake stared at him.

"Or...back by Friday," Trowa smirked very slightly. "If nothing happens we're back by Friday...but we doubt it'll be that easy. I'm going."

"But..." Blake's heart-rate had sped up. "But..."

"So just let me hold you a while," Trowa muttered, relaxing him against the wall. "It might be a while before we get back."

Blake's arms moved around his neck slowly, uncertainly.

"It's difficult...to say things..." Trowa muttered after a long silence. "It's hard...to...put it to words."

"If you tell me you fell in love with me I'm going to throw you out this window," Blake whispered.

"I love you," Trowa retorted. "But I'm not madly in love with you or anything. Geeze, I have to work myself up to admitting anything to you and you threaten to throw me out the window."

"Stop teasing me," Blake grumbled, sliding his hands into Trowa's hair. With how Matty was acting, the very vague and sketchy details his father had given him...and then what Trowa'd said...

Trowa kissed his throat. "I'm...getting my gundam."

Blake froze.

"I can't just stand back and watch this shit play out anymore," Trowa kissed under his ear. "I'm fighting now."

Blake pulled away to stare into his face.

"I know...what we have isn't what you want," Trowa added, looking down briefly. "But what we have...knowing you're there...right now, I want that. I can't...I know I can't expect you to just put your life on hold for my amusement, but if..." he licked his lips, not sure how to phrase it. "...you know where I am."

"You're a bastard," Blake muttered, pulling Trowa back to him. "Just a bastard."

"With no name."

"What, Trowa?" he couldn't help the sarcasm in his voice.

Trowa laughed a little at that, enjoying being held. "Did I ever tell you that I could be as old as twenty-four?"

"You said you were twenty-two," Blake protested. "What do you mean, you could be..."

"Did we ever tell you when our birthdays were?"

"You...never did," Blake muttered quietly. "Wufei's is coming up, right? And Quatre's is?"

Trowa nodded. "The rest of us celebrate it on January first."

"So...when is your birthday, then?" the guy gave him a confused look.

Trowa shrugged indifferently. "I couldn't tell you."

Blake blinked at him. "Wait...the rest of you...but...if Quatre and Wufei know..."

"Do you know the key difference between those two and the rest of us?" Trowa cut into the fumbling.

"There is one?" he muttered skeptically.

Trowa chuckled slightly, then kissed at Blake's ear again. "They had parents."

Blake froze.

"Mm," Trowa started kissing at Blake's ear again.

"Don't start that," Blake muttered irritably, shoving his mouth away. "Don't say something like that and then just try for sex..."

"It'll be sex by the end of it anyway," Trowa retorted.

Blake snorted and smacked him.

Trowa laughed a little, then sighed as he thought back. "The real Trowa Barton was a piece of work," he noted. "A right chipper doppelganger of his idiot father and their far-flung notions of right and wrong."

Blake blinked at that, tilting his head a moment. "Barton...Dekim Barton?" he met Trowa's eyes. "Why... I..."

Trowa smiled, looking back out the window. "I watched Trowa Barton get killed," he said quietly. "I saw him shot and nearly got shot for it myself. The doctor...the man who finished my training, he agreed that I could become Trowa Barton—so I did."

Blake blinked at that. "So...what's your real name?"

"I was called Noname," Trowa shrugged. "Most of my life they just called me Noname—but if you ask Cathy, my name had to be Triton."

Blake blinked. "What?"

"I didn't tell you about Cathy?" Trowa demanded, taking a sharp breath as he thought back. "I really haven't told you about Cathy, holy shit..."

"Who's Cathy?" Blake demanded dryly. "The love of your life?"

"Hardly," Trowa retorted. "More like a sister...and I stress like. Evidently when she was little she lost a little brother named Triton—and there's enough a resemblance between us that she's decided I have to be him...despite the fact that no one's really sure where I was found. They think I was four...and that's what they told me when they thought I was ten."

"They?"

"I was raised with mercenaries," Trowa noted in amusement, pulling back to study Blake's eyes. "And I really never told you any of that, did I?"

Blake gave him a hurt look.

Trowa sighed, then shrugged. "Come on. I'll tell you about it, we can set the alarm for you so you don't sleep in..."

"You were bound and determined to make me stay the night," Blake noted pointedly, following after. He was still in a state of shock, but he couldn't fight the amusement.

"And I found a way to do it," Trowa flashed him a wicked grin. "So I'll tell you my life story and when you're all teary-eyed with hurt for me, I'll seduce you and both my aims will be met before I leave."

Blake started laughing, smacking at him as they moved into the room.

"Neat how that works, huh?" Trowa added, kissing at his throat again. "And hey, I have one of your work outfits over on the dresser. It's even clean."

Blake laughed even more, allowing himself to be lowered onto the bed as he held on to Trowa's shoulders. "You really are a bastard..."

"We don't know that for sure, though," Trowa protested. "I'm some form of war orphan, yes, but maybe my parents were king and queen of a wealthy oil-field...or maybe I'm the next king of England. You thought about that?"

"Hold on while I go find the sword and the stone for you."

Trowa giggled at that, kissing at Blake's throat again, then remembering that he was trying to respect Blake a little more. He made himself comfortable, focusing on the wall between his and Heero's rooms. "I was just with the mercs," he noted quietly. "As far back as I remember, it was them and their women who took care of me...and I knew how to pilot before I ever knew what the word 'orphan' meant."

- -

"How can you just leave me here?" Jinli whispered.

"I need you here with Matty," Wufei retorted. "I need you here to go to base...I need you here so I'm not constantly worrying about where you're at. You're being an awfully good wife now, though."

Jinli elbowed him, hard.

Wufei grunted, then laughed a little weakly. "So...consummate?"

For some reason, he was expecting to be shoved off the bed, and he squatted on the floor grinning up at Jinli, who didn't appreciate the joke. He never did. If he were perfectly honest, though, Wufei really appreciated that his friend didn't appreciate his joke. He wasn't sure what he'd do if Jinli ever agreed. He doubted that agreement would be any more realistic than his suggestions, but what did you say to that when you made the first comment?

"Oh go to sleep," Jinli grumbled, curling up against the wall. "I don't want to talk to you anymore."

Wufei sighed, climbing back into his spot and sighing as he settled the blankets back around them. "I'm sorry, okay?" he said quietly. "I know you're fully capable of helping us...but knowing that and knowing you're here so I can just tell you what to do...it's sort of a relief. If you were with me, I'd constantly worried because you never went through the military. What we did...back then...the...training. It's not the same as this. The shell-shock alone..."

"I was in the apartment," Jinli snarled, gesturing toward the old apartment. "I was there, and I kept those two from getting thrown out the window!"

Wufei settled back, blinking as he thought about that. That whole ordeal had been traumatic in a way—Matty still suffered some effects from it. He, personally, agreed with Jinli's assessment, but he understood Quatre's tactics enough to get that he wouldn't know what to do with Jinli if he had to start coordinating them. There was a timing and a cadence when they worked together, and Jinli would miss a beat.

Not that he'd readily admit to it, especially to Jinli, but he'd be far too worried about his friend getting hurt to work. He couldn't admit that. It would shame Jin, and he was ashamed of himself enough without that.

"Just...don't...don't call me a bitch or something...but...be careful, alright?"

"I know," Wufei muttered quietly. "We should be fine, I mean...Demigod is...well, something else. I should be fine."

"Should being the key word." Jinli sighed, pressing his back into the other. "I lost you once. I don't want to lose you again—I haven't even gotten you to find anyone else."

Wufei blinked at that, then sighed. "Fine, then," he muttered. "When this is done...we'll do your tour."

"What?" Jinli demanded dryly.

"When we take care of Gerrange..."

"Another put-off," Jinli noted darkly.

"'cause obviously, we'll just let him get away now that he's started attacking the populace at large instead of taking a random handful of hostages."

"And how long will it take now?"

"If I fucking knew that I'd buy the fucking tickets," Wufei snapped back.

Jin guffawed.

"I'm sorry that my chosen occupation interrupts your plans," Wufei snapped, sitting up to stare down at him.

Jinli narrowed his eyes, looking up at Wufei.

"I'm sorry that little things come up and annoy you, I'm a horrible husband."

Jinli shoved hard at his thigh, obviously irritated.

Wufei still felt bad. He was still tired, his lungs still ached, and Jinli was throwing a fit like some kid in a bad mood.

"Stop fucking hitting me!" he shouted before he could help himself, then ran his hands down his face.

Jinli turned back to the wall, curling up more.

"I don't have anything to say," Wufei noted after a moment. "This is happening, this is how it's happening...and that's all there is to say."

"Maybe I should go back to my room," Jin muttered, shoving himself up.

Wufei grabbed his arm before he could pass, meeting his eyes.

"Why?" Jinli hissed, staring into his eyes. "Why?"

"Because Quatre doesn't know how to use you yet," Wufei said quietly. "Because even though I know you're capable, I'd be distracted by you. Because if you're here, and shit goes down here, you will be here...because we can't leave Matty alone...because this shit is dangerous, and we do it so no one else has to."

"Pretty speech," Jinli grumped, dropping back down to sit and study him. "You think you're going to die, don't you?"

"What?" Wufei asked blankly.

"Don't give me that look," Jinli retorted irritably, dropping over sideways. "I hate you so much sometimes."

"Your honesty is why I married you," Wufei retorted, dropping over sideways himself.

Jinli snickered slightly.

Wufei grinned, looking toward the outer wall. "Either that or the way you look all wet."

Jinli groaned and smacked him.

Wufei snickered. "No, seriously...you look like a drowned...don't! Don't push me off the bed again!"

- -

"Li...Li...Lifon," Taofa pulled her away from Trowa, who she'd been clinging to for a few minutes. "The man needs to breathe."

Lifon clung more to Trowa without responding to her father.

"Shh," Trowa whispered, hugging her tighter. "Come on, we're trying to leave without letting anyone know we're leaving."

"Don't die, bastard," she retorted.

"Ha," Blake muttered, moving under Trowa's other arm. "I knew it was true."

Lifon laughed a little at that, studying Trowa's face uncertainly.

"You're both overreacting," Trowa informed them quietly. "Nothing's going to go wrong."

"You don't know that," she retorted.

"Well, let's see," he muttered, lowering his voice. "We were about fifteen, we attacked earth, and...well, I'm twenty-two now, aren't I?"

She gave him a pouty look.

"Not only that," he muttered quietly as Blake pulled away, "but we went into a colony packed with these rebels...and got out no problems with Matty and forty-two or so hostages. These same rebels...just like, twice as many of them."

She pouted at him again, then nodded. She hugged him tightly, then pressed her lips under his ear. "Don't die," she whispered again.

He nodded.

Lifon sighed and pulled away, looking around a moment before moving over to hug Wufei.

"Don't go," Blake pulled at Trowa's upper arm as he moved for Tim and Jinli. "Rigel, don't go..."

Trowa looked back to him, smiling slightly before pulling him into another hug. The younger male had woken Trowa up when he was on the phone talking to his work about coming in late. He'd claimed his car wasn't working and he'd have to borrow a friend's. That friend, however was across town and things just weren't working.

"No, Trowa..." Blake's eyes were earnest and glossy. "I'm serious."

"Shh," Trowa returned, resting a fingertip on his lips. "I'll be fine."

"You better be careful," Matty hissed, clinging tightly to Heero. His eyes were red rimmed, and his cheeks looked...well, like he'd been wiping them a lot. There was no missing that he kept crying.

Poor boy.

Trowa frowned at the younger Asian, then realized something that Heero'd been doing that he figured he probably should. "It'll be okay," he muttered, meeting Blake's eyes again. He'd been interrupting his friend, not letting him work himself up—not reassuring him. Heero was doing a mixture of both. "I promise you I'll be okay, alright?"

"No," Blake pouted at him, clinging to him again. "I don't know what's going on down there, and if you're doing the good-bye talks...and Matty keeps crying and..."

"Shh," Trowa held him closer. "I know it must seem horribly dire like this, but...hey," he pulled back to meet eyes. "We confronted the world, and lived."

Blake studied his face, his brow wrinkling.

Trowa sighed, kissing his lips again. "I have to go," he said as the woman started talking about boarding procedure. "Take care," he kissed him properly. "It'll be fine...I'll...I'll take you to Pandora's when I get back, right? See? A date," he smiled as he started away. "I take my dates seriously, just ask Matty about Lifon."

Blake smiled slightly at that, then started rubbing hard at his eyes.

Trowa looked around at the people in the area, feeling his chest throb slightly at Blake's distress. He pulled Matty into a hug and kissed his temple, then moved to pull Tim into a hug.

"You better not die," Tim informed him. "I don't want your damn fortune yet."

"You'll have to share it with him anyway," Trowa retorted, indicating Blake. He'd had the thought not long after they'd decided to just go. He'd called his lawyer and gotten the younger man to fill out the paper-work, and got it all faxed up before Blake was going to leave.

"You only replaced me because he puts out."

"Hey, I'm a simple man..." Trowa shrugged.

Tim laughed, rolling his eyes, then stepped back as Jinli hugged Trowa briefly. "You get me drunk enough, I'd probably put out, too."

Trowa started laughing as Jinli pulled away to give Trowa a severely level look—which made the comment all the funnier. Tim and Trowa both laughed...before Blake moved to cling back to Trowa again.

"Come on," Trowa muttered gently, hugging Blake again as the guy ran his fingers up into his hair. "Come on...it'll be fine," Trowa nuzzled at Blake. "Take a breath," he whispered—Blake complied. "Let it out, slow...again..."

The woman started calling for the pre-boards to get on.

Trowa kissed Blake in a way that made some bystanders snigger and mutter, then pulled back to smile at him. "Smile for me," he suggested quietly.

Blake smiled slightly, though it was sad, then covered his face with his hands with a silent sob.

Heero met Trowa's eyes, then looked back to Matty. Jin had the Asian male under one arm, and pulled Blake under the other. Both the younger males were crying, and Jinli had a sort of put-upon look...though he was obviously trying to reassure them both. "I'll take care of them," he reassured them. "Go, before they lose it."

"Thanks, sorry," Trowa whispered. "Take care."

Jin nodded, and Trowa turned quickly to the plane. Heero hesitated the briefest moment longer before catching up with Trowa. He swallowed hard, shaking his head...then nearly ran the rest of the way as Matty sobbed. Trowa was in the middle of trying to convince himself he wasn't that bothered by Blake...until he heard it.

He caught up to Heero.

"Holy shit," Trowa muttered as he dropped next to Heero and looked across the aisle to Duo and Wufei—Wufei was grinning his raven's grin. "What the hell just happened?"

"Your boyfriend was upset you were leaving," Duo retorted dryly. "He's just young and understands the extent of the danger."

Trowa gave him a look, then sank down in his seat.

"I couldn't stay out there with Matty like that," Heero took a stressed sort of breath. "Did you feel it?"

Trowa nodded glumly, then looked back to Duo.

"What?" Duo asked as the other passengers started loading. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I think I want to talk to you," Trowa said, sinking even lower in his seat.

"Talk to me?" Duo repeated blankly. "What do you mea..." he fell silent a long moment. "Oh."

"Oh," Trowa echoed sarcastically. "Make me feel much better about it."

"Can't you talk to Fei?" Duo protested, though he sounded amused. "I mean, most of his emotions were 'I'm the best' when he was growing up, but he did feel them...I think."

Wufei started laughing, smacking Duo's arm.

"We don't have to talk about it," Trowa muttered, his spirits sinking even lower.

"What are you doing?" Heero asked blankly, looking over to Duo. "Why are you being like that?"

Trowa blinked himself, looking around to the Japanese man. His expression was utterly perplexed as he stared at Duo.

"I was...teasing him," Duo said carefully. "I didn't..."

"You never tease me," Heero protested. "You said stuff like that makes people feel stupid, so you don't do it—so you're doing it to him?"

Duo laughed weakly, sinking down in his own chair. "Thanks for pointing it out," he noted dryly.

"If you're going to do it to Trowa, you can't expect me to be all proper at you."

Duo sighed, then looked over and nodded to Trowa sincerely. "When we get the chance."

Trowa smiled wryly at him. Heero didn't realize he was afforded special treatment, and he probably wouldn't understand why if they did mention it. The only special treatment they gave Trowa was to leave him alone when he was pissy...and that wasn't really special treatment for his benefit.

"Wanna talk it out to me?" Heero muttered, settling down in his seat as well. "I'm still all muzzy from Matty all last night...I could use something else to try and understand."

Trowa shrugged, looking toward the ceiling. "It's just...Blake...and Li both."

"Both?"

Trowa nodded, considering the buttons above his head. "I mean...when it all started with Blake, it was...a sort of accident. I hadn't really meant to seduce him, but the way he looks...and feels..."

Heero nodded.

"So I told him there'd be more of that...and...then when he got with Darren," Trowa couldn't fight the disparaging tone his voice took regarding Blake's ex. "I mean...I know what I'm giving him isn't what he wants. I'm not being his boyfriend...but I like being with him and stuff...and I missed him. It's been nice to have him back."

"So you like him," Heero noted thoughtfully.

"Yeah," Trowa agreed, smiling slightly to himself. He'd told Blake about growing up and how he'd become a pilot. He'd told him how he'd learned just about everything he knew...the amnesia bit had made the other laugh and proclaim he'd make a good soap opera...but when Trowa'd sort of shrugged it off, Blake had gone very quiet for a while...before clinging to him hard.

"But how much?" Heero muttered. "And where does Li fall in?"

"That's the problem," Trowa noted dryly. "She shouldn't fall in."

"Ooh, you avoided my question," Heero smiled slightly at him. "That means you don't want to think about it, right?"

"You're a horrible tattle-tale," Trowa informed him.

Heero blinked at that in confusion a moment before snickering.

"That's part of why I want to talk to Duo," Trowa added with a sigh. "I'm not in love with him, but I don't want to share him or for him to go away...and I want to keep Li, too."

"Which is holly jolly since she's seventeen, impressionable, emotional, and unstable."

"I'm glad we're on the same page," Trowa retorted.

Heero sighed, shifting back in his seat. "I'm not helping, am I?"

"This is about how I expect the conversation to go with Duo," Trowa noted dryly. "You're doing fine."

Heero gave him a look.

"Sorry, not being able to figure it all out makes me grumpy," Trowa shook his head. "And Blake doesn't understand the full danger...and...and I told him."

"Told him?" Heero blinked at that, then nodded. "So he's utterly terrified. I wondered how you got him to stay the night—nice timing. How'd you fuck him?"

"I think they're right in calling me a bastard," Trowa muttered tiredly. He really had seduced Blake. He'd meant to start treating him better, but he'd...

"I heard you talking a long time," Heero muttered quietly. "What were you saying?"

"I'd never told him about being an orphan. I'd never told him...about Cathy...I'd never told him about the mercenaries or the Bartons...none of it." He smiled slightly. "He told me that he liked older guys, so I should claim the twenty-four."

"That's an extreme," Heero protested.

"Yeah, but twenty-two is the minimum."

"It doesn't matter anyway, the rest of us are twenty-two."

Trowa grinned at that and nodded his agreement—that had been part of why he'd taken that age at the time. Well, the others had been claiming eighteen, and he'd felt kinda alone in the 'I have no fucking idea' stage...so he'd decided the peer pressure was worth it.

"So...you were just talking about yourself?" Heero added dryly.

"He deserved to know," Trowa said quietly, moving his head as a larger woman came by with a bag on her arm. It'd nearly hit him. "What if I die? All he'd have known is I have a desk job, a fake name, and I fought in the wars."

Heero nodded at that.

"It was...kind of nice...to talk about it," Trowa added quietly. "I hadn't done that since...with you guys. I even told him stuff I haven't said to you."

"Like what?" Heero asked wryly.

"Like...I kinda remember...my parents."

Heero focused on him intently.

Trowa shrugged, the impression coming again. "Cold," he explained. "A lot of white that I'm pretty sure was snow...and..." he shrugged.

"And?"

And sort of a baby? No. Trowa wasn't going to bother with that part. He had probably had super-imposed what he thought himself to be on the scene.

"I don't know...it's too jumbled for me to make words out of it."

"And you told Blake about it."

Trowa laughed. "Pretty much what I just told you."

Heero grinned at him and shook his head. "So what did he say? What did he think of the real Noname?"

"He was sad," Trowa returned, smiling slightly. "He couldn't imagine not having a mother and father...though I still have no clue where his mother is."

"She ran off on his dad," Heero returned, rolling his eyes. "Found a better man and had more kids...she's a bitch."

Trowa met his eyes.

"Matty told me," Heero explained easily, shrugging. "You wanted to know, so I told you."

Trowa nodded, feeling down. He really needed to have that conversation with Blake.

"So...I'm taking him on a date when we get back," Trowa shoved himself up in his seat without looking around.

"Nice," Heero muttered dryly. "I don't want to be your boyfriend for reals, so we'll just play pretend."

Trowa focused on him, narrowing his eyes.

"Yeah, I said it," Heero agreed easily. "Now you think about it, and about what happens when he finds a real boyfriend. You should be clued in by now that he's not gonna cheat, so he'll be...maybe...a friend."

"Asshole," Trowa retorted, sinking down in his seat.

"Wow," Duo muttered sidelong to Wufei—they'd been listening as best they could to the others' conversation. "He totally just sucker-punched him with words, and Trowa took it."

"I think they're your friends," Wufei noted happily, rubbing at his chest. "I'll be generous and let you keep them."

Duo snickered. "I get all of'em...even you."

Wufei gave him a look.

Duo laughed again, then sighed and dropped backwards. "I can't wait for Quatre to get back."

"Holy shit," Wufei noted dryly, looking out the window. "You actually managed to go ten minutes without mentioning him."

Duo smacked him in the arm.