24-Apr-2001
Title: Chasing the Crown, an Extended Family Fic
ExFam Authors:
RavynFyre - ravynfyre@hotmail.com
Diane Davis - fenwyck@radiks.net
von - sablexo1@yahoo.com
bonnejeanne - bonnejeanne@yahoo.com
*Special Guest Writer! Nixie the Pixie!*
Nixers - Nixerchan@aol.com
Category: yaoi, AU
Rating: NC-17 for now, that will change
Pairings: 1x2, 3+4
Spoilers: Series, Endless Waltz, Mission: Arcadia
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing characters and universe are the property of the copyright owners.
Kenny, Duan, Wufan, Tryan, Carter, Jack and the Ripper, and everything relating to Rip & Jack's universe are ours. No money being made here.
Feedback: Any and all comments, feedback, critiques welcome, be they short or long.
Please feel free to direct feedback to any or all of the authors!
WARNINGS: AU (Alternate Universe), Original Characters, LEMON in some sections. Kiddie-Angst.
LEMON WARNING this section!
The door of Heero and Duo's suite opened and Kenny, Duan, Tryan and Carter piled in.
Carter wandered off to the room he was sharing with Tryan and found himself a place on the bed. His eyes closed quickly.
Tryan climbed up on the bed next to Carter and closed his eyes as well.
Kenny quickly scoped the rooms, to ascertain the locations of targets one and two... Heero and Duo.
As Kenny tapped, then opened the door to the bedroom, Heero looked down at him. "The tour is over?" Heero said.
"Hn," Kenny remarked affirmatively. He attempted to determine if they were open for visits or doing private big person stuff.
"We saw the bays for the mobile suits and the console," Duan called out.
"Cool!" Duo called back, his voice slightly muffled as he finished shrugging on his familiar black shirt, "Anything interesting left down there?"
"There were specs for a mobile suit called Wing on the console," Kenny said. He looked at Heero. "Was that yours?"
"Hn," Heero remarked. "Hai," he said, coming out and sitting on the sofa. "What else was on there?"
"Specs for a suit called Taurus, and another one called Sandrock," Kenny answered immediately. "That one, Sandrock... that was a Gundam, I'd bet on it."
"Sandrock was Quatre Winner's Gundam," Heero replied.
"Cool," Duan replied, glancing from Heero to the door to the bedroom as he sought out Duo.
"Yeah, but Deathscythe was a lot cooler," Duo replied with a cheerful wink as he strolled out, rolling the white cuff up on his arm.
"Of course!" Duan exclaimed wrapping his arms around Duo's waist. "No stealth... what fun is that?"
"Exactly!" Duo replied, reaching down to pick Duan up and toss him up on his shoulders in what was becoming a familiar habit.
Kenny nodded to himself. "That was pretty much it. Oh, we saw a room with some pictures. Wufan asked a lot of questions. Carter freaked out Zechs a few times."
"Freaked out Zechs?" Duo echoed, glancing around for the rest of the boys, "Where is Carter, anyway? And Tryan and Wufan?"
"Carter and Tryan are taking a nap and Wufan was talking to that little red-haired girl. She acted like she knew Kenny or something. Kinda like Bruiser Brody back on L2," Duan answered, then leaned down to Duo's ear and whispered. "You okay?"
Duo nodded up at Duan slightly as he spoke, "Little red-haired girl? Mariemeia?"
"Yeah, that's the one," Duan replied. "She's kinda ...well, creepy."
Heero closed his eyes a moment. "Hn," he said, remembering the little girl.
Duo chuckled a little, sliding forward smoothly until he could reach down and drop a comforting hand on Heero's shoulder. He gave it a quick squeeze.
"So did you say hello to Lady Une, too?" he asked.
"No," Kenny answered. "Zechs was gonna do that. We wanted to get back here."
"Yeah, like I said, she was creepy. Wufan seemed ok with her," Duan said, then shrugged. "Takes all kinds."
"Yeah, well, when you spend most of your childhood being taught that you're the chosen one meant to rule the world, and then get your army's butt kicked, it makes ya a little weird, I guess," Duo remarked, shaking his head slightly.
Duan looked at Kenny.
Kenny smiled slightly. "I bet I know who kicked their butts."
Duan grinned.
"I bet you're probably right," Duo replied, giving Heero's shoulder another reassuring squeeze.
Heero reached up and squeezed Duo's hand on his shoulder. "Well, we probably need to all talk sometime soon. Plan out a strategy or something for this party," he said, glancing up at Duo.
Duo bit his lower lip, trying to hide an amused grin.
"It's a party, koibito. It's not a military action. The strategy is to have fun and to hell with everyone else. They owe us."
Prussian blue eyes met Duo's violet ones. "That is true, but these debts can't be repaid. Also," he said, looking up at Duan and then to Kenny. "Let's not forget that we also have a mission to complete."
Kenny glanced at Duan, his attention sharpened.
"Which we can't really accomplish until after the high profile shindig tomorrow night. It'd look real weird if we go into full mission mode at a celebration commemorating peace," Duo observed.
"What does that look like, though?" Heero said. "I will bet that these guys have already started." He looked down at Kenny. "Carter freaked Zechs out. That means that he's slightly off balance. If he is, then he might give up more than just tying him to a chair and holding a gun to his head."
"So how did Carter freak him out?" Duo asked, cocking his head to glance up at Duan.
"He was nice to Zechs. He took his hand and was understanding. Zechs wasn't used to it, I guess, cause he's all stiff. But he's okay. Anyway, later on, Carter kinda spaced out again and started saying stuff about what happened in the war before... like he was down in the underground before. There was little boy and a little girl.. I think that was Zechs and the princess, and a man. Something called a retainer... Anyway, the man took the princess, cause there were explosions and they all ran down the tunnels. The lights went away and the prince, Zechs, got lost, but then he told us he found his way out and the princess had a good life. Then we had to leave, cause Zechs was freaked out."
"Hmm..." Duo mused for a moment, his brow furrowed thoughtfully. He shook his head and then glanced down at his partner, "So. What shall we strategize, then?"
Heero stood. He looked at Duo again, feeling his chest tighten. "Why don't we wait until the others are here," he offered, knowing that it was a dismal apology for, again, killing his partner's fun.
"Fair enough," Duo replied, his violet eyes narrowing for an instant as he watched Heero, before indulging in a cheerful grin, "So what sort of trouble can we get into until then?" he asked, bouncing his glance between the two boys and Heero.
"We could go back downstairs and build a mobile suit," Duan offered.
"Probably don't have enough raw materials for that, I bet," Duo replied with a disappointed sigh.
"So what did you guys do, while we were on the tour?" Duan asked.
"Wufei and I worked on my Wing Chun while Heero went to talk to Relena. Nothing much exciting," Duo replied.
Duan looked at Kenny, then back to Duo. "Yeah," he said, "So why are you wearing those clothes?"
Duo blinked and looked down at his old familiar priest's outfit. "I'm not allowed to wear my old stuff when I want to?" he asked with amusement.
Duan sighed deeply and gave Duo a hug. He kissed the older boy on the cheek, then squirmed down to the floor. "Sure you can," he said, quietly, as he glanced over at Heero, then down to the floor.
"Something wrong, kiddo?" Duo asked.
"Don't worry about it, Duo," Duan answered.
Kenny glanced at Duan.
"Why not? There is something, because you didn't say there wasn't... So what's up?"
Duan looked up at Kenny, then to Heero.
"We also had a talk," Heero said. "Not necessarily a happy talk, either. Does that help?"
Kenny took Duan's hand quietly. "Sure, Heero," he said. "And things don't always have to be happy. It's okay."
Heero sighed deeply, then moved to where the two boys stood. He placed a hand on both of their shoulders. "Thanks," he said, then gave them both a hug.
Kenny submitted to the hug philosophically. He patted the bigger boy on the back.
Duan hugged back as well.
"Long as ya *are* talking," Kenny added, giving Heero a straight look. Then he glanced at Duo and smiled, ducking his head slightly.
"Yeah," Duan added.
"Hn," Heero remarked, remembering to focus on being stable.
Duo tossed Kenny a wry grin and a small salute, "Yes, sir."
Kenny's smile became a grin before disappearing back into a more accustomed expression. He looked at Duan. "We should go clean up or something," he said. "Better do it now, we might have to rescue Wu from that girl..."
"Oh yeah," Duan said, "Come on."
Heero looked up at Duo and then stood. "They are perceptive," he said, watching the two dash for their room.
"That they are," Duo agreed evenly, "Does that bother you?"
"It just is," Heero said. He placed his hand on Duo's chest. "No, it doesn't bother me. I just want to protect them."
Duo nodded, opening his arms for Heero, offering without invading his lover's personal space for a moment. "They're stronger than we give them credit for sometimes... but you're right. I want to protect them too."
Heero nodded, then slid his arms around Duo's body. "We will," he said. "Now, we need to clean up too. I think I'm going to want different clothes for dinner. Nothing too dressed up, though."
"Whatever you want, koi. If they don't like it, they can deal," Duo replied, tightening his arms around Heero.
Heero nodded again, closing his eyes for a moment. "Jeans, then," he said.
"Cool," Duo replied, his expression slipping into a slight leer after a moment, "Need any help?"
Heero looked into Duo's eyes. "Hai," he said.
With a suggestive smile, Duo led Heero back to their room and shut the door with a faint click.
Duo gathered up both of Heero's hands in his own, turning to walk backwards further into their room once the door clicked shut. His violet eyes narrowed in a heated smirk as he slowly drew the hands in his own up to his mouth and laved the fingers with small kisses and nips.
"Jeans, eh? Can't wear em over that spandex, ya know," he said.
Heero swallowed as he felt his entire body react to Duo's kisses. He shivered, partially transfixed at the braided pilot. He looked up into Duo's eyes and wondered how someone like him could apparently see so much in someone like himself. "Hai," he said, hearing his own voice slightly raspy. "I didn't plan on wearing the spandex," he added.
"That's good," Duo replied, turning Heero's hands outward and ducking his head down a little to trail kisses along his lover's wrist and up his arm slowly, "Because I didn't plan on leaving them on you."
He pressed forward a little, shifting his steps to turn Heero and guide him slowly back to the bed, his talented mouth steadily moving further up Heero's arm. "No one's perfect, you know," he observed softly, his lips brushing against the skin stretched so tautly over firm muscles.
Heero felt his skin heat under Duo's touch. His eyes drifted down as he felt his breathing deepen.
"H...hai," he whispered, answering Duo's statement. "I know," he managed, watching Duo's every movement. Every nerve of his body seemed sensitized to the braided pilot and Heero felt himself sway a little on his feet.
"Do you?" Duo asked, continuing his assault until Heero's knees were pressed up against their bed.
He pulled back a little, pausing to let his gaze travel over every inch of his partner, his tongue darting out to moisten his lips. Leaning forward again, he started working his way across Heero's shoulder, past his collarbone to the hollow of Heero's throat.
"Then why were you thinking bad thoughts about yourself again? You get this tiny frown right here," the braided pilot said, drawing one had away from Heero's body to caress a spot on the Japanese youth's brow gently, "...when you do that. I saw it out in the other room, too. When I asked about strategies..." Duo's voice trailed off as he pushed forward, settling Heero to a seat on the edge of the bed while he leaned over the cobalt-eyed youth and continued nibbling the sensitive flesh of his neck.
"You did?" Heero asked, as he was having a difficult time concentrating on Duo's words. Moving his hand up, he leaned towards Duo, moving him back for a kiss. Touching his mouth to Duo's, he kissed Duo deeply, feeling the desire race through his system.
Duo pressed forward into the kiss, greedily feasting at Heero's mouth.
"Mmmm hmmm...." he murmured into Heero's lips as they finally broke the kiss.
His hands were busy working the edge of Heero's shirt out from the waistband of the shorts, sliding it up his lover's lean body until he could draw it over the ragged mop of dark brown hair. With a flick of his wrist, the shirt vanished into a corner by the head of the bed.
"We don't have to be 'worthy' of each other, koibito," Duo breathed across the skin of Heero's jaw.
Breathing hard, Heero closed his eyes as he felt Duo's warm breath on his skin.
"Don't understand," Heero said, frowning just slightly. His eyes slowly opened to look at Duo. He felt his chest constrict at the sight. 'You are everything I am not,' he thought.
Duo's hands wandered along the exposed flesh of Heero's ribs, while his mouth started a slow trek down Heero's throat to the tight chest.
"Don't have to make a special effort to be worthy of me... or I for you," Duo murmured before his tongue darted out to tease one pouting nipple into attention, "Because you already are. Because I love you." His hands trailed down to Heero's thighs as he slowly sank to his knees, stretching up to nip and lap at the skin of Heero's chest.
Heero gasped with each contact of Duo's mouth on his body. He felt the perspiration on his body form and cool, leaving him shivering slightly. Moistening his lips with his tongue, he shook his head.
"Doesn't make sense," he said. "You... you love me and because you do, I need to be worthy of your regard."
Duo settled lower, his hands wandering down to carefully work the laces of Heero's shoes loose and then slip them off, all the while his mouth remained busy along the tight abs of Heero's stomach.
"Is it hard for you to think that you are, then?" Duo asked quietly as he shifted forward a little to claim the other forgotten nipple with his teeth gently.
Heero moaned. He felt his cock strain against the material of the shorts.
"Worthy... of you... this... hai," he said.
Duo leaned forward some more, pressing his chest down against Heero's thighs and the firm bulge between them. His hands crept up from Heero's ankles, fingers deftly massaging up his lover's quivering calves, sliding along the underside of those solid thighs to carefully cradle the firm flesh of Heero's rear before Duo's fingers hooked into the waistband of the spandex shorts. He turned his head, his cheek rubbing along Heero's ribs like a cat scent-marking its territory, "Why?" he questioned quietly, his tongue darting out again to lick a long wet line of cooling sweat from the flushed skin.
Heero closed his eyes again to the sensation of Duo rubbing against his skin.
"I've only been fit for one thing, Duo," he said, quietly, looking down his chest at Duo. "I... accept that... because I must."
Duo growled playfully as he turned his head again to nip at Heero's chest again. His hands carefully shifted his lover's weight until he could ease the tight spandex past Heero's hips, pushing them further down with an air of faint impatience. He pulled away and smiled wickedly, licking his lips in anticipation as Heero's cock sprung free of its containment.
"Hmm... Commando Heero," he murmured greedily, before looking up to firmly meet Heero's gaze with his own. With deliberate intent, he leaned forward and lapped at the tip, eyes never leaving Heero's face. "You're fit for me... Always have been..."
Heero clenched his teeth together as he felt Duo's tongue contact his sensitive skin. His eyes locked onto the violet ones as his hands gripped the bed. He nodded slightly, tacitly accepting the words. Reaching down, he stroked Duo's cheek. He brushed his fingertips along Duo's chin, then traced the outline of Duo's lips.
"Okay," he said.
Duo's expression softened for a moment, his feral hunger shifting into a tender smile as he leaned into Heero's fingers. He nodded, his tongue darting out to catch the tips of the fingers stroking along his lips before his eyes narrowed dangerously again. Raising up on his knees a little, he snuggled forward again, pressing between Heero's thighs to nibble along the underside of his lover's engorged flesh.
"Love you," he murmured before engulfing Heero's cock.
Heero's back arched as he felt Duo's warm, wet mouth engulf him. His body was more than ready for the moment as Heero's awareness shifted down to Duo and the bed. He moaned as his hips rocked forward slightly. "Oh Duo," he whispered.
One nimble hand crept to the sensitive sac below the object of Duo's attention, carefully caressing the folds of flesh while his tongue circled the head skillfully. He peered up at Heero through his lowered lashes, eyes narrowed with wicked mischief as he hummed a quiet inquiry. The other hand busied itself with kneading Heero's thigh like a cat settling down for a nap. Watching his lover avidly, he increased his pace, bobbing up and down in Heero's lap as he sought to drive the Japanese pilot over the brink.
Heero fell back against the bed, no longer able to hold himself upright. He felt the muscles of his stomach ripple as Duo's mouth moved over his cock. His hips rocked forward to Duo's rhythm as Heero felt himself surrender to his lover's movements. Suddenly, he felt himself tighten, then release in the warm cavern of Duo's mouth as his body shuddered on the bed. "Duo," he rasped, fisting the covers.
Duo swallowed eagerly, lapping at Heero's cock greedily to gather the last drops, before licking his lips languidly. He nuzzled the crease between Heero's thigh and his hip, turning his head to lay his cheek on the flushed and trembling skin. The sound of his name in that voice made his chest tighten painfully, and he had to struggle to draw even breaths for several long moments, leaning against Heero's legs and the edge of the bed itself to support him. Slowly, his hands drifted down to rest on the swell of the Japanese pilot's calves. For once, he had no words.
After a few moments, Heero felt his body settle and savored the delicious feel of Duo draped over him. When he could, he sat up carefully. Reaching down, he hooked his hands under Duo's shoulders, pulling and urging the braided pilot up on the bed next to him. Placing his hands around Duo's heart-shaped face, Heero leaned forward and kissed him deeply.
His hands trembled slightly with both emotion and need. "Love you," he said quietly against Duo's ear.
Duo sighed contentedly, as his arms came up to worm their way around his lover's body beside him. He snuggled against Heero, burying his face in Heero's neck to suck gently at the flesh there. "You too," he murmured.
"How do you feel?" he finally asked, almost basking in his lover's presence.
Heero looked up at the ceiling of the room, as he considered the question. The truth was that he felt a great number of things and for the most part they were all centered around Duo. Emotions swelled within him and Heero blinked, feeling unshed tears sting the back of his eyes.
"Feel... good," he managed, hearing how inadequate the words were to his own ears. "Iie," he tried again. "No... I feel a lot," he said, feeling the words come the closest, yet still failing somehow.
"Like what?" Duo asked gently, settling comfortably against Heero. One hand crept up to rub soothingly across one of Heero's bare shoulders.
Heero swallowed hard. Report, he thought, reaching for some semblance of order to gather his thoughts.
"Spec... you make me feel like I'm special... worthy. Then I wonder... who could you possibly be... what spirit," he said, ending very softly.
"You are those things, koibito. You always will be to me," Duo breathed, shifting again, pressing even closer to Heero and throwing one leg over one of his lover's, "Spirit?"
"Old culture. Once, we believed in spirits of the Ancestors... the old ones. Spirits of those who have moved on, seeking and finding their other half, their mate eternally. Newly born all knowledge dimmed, yet ready to awaken and seek. Ancient," Heero said, as his fingers stroked Duo's back, and brushing against the yard long braid.
"I like the sound of that... The mate eternally part," Duo sighed, arching a little into Heero's touch, "What else?"
Heero's mouth curved into a slight smile as he thought. "I wonder what I am. I wonder how to keep you. The kids," he said.
"I don't understand," Duo said.
A flood of thoughts poured through Heero's mind. He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again, shaking his head.
"No," he said quietly. Leaning his head slightly, he kissed Duo's forehead. "Outside stuff. Not now," he added. Gathering his thoughts, he then said, "I don't want to move from here. I don't want this to change, but I know it will."
"I'll be here," Duo replied, closing his eyes and arching his neck to inhale Heero's scent deeply. His arms tightened around Heero once again, possessive and comforting at the same time. "You don't have to be dressed for dinner for a little while. We can stay here. It's nice."
"Yes," Heero said. "That's what I was thinking. Do you feel safe, Duo?"
The braided pilot snuggled against Heero for a moment, sighing contentedly again. "Mmmm hmmm..." he murmured as he nodded against Heero's shoulder.
Heero hugged Duo's body tightly. "Hn," he remarked.
"What?" Duo asked, "You're thinking..."
"Ai shiteru, Duo. That's what I was thinking," Heero replied.
Duo's lips stretched into a smile against the skin of Heero's throat. "I like that," he said softly, "I love you, too."
"Maybe next time, I'll find you," Heero said, quietly, feeling his lids droop as the quiet and peace, along with the relaxation after sex, began capturing his consciousness.
"I'd like that," Duo replied, reaching up to smooth Heero's bangs out of his face for a moment, "Sleep, Hee-chan. It's been a long day already. I'll be here, I promise. I'll always be here."
Heero sighed deeply as he settled, feeling himself succumb to Morpheus' touch.
The return to the third floor passed in, for the most part, a rather comfortable silence, Zechs seeming to relax degree by degree. Arriving at the designated suite, he stopped in front of the doorway, a polite distance.
"Thank you again for the tour," Sallah said with a smile. "I hope things didn't get too uncomfortable for you. The boys didn't mean any harm..."
"I understand," Zechs said. "Just a few things..." he trailed off and shook his head, returning to look at Sallah with an interest. "Perhaps sometime I can convince you to tell me a little of where you come from. From what I gather, it's a little different?"
Sallah blinked, a bit of surprise reflected in her eyes. Then she pondered a moment, finally nodding her head. "I think that would be all right. Though in some ways there isn't much to tell. But it is... an interesting tale, how we came to be here." She shrugged. "Strange, in a way, but interesting."
"Strange," he echoed, giving her a bit of a tired smile, "At this point, I'm convinced I could believe anything. Now I owe you the thanks, Sallah," he said, "Perhaps after dinner?"
At that moment the door of the suite opened as Wufei emerged on a trip of his own. He looked up and saw Sallah and Zechs standing near each other, talking and heard the last few words. His eyes narrowed slightly. He paused for a moment as if making up his mind, and then simply held the door open.
"There you are," he said. "Where is Wufan?"
Sallah looked over as Wufei spoke, smiling brightly in greeting. "We met Mariemeia when coming back from the tour, and she and Wufan are out walking for a bit. He'll be back soon."
Wufei's brows drew together slightly. He looked at Zechs, his lips pressed together. After a moment he seemed to force himself to relax. "I see." He fought with a very strong impulse to go find the two and carry Wufan off under his arm.
Zechs took the pause as an opening and stepped back, dipping in a slight bow to Sallah before straightening with a brief nod to Wufei. "Chang," he acknowledged briefly before turning to take his leave.
"Hn," Wufei didn't return the acknowledgment. "You seem to have enjoyed your tour," he said to Sallah.
"It was very interesting," she replied, regarding him thoughtfully. "The boys were rather excited to see the lower levels where the mobile suits used to be kept. Though... I think they did startle Zechs at times. I think he did fairly well, all things considered, for having just met them."
Wufei's expression softened just slightly at the mention of the boys, then took on a somewhat satisfied cast. "Did he? How admirable." He tilted his head. "Did Wufan take notes?"
Sallah laughed softly. "Naturally. He took notes, asked questions, sketched a bit of what he saw." Her voice held a definite note of pride.
"Of course," he said. One dark eyebrow lifted. "Perhaps you'd like to come in out of the hall..."
Sallah grimaced slightly, noticing that Wufei was still holding the door. "Ah... sorry," she said, stepping into the room. "Didn't mean to be blocking the way, there."
Wufei came back into the room and closed the door.
Looking back at him, Sallah's expression took on a faint hint of confusion. "Oh... I thought you were going somewhere." She frowned slightly. "Is something wrong?"
Wufei leaned with his back to the door, regarding her for a moment.
"Sallah..." he looked down and then back up at her directly. "No, there is nothing wrong. That man and I... have been on opposite sides... twice... no... three times, at least. As a warrior, I respect him. As a Preventer... I..." he shook his head. "I'm not comfortable with either of our roles in this particular situation. And Mariemeia... is not an ordinary little girl. I hope Wufan keeps his head."
Sallah crossed her arms over her chest, the expression on her face serious, if not a little cool. "He knows exactly who she is, and what she's done-"
Wufei interrupted her. "He knows what he has read in books, Sallah. He does *not* know *who* she is. Even *she* has barely a grasp of that." His nostrils flared slightly as he took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm.
"As for what she has done, that is the least of things. She is a child. She was not responsible for her actions. She was used by her grandfather and I..." He turned and walked across the room to stare out the window. "I should have... stopped it."
Sallah frowned again, then released a deep breath with a soft whoosh. "It seems to me that you did, eventually. I..." She paused, seeming to try to find the right words. "I have a feeling you think you should have been able to do it sooner... but... you're not superhuman. None of you are, truly."
"I'm fully aware of my limitations," Wufei said, looking out into the grounds beyond the window. "Intimately aware."
Grimacing, Sallah rubbed at one temple, mentally yelling at herself. She always seemed to say the wrong thing... She sighed, then said "I didn't mean it like that. It just... it... it sounds like you are blaming yourself for what happened..." Trailing off, she shrugged a bit helplessly. "I was trying to say I think you're being too harsh on yourself. And... I'm sorry I let Zechs walk with me here. I didn't mean to bring up unpleasant feelings for you."
Wufei turned at looked at her. "You should not apologize for that. And I should be more tolerant. Please forgive me for making you uncomfortable about it. You should not be afraid to act as you wish. I've overstepped my position."
He crossed slowly back to the door and paused. "Perhaps I should request a separate room for myself. It should be simple enough to arrange; the house is certainly not short of space. I'll speak to Pargan about it"
"Don't... that's not necessary," Sallah closed her eyes a moment, then opened them to meet his gaze directly. "I didn't mean to drive you off or anything like that. And I don't think you overstepped anything... with what's happened with people like Zechs and Mariemeia, you have a right to be concerned."
Wufei looked at Sallah for a long moment in silence. "I may have reason," he said quietly, "But right? If I've learned nothing else, I've learned to be careful about what rights I assign myself." He took a breath and released it. "If it were not a question of you driving me off, would you not prefer to have a bit more freedom here than must be the case with my presence?"
Eyebrows raised, Sallah stared at Wufei for a long moment. "I... hadn't considered your presence restrictive in any way... I... I like your company actually," she said quietly, then added, "As does Wufan." She began toying with the end of one braid, looking away. "But if you feel more comfortable in another room, I'd understand."
Wufei froze slightly. He looked away and then back at her and then said quietly, "Perhaps the household staff are too busy preparing for the evening meal. I suppose we might as well leave things as they are for now." He bowed slightly, with a touch of formality. "I have to leave for a while. I would have preferred to see Wufan before I left but... I will see him this evening. Tell him I regret that I wasn't here when he returned from the tour. I will be back by dinner... probably. If I am late, I would appreciate if you would convey my regrets to the Vice Minister."
"All right," she nodded, looking up and giving an apologetic half-smile. "And I'll pass your message on to Wufan, too. He'll appreciate that."
Wufei bowed again and then left the room, his steps hurried but still graceful.
Flopping onto the sofa with a heavy sigh, Sallah rubbed at her forehead. "You're thirty-three, blast it, not thirteen," she grumbled at herself, slightly self-depreciatingly. "Start acting like it!" She didn't understand why she always stumbled so badly around Wufei when she was fine around any of the others.
A little while later, the door opened and Wufan stepped inside. "Hi, Ma," he said, closing the door behind him. "Have you seen Wufei? Is he here?"
She shook her head. "No, he just left, in fact. He apologized for not being here when you came back, but had something he had to do."
"Did he say when he would return? I would like to speak with him about something," Wufan asked walking over and sitting next to Sallah.
"He didn't say exactly," Sallah replied, draping an arm over Wufan's shoulders. "Sounded like he's hoping to be back in time for dinner, but there's a chance he might miss it."
Wufan sighed deeply, frowning slightly. "All right," he said. "I guess I can speak to him whenever he returns. Ma, do you like this place?"
"This place? Do you mean the mansion here... or everything?"
"Earth," he asked.
"Ah. Hm..." Sallah thought a moment before responding. "I like what I've seen so far, I guess. But we haven't been to very many places yet. What about you? You all right?" she asked.
"So far, I like it too. I've just got some questions... Did Wufei ever tell you why he and Zechs don't like each other?" he asked.
"He did mention they were on different sides during the wars," she replied, after a moment's pause.
Wufan thought it over for a second and then nodded. "Ok," he said, "I guess I'd better wash up for dinner."
Leaning over, he gave Sallah kiss on the cheek. "That girl, Mariemeia, she was very interesting and kind of lonely. She wants to be my friend and I said yes. I am preparing myself for what the guys will say. Who knows, though? Maybe they will want to be friends too."
Sallah nodded and hugged her son. "I think you did the right thing. She needs friends just like anyone else, no matter what happened in the past. The others..." she shrugged. "I can't help but feel they'd be at least influenced by your example."
Wufan stood. Then he bowed deeply. "I agree," he said. "I'm washing up now," he added, then bounded towards the bathroom with his note pad and rose in his hands.
Sallah blinked in surprise as she caught sight of the rose that Wufan carried. Merriment sparked in her eyes, and she laughed softly to herself. Already getting flowers...! She would be fending off crowds by the time he was a teenager.
TBC
End of Part 16
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