Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Helping Hands ❯ Part 14 ( Chapter 14 )

Author's Notes:

 

Quatre and Trowa finally turn up in this part, and I warn you, I'm not as comfortable writing for them as I am for Heero and Duo, so be prepared for that. Also, Heero, in particular, is getting more and more out of character, but that is because I am trying to get him away from the Perfect Soldier. It's called "character growth", and if that doesn't satisfy you, then just call it my version of him and yell at me for it. ^_^ Nothing spectacular in this part, kind of a transition part, but I hope you enjoy!

 

Helping Hands part 14


Quatre walked slowly up the gravel road, heading towards the house at the top of the hill. His footsteps were heavy and his normally cheerful face had a closed, withdrawn expression. When Trowa stepped out of the forest that the road wound through, Quatre made an effort to greet him with his usual good humor, but the effort failed. He was too tired and battle-weary to offer a genuine smile to his partner. Trowa shot him a concerned glance, but stayed silent as he joined him on the road.

After a few minutes of walking, Quatre could no longer ignore the brief, concerned looks that Trowa kept giving him. "I'm fine, Trowa."

Trowa glanced at him again, this time with disbelief.

Quatre sighed. "Okay, I'm not fine, but I will be, if I can just get some rest."

"I was told that there will not be any more missions for at least three months."

"Yes, that's what I was told, as well. I really need this break, too. I'm so tired of all of the senseless deaths and destruction."

Trowa had nothing to say to that, so they continued their walk in silence.

Quatre lost himself in his thoughts once again, mentally recapping the battles he had recently fought and tallying the damage done to Sandrock. Since this was to be a vacation of sorts, the Maganacs were not joining the pilots. This meant that Quatre was going to have to repair Sandrock himself. He forced himself to concentrate on his Gundam, hidden, like Heavyarms, in the forest nearby, rather than dwell on the number of people he had killed in each battle, as had become his habit lately.

Trowa, meanwhile, scanned the forest around them as they walked, alert for possible enemies. They were in friendly territory though, and with Heero Yuy playing watchdog over the area, Trowa felt safe enough to relax his guard a little and let his thoughts roam. He was, as Quatre had perceived, worried about his partner. His lips quirked slightly in amusement as it occurred to him that Quatre was one of a very small number of people who knew him well enough to read his expressions so easily. Quatre occasionally teased him about it, saying that Trowa spoke so rarely that Quatre had learned how to have entire conversations with him without Trowa ever saying a word. The slight smile faded as he realized that Quatre hadn't teased him about that, or anything else, for several weeks. Trowa had grown up with mercenaries, so he was far more accustomed to back-to-back missions than Quatre. Trowa might be tired, but Quatre was utterly worn out.

The two continued walking, Trowa still looking around and Quatre, with his head bowed, not paying much attention to their surroundings. When they reached the top of the hill, Trowa paused, looking over the house and the clearing in which it sat. Quatre continued on a few steps before he realized that Trowa was no longer beside him and stopped. He half turned to look back at Trowa and then, understanding what he was doing, faced the house again. Quatre was not as concerned with the defensive capabilities of the house as Trowa was, but he decided to take a good, long look at it anyway.

As he focused on the house, he sensed something strange, an energy, almost a presence. Frowning, he reached out with his empathy, probing, trying to determine exactly what it was that he sensed. He was totally unprepared for the result.

A soft, strangled cry caught Trowa's attention, his gaze snapping back to his partner. Quatre's body had stiffened, as though in pain or shock, and, as Trowa watched, he went limp and began to collapse. Trowa leapt across the few feet that separated them and caught him from behind, gently lowering him the rest of the way to the ground. He swiftly looked over Quatre's body, searching for an injury. Finding nothing obviously wrong, he examined Quatre's face.

Quatre was staring at the house, his eyes locked onto it, unable to look away. He was panting, struggling to get air into his lungs, and his face was unusually pale. Trowa knelt down behind Quatre and lifted him slightly, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and pulling him close, supporting him. He took care not to move between Quatre and the house, and, as he held him against his chest, he could feel Quatre's heart pounding at a dangerously fast rate.

Several seconds went by, with no change in Quatre's condition and Trowa decided he couldn't wait any longer. He took a deep breath, reached out, and deliberately placed his hand in front of Quatre's eyes, blocking his view of the house.

Quatre immediately began breathing easier and he closed his eyes, resting in Trowa's arms, as his heart rate slowly went back to normal and the color came back into his face. When he opened his eyes again, he found Trowa watching him, patiently waiting for an explanation. He smiled weakly at him, trying to reassure him. Trowa frowned in response. Quatre shook his head at him, slightly exasperated.

"I'm not injured, Trowa. I just did something really stupid and paid the price for it. Now help me up, please. I need to talk to Heero."

Trowa hesitated for a moment and then nodded. He helped Quatre to stand and kept an arm around him, steadying him, as the two slowly made their way across the clearing and into the house.

********************

Inside, Heero and Duo were in the kitchen, preparing an early dinner for the four of them. The pilots had developed routines for how to handle the inevitable chores, such as cooking and laundry. Whenever four of them were together, they took care of the cooking and dishes in pairs, one pair playing host to the other. This time, of course, Heero and Duo were the hosts and Heero had promised they would have dinner waiting when the other two arrived. Katherine had been watching them for most of the day, invisible, as they worked, taking care of the chores that had been neglected during their search for the journal, before heading to the kitchen to fix dinner.

"How long?" Duo asked.

"Almost an hour. They should be coming in any minute."

"They're coming up the drive now." Katherine said, materializing near the doorway to the rest of the house. "How did you know?"

Duo stopped chopping tomatoes long enough to wave a greeting to her, but went back to making his salad without answering her question.

"This." She looked and saw Heero tapping a small device that was sitting on the countertop. Once he was sure he had her attention, he moved to the breakfast nook, to the side of the kitchen. He began setting the table, talking as he worked. "It has many functions, including a link to our Gundams and their security systems. We have various security protocols to verify each other's identities and Duo and I were both alerted as soon as they came within range. Because of this, I know what time they got here and, from experience, I know approximately how long it takes to secure the Gundams." He paused a moment, to make sure she was following his explanation, and frowned when he realized she wasn't really listening. She was looking back and forth between him and Duo and seemed somewhat distracted.

"Katherine..." Heero began, his frown edging into a glare.

She blinked and focused her attention back on him. "I heard you. That thing on the counter that looks like a cross between a pocket notebook and a cell phone told you that they were here." She shrugged, dismissing the subject. "Now that you've answered that question, I have another one for you. Why weren't you surprised when I spoke up? I've managed to surprise you every other time."

She was not happy when Heero simply smirked at her and, finished with the table, began getting drinks for everyone. Realizing that he wasn't going to answer her question this time, she turned to Duo. He had finished preparing the salad, and was busy cleaning up the mess he had made on the counter. He grinned at her and snickered softly at her annoyance.

"Heero and I have both been in situations where we were under constant surveillance. We both know how to act, or rather, not react when an unseen watcher speaks up suddenly. It's just that the fact that you're a ghost had thrown us off a little. You're not going to be able to startle us again."

"Well, Hell!" She pouted at the two of them and Heero smirked at her as Duo continued snickering. "Oh, well, I'll just have to find some other way to play with you two." Their amusement fled and it was Katherine's turn to laugh, as they both looked slightly disconcerted.

Suddenly, her head snapped around and, laughter gone, she stared toward the front of the house. "Son of a BITCH! I'd forgotten he was an empath! I didn't think he be stupid enough to..." She looked worried, almost fearful, and she vanished without completing her sentence.

"Empath?", Duo asked. "Quatre?" Heero nodded. "What do you think he did? Do you think he's okay? And how would she know he's an empath?"

"I don't know. He should be fine, he's with Trowa. Through my dreams." Duo quirked an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to continue. "Remember, last night, she said she had manipulated my dreams."

Duo nodded. "I was a little more concerned with other things, but yeah, I remember her saying that."

"When I went back to bed the other night, after the first time we saw her, I remember having some really vivid dreams." Heero paused and Duo was delighted to see a faint blush on his cheeks. "They were no where near as vivid as the dreams you and I shared, but you were in several of them." He paused again, this time, because of Duo.

The kitchen and the breakfast nook were separated by a long, split-level counter. The higher level served as a bar on the breakfast nook side and the lower level was an open counter on the kitchen side. Heero had finished getting drinks for everyone and was simply standing by the bar as they talked. Duo, meanwhile, had been working on the counter on the other side.

Heero had fallen silent because Duo had abandoned his position at the counter and was circling around it, approaching Heero with an expression that made him slightly nervous. It was identical to the one Duo had worn the last time he had teased Heero. The one that Heero now knew was a cross between mischief and desire.

Duo stopped, directly in front of Heero, almost, but not quite, close enough for their bodies to touch. "So, tell me, koi. What did I miss?", he asked, his voice low and husky.

"Nothing," Heero answered, standing stiffly, frozen in place. He was confused, torn between desire and uncertainty. He desperately wanted to kiss Duo, or, at least, touch him, but their relationship was too new. He didn't know how to react to Duo's teasing, how Duo expected him to react, and Heero was worried about doing something wrong. Something that would drive Duo away. So, he held himself still and tried to focus on their conversation, instead of Duo's nearness. "We just talked. Mostly about ourselves and the others."

"So, you figure Katherine was manipulating the conversation to learn about all of us." Heero simply nodded and stared longingly at Duo's mouth.

Duo reach out a hand to brush the hair out of Heero's eyes and then brought it down to cup his face, his thumb brushing across Heero's cheek, caressing it gently. Heero reacted without thinking and leaned into the touch, closing his eyes and nuzzling the hand slightly, before he realized what he was doing and froze again.

"Heero, look at me."

He reluctantly complied, opening his eyes to meet Duo's gaze, and then blinked, startled at what he saw. Duo's eyes no longer held desire, but sorrow instead.

"Duo?"

"With the way I've been leaning on you every chance I get, you've gotten used to me touching you, haven't you. And you don't have a problem reaching out to me when you know I need you, like this morning, do you." The hand dropped away from his face, and Heero suddenly found that he could move again. He reached out and wrapped both arms around Duo, pulling him close. He hid his face against Duo's shoulder and simply held him tightly, not wanting to see any more of Duo's sadness. Duo sighed softly and embraced Heero in return.

"You see? I need you to hold me and you do. You just don't know how to reach out when you need to be held. Or to touch me just because you want to and you can. Or how to respond to my teasing. You must have been so alone as a child. Now, you have difficulty even admitting that you have needs and desires, forget about fulfilling them." He sighed again.

"Gomen nasai," he heard, muffled against his shoulder. He pulled away from Heero slightly, separating them enough that they could see each other. Heero still hadn't put any of his walls back up and his normally impassive face was quite unhappy. Duo felt his sorrow melt away as he took in Heero's expression. The past could not be changed, no matter how much he wished otherwise, so he decided to focus on the present and the future. Besides, Heero really was absolutely adorable when he pouted.

"Heero no baka. It's not your fault. It's just something we have to work on."

His amusement was obvious, and Heero gave him a confused look and then shrugged slightly. He had never been able to follow Duo's quick mood changes before, and he wasn't going to try now.

"Work on how?" he asked, letting go of Duo completely.

"Well," Duo said thoughtfully, "You like to try to follow your emotions, right?" He went back around the counter, grabbed the salad, and brought it to the table.

"Hai," Heero answered warily, getting a couple of bottles of dressing for the salad. He wasn't sure where Duo was going with this line of thought.

"Desire is an emotion. If you want to touch me, kiss me, make love with me, whatever, act on it. Within reason, of course."

Heero found this to be an intriguing idea. "Define 'within reason'."

"Well, you're not likely to rip my clothes off and go down on me in front of Quatre and Trowa, now, are you?"

Heero gave him a mild glare. "Hn. Baka."

Duo just grinned.

They heard the front door slam open and Trowa's voice, calling for Heero.

"We're in the back, in the kitchen," Duo yelled back. Glancing at Heero, he said softly, "We'll talk about this some more later." Heero nodded.

A moment later, Quatre and Trowa appeared in the doorway, Quatre still leaning heavily on Trowa. Duo and Heero were not really surprised by Quatre's condition, thanks to Katherine. Concerned about him, Duo quickly moved to help Trowa get him seated.

"Quatre, are you hurt?"

Quatre shook his head. "No, Duo, I'm just tired." He refused Duo's offer of help and gently pushed Trowa away, freeing himself from his partner's embrace. He walked the few steps to the table without any assistance and then collapsed into a chair. While his friends watched, he pushed the plate aside and then rested his arms and head on the table. He closed his eyes, sighed heavily, and relaxed.

"Trowa, what happened?" Heero's voice was cold, demanding a report, and he hadn't moved since Quatre and Trowa had entered the room. Duo tensed at the tone of his voice, and turned to look at his lover, afraid of what he would see. He was incredibly relieved to find that Heero's face reflected the concern he felt for Quatre, rather than the impassive mask that Duo had expected to see. Turning his attention back to the other two pilots, Duo abruptly realized that the coldness was actually for their benefit. They were obviously slightly shaken and an uncharacteristic display of concern from Heero would only rattle them further. Instead, Heero's cold tone was reassuringly familiar. Duo smiled slightly as he listened to Trowa's response.

"Nothing unusual until we reached the top of the drive. Quatre looked at the house and then collapsed. He was unable to look away, his heart rate was accelerated, and he was having difficulty breathing. He remained in that state until I blocked his view of the house. When he had recovered enough to speak, he said that he had done something stupid, paid the price, and wanted to speak to you. I then assisted him into the house."

Trowa's gaze never left Quatre as he spoke, and Heero was frowning when he completed his report. "Quatre?"

Quatre was feeling a little better, and looked it, when he sat back up in his chair and looked at Heero. "It's rather involved and I'm tired and hungry. I'd prefer to wait until after we've eaten, if you don't mind, Heero. A short delay won't affect the situation."

Heero was still frowning slightly, but he nodded and the other three joined Quatre at the table. As they sat down and began eating the salad, Duo, true to form, started talking.

"Oi, Quatre, you won't believe this place once you get a chance to look around. It's incredible! I was..um..looking around in the attic, and I found..."

Duo continued chattering as they ate, with Quatre commenting at the appropriate places. Heero and Trowa ate silently, listening to the other two talk. Each of them watched his partner's every move and tried not to be obvious about it. It was a typical meal for the four of them and the familiarity of the situation went a long way towards putting them all at ease.

Quatre was able to forget about the war for a while and simply enjoy the company of his friends. He regained a good portion of his usual cheer and was smiling easily as he chatted with Duo.

Trowa, watching Quatre, was able to let go of some of the concerns that had been bothering him over the past few weeks. Quatre's mood had improved almost as soon as he had sat down, and, for the first time, Trowa found himself thinking that maybe Quatre had been right. Maybe he did just need to take a break and rest for a while.

Heero and Duo had relaxed as well, and it became quite apparent as they finished the last of their salads and got ready to serve the rest of the meal.

"...of course, I don't know how long the CD player has been up there, but there are several unlabeled CDs in another box nearby, so I've decided to see if it still works and check out what's on those CDs. I don't know what I'll find, but we'll see. Okay, everybody done with the salad?" Duo paused long enough to breath, but not for anyone to respond. "Cool. Heero, koi, why don't you get everything out of the oven while I clear off the salad dishes."

Heero nodded and stood, but didn't actually walk away from the table. He watched as Duo picked up a couple of plates and headed toward the kitchen sink and waited for Quatre's voice to start working again.

"So, anyway, I'm hoping that most of those disks are music or video CDs. If they're data disks, that would spoil all my fun. Those are Heero's toys, not mine."

"Duo, did you just call Heero 'koi'?" Quatre asked, interrupting him.

Duo, halfway back to the table, froze in mid-step. He winced, only then realizing what he had said, and looked at Quatre and Trowa. Quatre was beaming and practically bouncing up and down in his chair in excitement. Trowa, not knowing quite as many languages as the head of the Winner empire, had simply raised an eyebrow and was looking from pilot to pilot, waiting patiently for one of the three to fill him in on the significance of the word.

"Oops," Duo muttered, giving them a sheepish grin. "Umm...yeah, well..." Realizing that, for once, he had no idea of what to say, he looked at Heero.

Heero was still standing by the table, glaring at Duo with a rather forbidding expression. He had not had a lot of time to think about how the other pilots would react to the changes in his relationship with Duo, but, knowing Duo as he did, he was not really surprised that Duo had accidentally let the others know. Let Quatre know, anyway. Trowa was still unaware of exactly what was going on.

Heero abruptly decided that, with Quatre's empathy, it was useless to try to keep such a thing secret and, with typical bluntness, set about making certain that the other two pilots understood the exact nature of his relationship with Duo.

"It's short for koibito, which can be translated as lover," Heero stated calmly, looking at Quatre and Trowa. "Appropriate, since that is what he is to me. We're sharing the master bedroom at the top of the stairs, down the right-hand hallway, last room. I do not recommend entering unannounced after we have gone to bed." He smiled slightly at the stunned looks he was receiving, and headed into the kitchen to retrieve the food that had been all but forgotten.




tbc..