Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Theories of Revolution and Affairs of the Heart ❯ Reality Revealed ( Chapter 9 )

Wufei pushed his glasses further up on his nose, to prevent them from slipping and falling, and turned the page of his book. It was quiet for once. Duo was on a mission, Heero and Trowa were upstairs looking at OZ blueprints, and Quatre had gone to look for Trowa. The blonde had come in asking where Trowa was, and Wufei had directed him upstairs.

He sighed. Duo would be home soon, probably in around an hour or two. 'Might as well enjoy the peace and quiet while I can.' He absorbed himself in his book, reveling in his relaxation and solitude.

It had hardly been more than two minutes before Quatre came bursting back in, collapsing at Wufei's feet. He was distraught, obviously, about something. He was sobbing, his pale face very flushed, and he was gasping out a string of incoherent sounds that were probably supposed to be words, though Wufei doubted they were all in a language he'd recognize, much less understand.

Putting down the book, Wufei knelt gently next to Quatre, uncertainly putting a hand on his shoulder.

"He... they... why..." Quatre dropped into a series of words, probably in Arabic, that Wufei couldn't decipher, then with a sob, clung to Wufei, wrapping surprisingly strong arms around Wufei with no indication of letting go anytime soon.

Wufei blinked, returning the embrace, hesitantly at first, then honestly. "He... they... why?" he repeated, deciding not to sound silly and say, "Are you okay, what's wrong?" Because Quatre obviously wasn't okay, and he wanted Quatre to tell him what was wrong without prompting, if possible.

"They... they were..." Quatre choked back a sob, took a deep breath, then a surprisingly bitter voice managed a complete sentence. "They were doing more than looking at blueprints."

An indignant "They WHAT?!" almost erupted from his throat, but he swallowed it in favor of common sense. Instead, he started rubbing Quatre's shoulders, and said gently, "Did they see you?" 'But, why would Heero be with Trowa all of a sudden?'

"No." Quatre took a shuddering breath as tense muscles started to slowly relax from Wufei's comfort. "Not that they would have noticed a brass band, I think."

Wufei had to smile at that. "Shall we break out the trumpets and find out?"

Quatre gave a watery chuckle, then hugged Wufei and forced himself to let go. 'You've got to be strong on your own Quatre... there's not always going to be someone to catch you when you lose it like this.' He looked down at his lap. "Thank you, Wufei."

On pure instinct, Wufei reached forward and pulled Quatre into another hug, but looser this time. "Did Trowa look happy?" he asked quietly.

Quatre's eyes filled with tears again. 'Yes, he looked happy... deliriously so. I've never seen him look so open. I so wanted it to be me who could do that for him.' "Yes," he whispered, misery clear in his tone even as he tried to sound happy for Trowa.

Wufei wasn't fooled. "What about Heero? Did he look happy?"

"How does Heero ever look?" Quatre snorted. "I think he might have been smiling, but I'm not sure."

"Come on, Quatre. You can't be that way to Heero just because of... just because things aren't going your way!" He was aware that he wasn't being all that nice, but he had a sudden urge to defend Heero.

Quatre's eyes narrowed and he snapped, "It wasn't all that long ago that he was in a rage over Duo, so don't try to imply he's as pure as driven snow!"

Wufei raised an eyebrow at the strange simile, but said nothing about it. "I didn't say that." Suddenly, a thought occurred to him. Why was Heero with Trowa so soon after what had happened with Duo and... Zechs? 'Oh, he's just jealous cause I fucked Zechs Marquise instead of him.' Duo's words ran through his mind. That was it, wasn't it? Heero was JEALOUS!

He decided not to mention it to Quatre, rightly thinking that it would only upset him even more. Instead, he lowered his eyes and said quietly, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you angry." It wasn't his normal behavior, this kindness, but Quatre obviously needed the raw support.

Quatre shook his head, as if trying to shake off the uncharacteristic mood. "I... Don't apologize, Wufei." He ran a weary hand over his eyes. "I shouldn't be angry, and at any rate, it's not you I'm angry with. It's not as if Trowa ever made me any promises."

Wufei shook his head and didn't cut off the embrace. "What are you going to do? Anything? Are you going to talk to Trowa?"

"I-- I couldn't. It would diminish his happiness and I won't do that." Quatre laid his head on Wufei's shoulder, as if he could absorb some of his strength. 'Just a little longer, then I'll let go.'

"So, what ARE you going to do?" Wufei blinked suddenly. 'I don't have any uchuu no kokoru, but I can FEEL his pain... it's radiating off him...' He bit his lip and hugged Quatre closer. 'If I can feel it...'

"I don't know," Quatre whispered, unconsciously returning Wufei's embrace. "Maybe a mission will come in before I have to... to face them."

"You'll have to face them sometime," Wufei said, trying to keep Quatre from thinking that he could just run from them for the rest of his life.

"But not right away." Quatre knew he sounded petulant, but he couldn't help it.

Wufei lifted Quatre's chin and looked into his eyes. "Do you really think that will help? Do you really think that will accomplish anything? To run until you're backed into a corner?"

Quatre stared back silently, caught in Wufei's dark eyes, his misery forgotten for a few long heartbeats. Then the words sank in, and he wordlessly shook his head as much as Wufei's hand would allow.

"Then TALK to Trowa, or Heero, or both, whichever you prefer. If you leave this undone, it'll only get worse for you. Resolve this; give it closure. I promise, no matter how painful the confrontation may be, it'll make you happier in the end."

Quatre reflexively shook his head again. Happiness seemed so far away at the moment that it was an impossible goal. Then he met Wufei's eyes again, and wasn't so sure. "Alright."

Wufei smiled, looking back at Quatre. "Do you mean it when you say alright? Or are you just saying that to get me to shut up?"

"I'll do it." Quatre smiled ruefully. "As much as I don't want to, I will." He looked up at those eyes again, this time welcoming the oblivion he seemed to find there. He leaned up without conscious thought and brushed a light, chaste kiss across Wufei's lips. "Thank you, Wufei."

Wufei's eyes widened in surprise. "Quatre?" he said after a moment, staring at the blonde in confusion.

Quatre blushed. 'I knew I shouldn't have done that, but it seemed so right at the time...' He pulled away from Wufei, deciding silence was the best defense.

"What's wrong?" Wufei asked, not attempting to pull Quatre back, but only because Quatre seemed nervous all of a sudden. 'Of course I know why he's nervous, but he doesn't have to think that I'm unhappy with him, or that he has to go away...'

"I shouldn't have done that, I'm sorry." Quatre was too afraid to look up at Wufei to gauge his reaction. His uchuu no kokoru was no help to him when he couldn't control his own emotion.

Wufei blinked. "No need to apologize, Quatre." He took a step forward. 'The last thing he needs is to be upset with himself on my account...'

Risking a glance upward, Quatre could read Wufei's concern. 'I wonder if he realizes how much he's showing?' He managed a faint smile. "I'm just a mess today. You probably shouldn't trust me with anything important."

Looking into Quatre's upturned eyes, Wufei sent a message without words. 'I'm here if you need me.'

Acting impulsively, Quatre hugged Wufei again, sending his own silent message of 'Thank you.'

*****

Duo went back to his room, smirking slightly at Heero's absence. He felt a little bad for eavesdropping, but he'd walked by the room and heard Quatre crying. Who wouldn't have wondered? Then he'd heard about Heero and Trowa's more-than-blueprints story, and had bit his lip to keep from snorting. //What is this, Heero, are you trying to prove to me, or yourself, that you can make it without me or something?//

A small part of him, though, couldn't help but be a little hurt. //It's your fault!// he'd scolded himself. //What else did you think he was going to do?// Whatever he'd thought, he didn't think Heero would run to Trowa.

Or *was* he running to Trowa? Duo, thinking about the situation some more, realized that Heero might just be using Trowa as...

He shook his head. Not stress relief. Heero wasn't that shallow. So what was it?

Well, he could think on it later, when he saw more evidence, or heard more evidence, as the case may be. The mission had been exhausting, and he needed a shower. Besides, he had a certain Quatre to tease about Wufei later on. He grinned and grabbed a towel.

~OWARI~