Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ In the City at Night ❯ Fatal Reasoning ( Chapter 21 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Fatal Reasoning

"I hope that's everything," Jor muttered to Shin as she set her sleeping son on the bed in her room. They'd gone to a department store and picked her up a few bras and then some clothes for Zachary. After that, she'd allowed him to take her to a grocery store where he bought the boy Popsicles among other miscellaneous foodstuffs.

"Thank you, very much," Shin agreed, moving forward to grab his forearm. She hugged him, then kissed his cheek. "You have no idea how much I appreciate the help."

"Why did you let me help?" he muttered, studying her face. "I got the impression from Heero...well..."

She looked away. "You're sincere," she explained. "You only say what you mean and...you know what it's like to live in hard times. I just..."

"He doesn't understand," Jordan muttered. "He's always lived in base sort of societies. He grew up being trained military from the beginning, survived the wars...and then he's been on-base ever since." He grabbed her wrists a moment, studying her eyes. "I'll give you a hundred dollars," she looked away, "To consider his offer."

She blinked, meeting his eyes again.

"And I'll give you another hundred if you consider moving onto base."

She blinked.

"And when," he added, "Are you gonna come to my place for dinner?"

Shin giggled slightly, glancing toward her child and shaking her head. "I just..."

"The gentlemen invited you to dinner," Jade muttered, moving into the living room. "Why are you refusing?"

Shin frowned, focusing on her friend.

Jordan closed the bedroom door and rolled his eyes. He pulled open his wallet and removed the money he'd promised her, offering it up.

Jade was laughing in the hallway.

"She's a bitch," Shin muttered, looking down.

"That's what friends are for, I suppose, and you can't very well call her anything else while you live in the same house with her. Do we have a deal?"

"Just to...to consider?" Shin asked, looking to his face again, though her attention was on the money.

"Just weigh the pros and cons," he suggested, tucking the money into her hand. "Think about everything he's told you and dismiss half of it."

She giggled at that.

Jordan kissed her forehead, then pulled the door open and closed behind himself, moving toward the front door.

"Hey, honey," Jade muttered, moving to follow him, "I'll cooperate with you for a few bucks."

Somehow, Jor wasn't surprised. "No thanks," he refused, moving onto the porch.

"Mm, cheap blow-job?" she offered, following him toward his car. "I know you can afford it."

Jordan snorted as he hit the unlock button, turning to look her over. "Only issue being..."

"You like guys?" she asked, rolling her eyes.

"A blow is a blow," he noted, then snickered. "And my girl gives'em for free."

She blinked.

"Get a real job, Jade," he added, moving to get into his car. "You make more sure money and it makes you feel a lot less cheap."

X x X x X

Heero was thoroughly drunk by the time Jordan returned to the house, sitting at the breakfast bar in the kitchen and staring at nothing.

"He's...getting violent," Chai muttered, moving to kiss Jordan as she whispered the words. "Quatre said we should leave him alone until you got here."

"All right," Jordan muttered, then nodded to Quatre. The blond was watching a show on the television and nodded at his host in passing before refocusing.

"You okay?" Jordan asked, moving into the kitchen.

"Fuck you."

Jordan blinked at that, moving to the fridge. "I got her some food and some clothes for Chip," he noted. "She realizes now that you're not as big a punk as you can come across."

"Fuck you," Heero repeated.

"If you weren't so drunk you probably couldn't stand," Jordan noted, pouring some rum from a bottle on the counter into his cup, "I'd deck ya." He measured an amount of juice into the cup as well, then returned the carton to the fridge and pulled out ice cubes from the freezer.

"Fuck..." he faltered.

"You puke in my kitchen and I'll mop that shit up with your hair," Jordan threatened, turning to him again.

"You fucked her, didn't you?" Heero accused. "She offered and you were all for it!"

"Why would I do that when I have Chai?" Jordan returned easily. "If anything, Chai is more than I could handle so I wouldn't even approach your girl."

"What girl?" Quatre asked, moving into the kitchen in confusion.

"Fuck you," Heero repeated again.

"He's expounding marvelous ideals this evening," Quatre informed Jordan, pouring another drink. "I made him stop drinking, but he'd had too much beforehand." He dug into the fridge for the juice. "You think he'll pass out?"

"With the way he drinks?" Jordan snorted. "I highly doubt it. We might get him to puke soon, though, before dousing him in water. You're not drinking too much, are you?"

"I had one cup before this," Quatre explained, showing his. "Hopefully they'll end the Prozac sooner than later."

Jordan nodded, "Amen to that." He toasted the blond as he moved back into the living room.

"She scream for you?" Heero muttered doggedly, drooping forward more onto the countertop.

"I coulda got her to beg for me," Jor noted.

Heero's head snapped up, his eyes angry.

"As it was, we spent most of the last hour wandering around Jean's, and the hour before that wandering around Basic."

Heero's eyes narrowed.

"Before that we spent an hour in the pharmacy, and I was holding Zachary the entire time. Kinda hard to get any gratification with a sleeping baby on hand, so don't go assuming I'd fuck your girl."

"She let you buy her stuff?" Heero asked tiredly.

"Yeah, but that was part of why you wanted me to meet her to begin with," Jordan noted, setting his cup down. "You remember how pissed Chai was when you guys were buying stuff for her? You remember how absolutely offended she was?"

Heero nodded again, sinking against the counter-top.

"I know how to circumvent that reaction. It also helps that I have a girl. Are you okay? Should we go get your stomach pumped?"

Heero buried his face in his arms...and started to cry.

X x X x X

"Ma'am," Heero agreed, turning and moving slowly for the door of Une's office. His shoulders were slumped and he wasn't looking at anyone he passed.

"Shit, what's with him?" Trowa muttered, looking after the man as Jordan followed him into Une's office. "He's been like this all weekend and we had to empty the house of alcohol when he passed out at noon."

"I don't know," Une muttered with a sigh. "He's just so down...it...I'm worried about him."

Jordan considered mentioning what had happened, trying to decide if his friend had told them about Shin or not...if he wanted to tell them about Shin or not. Probably not under the circumstances, but...

"You test your men yet?" Une demanded of Jordan.

"Not yet, no," Jor returned, focusing on her again. "I did get it down to ten out of the fifteen though."

"Good. Finish testing, I want them ready to go by the first."

"Yes, Ma'am," Jordan agreed.

"Figure out what's bothering Heero," she added, gesturing for Trowa to sit down. "That's all I needed you for."

"Ma'am," Jordan agreed, turning and moving quickly after his sulking friend. Heero was leaning against his car with a lit cigarette when Jordan reached him. "What are you doing?"

"Jacking off, what's it look like?" Heero returned irritably, turning and snuffing the thing out on the cement. "Get the fuck away from me."

"What did I do to you?" Jordan asked levelly.

Heero flipped him off and climbed into the car, reversing and squealing from the parking lot.

"That went well," Wufei noted, moving up the sidewalk, blinking. "What did you do to him?"

Jordan started to open his mouth.

"Maxwell!" Xane Featihl muttered, moving quickly into view from further down. "You wanted to talk to me?"

"Yeah," Jordan agreed, moving around Wufei. "This is Chang," he added, indicating the Chinese man. "If he agrees," he added, looking back to Wufei, "Then I have a test in mind for you specifically."

"Ooh, he's singling me out," Xane noted, winking at Wufei.

Wufei smiled, "Must be the charm...works every time."

Xane laughed.

"He's a smoker, and you're a smoker, so I figured you two could try a little co-op."

"What? Share the same cigarette?" Wufei asked, giving Jordan a look. "You smokin' somethin' more'n tobacco?"

"I think he's got some vrit," Xane noted.

Wufei smirked.

"Actually," Jordan ignored the banter. "My thought process was that Wufei could find someone in a group, and without indicating them or saying their name...pointing at him and shit, you could offer the guy a cigarette."

"What makes you think I'd want to?" Wufei asked blankly.

"That's why it's an if," Jordan explained slowly. "Because if I'd gotten you to agree..."

"Okay, let me rephrase," Wufei noted. "What's in it for me?"

Jordan accepted the cigarette Xane offered him as he thought. He looked to the ground a moment, trying to find something of a value that his friend wouldn't be able to provide himself.

"A blow-job?" Xane offered impishly.

Wufei raised an eyebrow at the guy.

"I do know a chick who offers'em cheap," Jor noted with a smirk. "I could send you her way."

Xane started snickering, "Not what I meant, but hey."

"What did you mean?" Wufei demanded evenly.

Xane smiled sweetly at him, then looked to Jordan again. "What'd the time-frame be?"

"About as long as it takes to smoke one. It'd look odd if you had three or four before offering. You'd need to make it look natural." The former pilot allowed the man to light his cigarette, inhaling...and coughing hard. "What the fuck?" he looked to the black coffin-nail in confusion.

"What?" Xane asked, looking himself. "It's clove...what's the matter?"

Jordan choked a bit more, shaking his head. "I've...only had clove once or twice. I wasn't expecting it."

Xane grinned, "There's no point to plain tobacco."

Jordan took another hesitant drag, looking to Wufei with watering eyes. "What do you say? Help me out?"

"How many times?" Wufei muttered.

"Three," Xane suggested, smirking again.

"You're either offering something very subtly," Wufei noted to him, "Or I'm confused."

"Maybe both," Xane snickered.

"I have ten students, but only four of them smoke," Jordan inhaled again, slowly.

"You're all disgusting," Quatre noted, moving up to them. "Shit, Jor. I thought you only smoked when..." he trailed off, focusing on Xane.

"Hi, Mr. Winner," Xane offered his hand. "Honor to meet you."

"This is Mouthy," Jordan explained, patting the guy's shoulder.

"Nice to meet you, Xane," Quatre returned with a grin. "I hear good things about you."

Xane nodded his head politely, then focused on Jordan with interest.

"I didn't think about it," Jor explained, choking some more. "He passed it to me and I lit it before I thought."

"At least it doesn't smell as bad as his shit," Quatre noted, pointing at Wufei with a face.

"Yeah, fuck you too," Wufei noted.

"You cheatin' on me?" Morgan called, moving up from the opposite side as he looked the lot of them over. "You smokin' with others?"

"I play well with others, Mor," Wufei agreed with an evil grin. "Jordan's trying to sweet talk me into helping him out and I'm trying to find a way not to do it."

"You're gonna do it in the end," Morgan noted, accepting the cigarette Xane offered him and studying it blankly.

"Clove," Xane explained, offering a lighter up.

"This isn't just some social device for you, is it?" Quatre noted, watching him light Morgan's.

"Not really, no," Xane shrugged. "I don't have more'n two a day because they make me nauseas, but hey."

"What're you doing?" Jordan muttered to Morgan, giving up on his and bending over to grind the tip out.

"I have to finish setting up our retraining session," Morgan explained, indicating Wufei.

"Oh, you're his swat?" that startled the re-instated soldier. "I hadn't realized."

"That's where Paris came from, too," Quatre noted, yawning slightly. "Um...I'm gonna go take a nap...you care if I crash at your place?" he looked to Jordan.

"No, it's fine...just stop trying to steal my girl."

Quatre grinned at him, then frowned, "Paris?"

"I don't care," Jordan reassured him. "Chai likes having people around and being helpful...just don't leave her alone with Tro."

That got him a group-confused glance.

He smiled sweetly, "Come on, I have to have some issue."

"Speaking of issues," Wufei muttered, "What's with Heero?"

"Shit happens," Jordan sighed, looking away.

It wasn't his place to tell.

"I guess I'll help," Wufei muttered with a sigh. "I can't think of any valid reason not to...but you better make Quatre do something, too."

"Hey!" Quatre protested, then blinked. "Help what?"

"I've talked Wufei into assisting me train my class," he explained. "You wanna help?"

"You're doing some spy shit, aren't you?" Morgan asked. "Teaching these pansy fuckers to sneak in and out and shit," he indicated Xane.

"Pansy-fucker my ass," Xane retorted a bit arrogantly. "I like real men..." and he started to laugh.

"You're so fucking stupid it hurts," Jordan noted, then laughed when the guy punched him. "Come on, let's get out of here. Are the others ready?"

"I don't know," Xane shrugged. "You told us all what to do and when to do it, the rest just goes up to how smart they are."

"Well, if any of'em don't show up, they aren't moving on..." and the pair started away, talking about the training shit that Jordan was evidently pulling.

"I'm confused," Quatre noted.

"Aren't you always?" Morgan returned.

"Morgan," Wufei snapped.

"Go fuck your plastic woman," Quatre noted to him, rolling his eyes as he moved away and started for the car. "Try the hole on the front for once."

Morgan started laughing...and Quatre disappeared.

X x X x X

"Hey, Chance," Shin muttered as she closed her bedroom door. "You got a few minutes?"

"Always, for you," Heero returned, dropping heavily back into his chair and re-closing the door to his SUV. "What's up?"

"Jordan told you he came over the other day, right?" she asked. "He took Chip to the doctor for me."

"Yeah," Heero agreed tiredly, leaning against his steering wheel. It was Friday afternoon, and though Heero could leave the base in about an hour's time, he was thinking his bed would be nicer. Just away from everyone and every failed thing he'd ever tried on his own.

Jordan always held his hand through every fucking thing...

"Are you okay?" she asked, sounding worried.

"I'm just down," he returned, "It's nothing."

"Chip is feeling better," she offered. "I was thinking...I mean, Jordan invited me for dinner."

"Yeah," Heero noted, closing his eyes.

"So...maybe I could...stay the night?" she asked almost uncertainly.

Heero blinked, "Um..."

"I mean, I'm sure I could get Jor to keep Zach, you know? At least a few hours," she added, sounding uncertain in her teasing.

Heero laughed a bit, "That...I...you want me to pick you up?"

She laughed delightedly. "I knew I could get the man I like to hear back," she noted. "Zach's down for his nap right now..."

"Yeah, until four," Heero agreed quickly. "I get...I get off work at four."

"So go do some sweet talkin' to that friend of yours," she suggested. "We can sit and have a nice chat with them and then...just...you know, whatever."

Heero smirked slightly at the implied meanings of the word.

"So...I'll see you in a bit, huh, baby?"

"Yeah...I'll see you in a while."

"Okay," she made the same sorta kissy noise Chai had made at Jordan and hung up.

Heero blinked at his phone, closing it and pushing it into his pocket before looking up at the main building. He slid slowly out of his car as he smiled slightly, locking the doors. He smiled more as he moved into the building and met eyes with Jordan.

Jordan was blinking at him.

"You got a minute?" Heero asked, jogging to catch up. "I want to talk to you really quick, but I have to go talk to Une."

"I guess," Jordan noted, blinking more at him.

Heero rested a hand on his shoulder, studying his face, then turned and disappeared into Une's office.

"I'm scared now," Xane muttered, looking to Jordan's face. "He's been all over you being a bastard all week...and now he's all chummy again?"

"That was my thought," Jordan noted, then blinked. He reached down and pulled up his phone...to see Shin's name. "Hey? What's going on?" Jordan muttered uncertainly.

"If Chance is right there this is a wrong number," she returned.

"No, he's in with Une."

"Okay," Shin let out a little breath. "I...don't tell him you gave me that money to think about what he said, please. I mean...if you haven't already...is he okay? He sounded really down."

"We've been keeping an eye on him," Jordan reassured her. "I wouldn't have told him about that anyway. I figured you knew to keep it confidential."

"All right, just making sure," she muttered, then smiled slightly. "He sounded happier when I just hung up with him."

"Ah, that explains it," Jordan nodded to Xane. "Okay, I'm not sure when he'll be out, so I'll let you go...you plannin' on coming over for supper some time? Chai's all sorts of curious."

Shin giggled slightly, "Chip is feeling better...bye."

Jordan blinked, closing his phone and looking to his future partner in crime.

"So...who was that? Why don't you want Yuy to know about it? And what blackmail will you pay to keep me from spilling."

Jordan raised his eyebrows at that.

"I'll keep quiet for a kiss," Xane added with a smirk, looking him over. "If only because you're so loyal to your girl."

No one was in the hall, so Jordan leaned over and kissed the guy happily. There was a moment of stunned stillness, then the guy kissed back. Jor pulled away after a moment, starting to laugh when Xane stared at him in amazement.

"Keep your mouth shut," Jordan ordered, snickering a bit. "And come on. It was Yuy's girl. She's been resisting his urges to make it a stronger relationship, that's what's been up his ass all week. She called him just before calling me, and that's why he's smiling."

"You kissed me," Xane observed.

"It was worth the effort to seal your lips," Jor noted, looking to him sidelong. "You have to remember that morals and preferences take second-stage to meeting your ends. A kiss here or there doesn't mean much in the long run, but the results of stunning people past their ability to think have a much stronger staying-power."

"You're not a bad kisser," Xane noted, still somewhat bemused.

"I've had lots of practice," Jordan reassured him, snorting slightly. "Dear-god...you're really bi, aren't you? You aren't just fucking around."

Xane licked his lips and focused on Jordan a moment before looking away.

Jordan snickered again, smacking the guy in the ass, "Go back to the others and tell them I'll be there in a while...and remember, we made a deal. Keep your trap shut."

Xane nodded, then disappeared down the hall toward the conference room.

"She's all confused," Heero muttered a few minutes later when he moved into the hall. He focused on Jor's amusement in confusion. "What's up?"

"Xane just tried to blackmail me," he shrugged. "His end was a kiss."

"He thought you wouldn't kiss him?" Heero looked confused at that.

"Hey, man, I don't make'em. I guess I'm a good kisser, though."

"So says Chai," Heero agreed, grinning slightly. "Is Shin still invited for supper?"

"Of course," Jordan returned. "She wouldn't tell me when she wanted to do it, though."

"Tonight," Heero returned, bouncing slightly. "Could you...watch Chip a bit, too? She says he's feeling better, and he likes you."

"What's in it for me?" Jordan returned, raising an eyebrow.

"A kiss?" Heero offered, smirking somewhat evilly. He got a look for it and laughed happily, considering quickly. "My eternal gratitude?"

"I guess that works," Jordan agreed. "I have to get back to my lessons. Do you think Shin'd be upset if the other guys came over? Would you be worried?"

That got him a confused look, then a shake of his head, "That's fine."

"Okay...I'll see what Chai says and get the message out."

"Great...how's your swat going, anyway?" Heero had started down the hall, but hesitated to ask the question.

"I'm down to about six now," he shrugged. "Mouthy still seems to be the best."

"But he was shocked you kissed him," Heero blinked.

"Yeah, I don't get it either," Jor shrugged. "I'll break him of his innocence before too much longer, I'm sure." He grinned, "See you at supper."

Heero beamed at him, then flounced down the hallway.

Jordan shook his head in amazement, then prayed to any god listening that Heero never found out about that two hundred dollars.