March 197AC
The room was lit by several bright, burning candles that danced shadows over the rather bare, beige walls and the wide, round face deep in concentration. Thin lips moved in rapid succession as words of a foreign tongue fell from them into the air to be carried off to phantom consciousness. The lone occupant of the room had already been there for nearly a half hour, kneeling face down before the small table set up against one wall, adorn with silk scarves and statues and a stick of glowing incense that wafted its heady scent throughout the room in a thick haze. One large, rainbow striped prayer candle sat in the center of the little table, bathing it in its glow.
Many mornings, after his exercises and shower, he would come here, to this room that had been given to him, courtesy of the young Winner heir who owned this property. He came here and shut himself away from the others-sometimes for several hours.
Heero told Duo that this was natural and healthy for their Chinese lover. That this was Wufei's personal time for meditation, and they should respect that and leave him alone... But Duo was worried about him. He didn't want to be overly-possessive or anything, and this relationship was still too new for them all and undefined, but...
He was curious. He looked in on the room one day when Wufei was out; studied the simple ink scrolls the young man chose to decorate his walls with; scrutinized each item on the small table with great interest-but never daring to touch, only look. But he didn't understand.
What kept his lover here for so long? What was the appeal this room held for Wufei? He couldn't figure it out. It was a mystery, and Duo Maxwell was well and determined to get to the bottom of it!
So, he decided to spy on his lover. He waited a full twenty-nine minutes after he knew Wufei entered the room before tiptoeing down the hallway and listening at the door. He could hear Wufei's muffled voice through the wood, and, although he couldn't make out the exact words, he *did* know it sounded like the Chinese youth was having a conversation with someone. Only thing was Duo knew for a fact Wufei was in there alone.
More curious than ever, Duo pressed closer to the door, hoping to make out the words-and almost lost his balance when the door gave with little coaxing from him. He thanked Quatre's staff and their well-oiled hinges when the door inched open without sound, and then he peeked inside, eager to catch his lover in whatever compromising act he could.
Finding Wufei keeled over in front of that table was *not* what he expected. Although, free from barrier, he now knew why he couldn't understand what his lover was saying-he was talking in a foreign language, one that reminded Duo of Japanese, but that wasn't. Or didn't. It was different. And he couldn't exactly make out how or why. None of the words his lover was saying were any of the ones Heero had been teaching him for the past year, at least, and he figured it was a pretty good bet that it was Wufei's own Chinese falling from the teen's lips. That was, after all, the most logical guess, was it not?
Wufei sat up-back ramrod straight-eyes remaining shut. Duo held his breath in the silence that stretched out before Wufei said something else to the candle-lit room. He was about to retreat when Wufei's voice stopped him.
"Did you need something, Duo?"
He didn't know what startled him more-the sudden use of English... or the fact that the question was directed towards him. A sheepish smile graced the braided pilot's face as he cracked the door open father and popped his head fully into the room-as if afraid to intrude any farther into the young China man's domain.
"Hey, Wu," Duo replied jovially. "Just wondering what you were up to in here, that's all."
Wufei couldn't control the infectious smile the braided boy instigated. One onyx eye peeped open and he twisted around to look at him. "Come in," he invited. "Close the door behind you, please."
They were magic words for the braided youth and he was inside the room, leaning back against the door in a heartbeat. A small draft flickered the candles before the door closed shut completely and the shadows jumped and danced over the walls.
"Come, sit," Wufei beckoned, turning back forward to face the small table. "This," he continued motioning to the table as Duo dropped gracefully to the floor beside him, "is a shrine to my ancestors, to honor and respect them and their influence in my life."
"That's cool," Duo nodded, studying the articles on the table with new eyes this time. "I guess it must be pretty neat to know where you come from and all that."
Wufei didn't answer immediately, allowing the silence of the room to press against their two bodies. He stared at the different artifacts he had chosen to represent his family, placed deliberately and delicately across the altar. The golden dragon pendent that hung from a scarlet red string. The creamy jade beads. A rolled scroll that held the honor of his clan. A picture of his child-wife.
"Sometimes," he agreed finally with a small nod of his chin. And then he turned and looked directly into Duo's face, startling the other pilot. "And sometimes, it can be a heavy burden." He reached out and fingered the string of beads. "Like now."
Duo wanted to ask him, he could tell, but Wufei's respect for his lover grew when the other held his tongue. Perhaps that most of all allowed him to continue. "Now they are all dead. Gone from this world," he said, his voice low and careful. "Yet, if I do not take this time out of my day to pay them my respects-to remember their sacrifice and honor them, I am ill at ease for the entire day. Even now, when there is no one left to reprimand me."
Duo's face scrunched up as he turned this over in his head, and finally he came to a comparison. "Like a guilty conscience for not saying your prayers or going to confession, huh?"
Wufei smiled and even gave a small huffed-laugh as he nodded. "You... talk to them?" Duo hedged after another moment of quiet.
Again, Wufei nodded, staring forward at the shrine.
Duo studied him, noting how the candlelight flickered over his face and thinking to add candles to their bedroom. "What do you talk to them about?" he wanted to know.
Wufei was thoughtful. "Sometimes," he told Duo, "I ask them for advice." He was quiet again. "Sometimes... I like to tell them about you, and Heero." He tilted his head and looked sideways out at the boy sitting next to him. "And how happy you have made me. Sometimes, I like to think about how my father would react if he were to find out I was in a relationship with not one beautiful man, but two."
He reached out and his hand slid against Duo's scalp, fingers combing into the roots of the thick braid. He exerted gentle force, coaxing him close enough to lean in and brush his lips over Duo's. "My father would have found great honor in both of you," he whispered.
Duo's eyes drifted shut, his lips curving into a smirking smile as a hum originated from the depths of his throat. He turned into Wufei, nuzzling the other's neck as he balanced his weight on one arm, reaching for Wufei with the other. "So, he wouldn't mind that we're boinking his very honorable son, huh?" he teased, tasting the sweet tanginess of Wufei's skin.
Wufei was silent, his own eyes shut against the flickering candlelight.
Duo pulled back. "Fei?"
"I'm..." The Chinese boy forced himself to look at his lover and answer the young man's query. "I'm not sure, Duo," he voiced, breathing heavily. "My father and I..." Wufei's throat tightened, swelled against the words he'd begun to speak.
"You know, I kinda envy you that," Duo murmured, resting his head on Wufei's shoulder.
Wufei looked down at him, surprise scrolled across his vulnerable face.
"I mean," Duo continued, "you and Q-man. You got to know your dads. Heck! You even know who your mothers are, even if you never got to meet them or anything. You have pictures. Family. That's something I've never really had. Heck! Heero and Trowa neither for that matter."
Despite the emotion of his words, Duo's voice never rose above the whisper they'd used in the room. As if he knew not to shout in a place that was sacred, and somehow, some way, this room was sacred.
Wufei's arms tightened around the American youth. "I'm sorry," he said truthfully, moving his lips over the other boy's crown. Duo just laughed in response, snuggling closer until he was leaning flush against the kneeling boy.
"Don't be," he said, burrowing his face against Wufei's neck. "I couldn't be the person I am now if it weren't for my past. I might never have met G, or DeathScythe. Never gone down to Earth and seen how beautiful the moon and stars were from down here. Never gotten to meet Heero or you and *then* where would I be, huh?"
Duo nuzzled closer and Wufei moved to accommodate him. "There's no other place I would rather be than with you and Heero, and Q-man, and Tro right now. For me, you guys are all the family I need."
Wufei kissed him. It was the only effective way he knew to get Duo to shut up-and sometimes not even that worked. Pulling away languidly from the kiss, Wufei studied his longhaired lover's mused face. "You are my family now, too," he said softly, his thumb trailing over Duo's slightly puffy lower lip. "The only family I have, the only family I need."
Duo licked his lips and smiled. "Have I told you how good you taste yet today, Fei?"
Wufei smiled back. "Wo ai ni."
"What's 'wo ai ni'?" Duo asked with that curious little frowny-pout he got when he was relaxed and sleepy.
Wufei brushed Duo's bottom lip as it pouted outwards, smiling. "'I love you.'"
"Love you, too," the braided boy replied readily.
He almost laughed. So cute... "It means 'I love you'. It's Mandarin."
"Sounds pretty when you say it," Duo murmured, feeling relaxed and at ease. "Say something else?"
"Wo Ai Ne; Ne hen piao liang." {*I love you; You are so beautiful*}
Duo smiled, leaning into Wufei. "What's that mean?" Wufei told him and Duo kissed him, before repeating it softly. Wufei looked at him, amused.
"Say something else."
"Tong ne yi qi wo juede hao kai xing- with you I am very happy. I am blessed to know you." Wufei's fingers played over Duo's braid, allowing the silky, weaved strands caress his fingertips. Duo repeated again before yawning.
"Mind if I watch you for a while? It feels nice in here..."
"Of course, Duo," the ebony haired young man replied, cradling the chestnut head until it was pillowed in his lap. "You are welcome in this room any time you like." Duo smiled, stretching out and snuggling deeper into Wufei's lap. He looked up with a sleepy, sheepish smile. "This okay?"
Wufei's fingertips grazed his cheek. "This is fine," the Chinese youth answered, soft and loving. Wufei looked back at the altar, smiling, petting the boy in his lap. He continued to talk to his ancestors, first in Mandarin, then in English.
"{*He is beautiful,*}" he said in his native tongue. "{*And he makes me happy and gives me strength. He honors me everyday with the gift of his love. He and Heero help me be at peace with myself. I hope you can see and understand that. I hope you can forgive me-I know by giving myself to them I dishonor our clan, abandon our family. But, to not do so would be dishonorable to myself.*}"
Wufei looked down at the boy who had fallen asleep. "{*I love him. I love them both, very, very much.*}" He touched his lips to two raised fingers, and then his fingers to the sleeping boy's forehead before closing his eyes and allowing his body to enter a meditative state.
Two hours later, at a loss for where his braided lover could be hiding, Heero Yuy finally decided to invade his Chinese lover's sanctuary. He cracked the door open and peeked in-a smile overtaking his features instinctively as the scene before him registered.
Slipping inside the room noiselessly, Heero leaned back against the wall, sliding down its length until he sat on the floor, just staring at his two beautiful lovers. His body tingled with awareness, his throat tight with emotion. Even his eyes moistened with unshed tears as he watched the two young men he loved more than anything in the world.
"Thank you," he whispered to whatever deity or deities that allowed him the experience of Duo's and Wufei's love.
"{*You're welcome*}" Duo's sleep-muddled voice replied.
Heero almost laughed. It appeared his longhaired lover had acquired yet another language. If they weren't careful, Duo's linguistic skills would overtake Trowa's! His smile grew and he didn't mind the happy tears that escaped to trail over his cheeks. He settled himself into a quiet meditative state, content just to be in the same room with the two men who held claim to his heart, body, and soul.
Duo took time out to actually study the scrolls Wufei had chosen to decorate the shrine room with. That was what he had decided to call the room that had been given to Wufei-the shrine room, or sometimes, the meditation room. In the days following Wufei's invitation, the longhaired teen had come here often.
There was something about the room-a power... a peacefulness-that drew him to it.
There were three scrolls on each of the four walls. Two scrolls contained lined sketches, lightly colored. Between the two was a scroll of Chinese word. The picture words, like Japanese kanji.
There was a presence, behind him, and then Wufei was pressing against his back, his arms wrapped around his waist, holding him without restraining him. Wufei pointed to a scroll nestled between two paintings of cranes and mountains. "That's a word I would use to describe you. 'Love'."
Duo peered at the scroll and started to extend a hand to touch it. He hesitated and looked back at Wufei. Wufei gave a small smile and nodded. Duo turned back and traced the brushstrokes upon the scroll. "Love... You mean like koi?"
Wufei nodded against his shoulder. "Humility," he continued, pointed at the picture-word beneath the first. "Honor; Wisdom; Protection."
Duo studied the four stroked words, his finger tracing each thick black stroke. Love, humility, honor, wisdom, protection... Yes, they fit his Chinese love very well.
"They are like the five elements of old," Wufei added softly. "Water is fluid, like love," he said, his hand playing in Duo's soft, loose hair, lifting it to his face to smell its sweet fragrance. Wood is solid, until it is time for it to burn in the fire, and then it is humble enough to feed the honorable fire. Wisdom is like the wind, which knows when to blow strong and when to be a gentle breeze. And protection is the iron and steel, which is our companion in battle."
Duo leaned back against Wufei. "You have the heart of a poet," he murmured. "I remember, before the war was over, before that last final battle, when we..." He turned his face and looked into Wufei's. "When we made love that first time. Remember?" He smiled and kissed the Chinese teen's lips. "You told me the story of the dragon, the one your father told you?"
"I remember," Wufei's lips trailed down Duo's throat. "You were spying on me."
"I was admiring that hot body of yours," Duo replied, turning in Wufei's arms and running his hands up and down Wufei's back. "Warrior poet, that's what you are. I've decided." He was still grinning as he kissed Wufei's lips.
"If I'm a warrior poet, what is Heero?" Wufei asked lazily, enjoying the taste of Duo's lips all too much. It was making his head hazy-or maybe that was heavy incense.
"Ah, Heero is a Warrior Angel," Duo answered, his laughter twinkling in his eyes.
"Oh, I see. Well, then. If Heero is a warrior angel, and I am a warrior poet, what are you?"
Duo laughed, his lips teasing Wufei's lips without actually kissing the other teen. "Ah, now, *I* am a demon... the demon who seduces the angel... the demon the poet loves... love me, Wufei..."
"Always," Wufei whispered hoarsely. "Wo ai ni, my warrior demon. Wo ai ni."
"Wo ai ni," Duo repeated. "Koi."
End Part 5
Andrea Readwolf
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