13-Aug-2001
Title: Chasing the Crown, an Extended Family Fic
ExFam Authors:
RavynFyre - ravynfyre@hotmail.com
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!
Wufei gave the borrowed jeans a tug to settle them on his body. The waist was a little loose and the hips a tad snug but they would work. "Thank you, Heero," he said, and then pulled Duo's proffered black t-shirt over his head. Running a borrowed comb quickly through his straight back hair, he pulled it back tightly and twisted the elastic around it at the nape of his neck, with the air of someone not paying a lot of attention to what he was doing out of force of habit.
"Hn," Heero said, watching Wufei dress. His brow furrowed fractionally at the elastic band and he made a mental note for later. He'd already dressed in black jeans and blue tank top and was standing with his arms folded across his chest, noting the way his jeans formed around Wufei's body.
Duo was just plaiting the last third of his braid while watching Wufei dress. He'd already slipped into a pair of light jeans and a white t-shirt himself, before he'd started wrestling with his mane. "Hey Fei-koi? Why do you always pull your hair back so tight?" Duo asked while his fingers absently flew through the familiar task.
Wufei glanced at Duo, the question unexpected. "To keep it out of the way," he answered.
"Fair 'nuff," Duo replied, snapping the band around the tip of his braid. "Well, shall we go track down the munchkins?"
"Hai," Heero said, then walked up next to Wufei. "Looks better down," he whispered against the Chinese pilot's ear.
Wufei looked sharply at Heero and then simply shook his head briefly.
Duo was the first out of the door. As he approached the front door to the suite, he heard a loud knock and then... "Room service!!"
With a grin, Duo opened the door to a pair of laden carts and several short individuals waiting patiently for them. "Morning, guys! We were just coming to find you!"
"Well, we are here with your breakfast, sir!" Duan said, cheerfully. "If you'll just stand away from the door, we will push it right in!"
With an overly dramatic flourishing bow, Duo complied, pulling the door open wider.
Duan and Kenny pushed in the first cart and Mariemeia and Wufan took the second. Working as a little unit, they placed all the food out where people could get it.
"I'll get the other guys and Sallah," Kenny volunteered and trotted off across the hall.
"Check," Duan called out after Kenny, then ran to Duo and leapt into his arms. With a big grin, he asked, "Didja miss me?!"
"Always, kiddo!" Duo replied, returning the hug before swinging the smaller boy about in a large circle. "Did you miss me?"
"Always, kiddo!" Duan replied, with a giggle.
Wufei settled cross-legged on one of the couches. He smiled gently at Wufan and Mariemeia, and there was something about the Chinese pilot that seemed... deeply, intrinsically different, as if something buried far below the surface had relaxed.
Mei trotted over, climbing up on the couch to give him a hug. "Good morning," she said, happily tightening the hug a bit, "Did last night go okay?"
Wufan looked at Wufei for a long moment. He watched Mei walk over and give him a hug, noting that something really was different about the Chinese pilot. Shaking himself out of his reverie, he walked over to the table and picked up an apple for himself.
Wufei returned Mei's hug and brushed a strand of red hair back. "Yes it did," he answered quietly, looking at her. He worried a little about the shock she was going to have when Treize returned, but had no doubt about it being the ultimate right thing.
"I'm glad," she replied, oblivious to his slight concern. "Would you like some tea? Wufan made you some. He's very good at it."
"I would be grateful for some," he answered, his eyes going to the young boy. He noticed that Wufan had not greeted him and suppressed a sigh. Perhaps the boy would not approve of what had taken place between himself and the other two pilots. Perhaps he had expectations of a pairing between Wufei and his mother, Sallah. Wufei patted Mei lightly as she jumped down, and continued to watch Wufan quietly.
The red-haired girl padded back to where the food was and retrieved the tea that Wufan had made, smiling at the boy as she poured out a cup. "I don't think I've ever had this kind before," she said to the young boy, "I would like to try it with breakfast."
Wufan pushed his glasses back up on his nose. He smiled at Mei and nodded. "It's good with breakfast or by itself. Orange tea and chamomile mixed together," he said, then poured two cups, one for himself and another for Wufei.
He then went over to the couch where Wufei sat and handed him a cup. "Good morning," he said, then sat down.
Wufei accepted the tea. "Thank you," he said, and regarded the boy. "Are you well today?"
Wufan nodded, sipping some of his tea. "Lady Une said that Mei can hang out with us, if you and Heero and Duo didn't mind."
"Good idea," Wufei answered, drinking his tea.
Wufan was quiet a moment as he sipped more of the tea. He glanced at Wufei and then it struck him that the Chinese pilot was in different clothes than he'd seen him in before. He nodded to himself. "Did you get enough sleep?" he asked Wufei.
Wufei blinked and then nodded, and suddenly a tad extra color appeared in his cheeks. He cleared his throat. "Yes, enough."
Wufan nodded again. He noted the color change in Wufei's cheeks, then blinked as he recalled Duan's words that morning. Glancing up, he saw Duo and then Heero and suddenly remembered where he'd seen the clothes that Wufei had on before.
Wufan drank a large gulp of his tea and sat the cup down on the table. Looking down, he grinned to himself, feeling his own cheeks warm a little.
Wufei watched the boy's reaction and swallowed. "Wufan," he said softly, "I don't know if you... if..." He stopped, unable to find the correct words the frame the awkward subject.
At that moment the door opened and Carter and Tryan bounced in, followed by Sallah.
"Good morning! We're starving!" Tryan said, bounding through and heading straight for the food.
"Morning guys, Sallah!" Duo called boisterously, "Everyone sleep okay? How's the head, Carter?"
Carter beamed. "Fine," he said, as he climbed onto a chair next to the food.
Sallah smiled at Duo. "Good morning," she said, glancing at the others. "Thank you for seeing to breakfast," she said, noting Wufei's appearance. "Good morning, Wufei," she said.
Wufei looked up at the young woman and cleared his throat. "How are you, Sallah," he said quietly, his voice sounding somehow rather young.
A combination of things caused Sallah to pause. She looked at Wufei closely, and it struck her that yes, he was only seventeen after all. Her eyes moved to Wufan sitting nearby, then back to Wufei and she shook her head. "I am fine, Wufei," she said with a smile, as some of her prior romantic notions dissolved on the wind. "Just fine," she added, then glanced at all of the boys.
"Morning, Sallah," Heero said, moving away from the table to allow her reach the food.
"Hi, Heero," she replied. "Did you guys get done what you'd hoped?"
Heero nodded. "Hai," he said. "And a little more, I think."
"Good," Sallah said, getting herself a plate.
Wufan tapped Wufei's arm to get his attention. "What were you saying?" he asked.
Wufei took a breath and shook his head. "For later," he said, a little obscurely. "We'll talk later."
"Sure," Wufan said, then moved closer to Mei. "Do you want something else to eat?" he asked her.
"Maybe a muffin, in a minute. This is good!" she said, nodding towards the warm cup cradled in her hands. "You've got good taste."
Wufan smiled. "Xie xie," he said.
Duo quirked a brow up at the exchange between the two children sitting beside Wufei. "Nice threads, Mei. Making a new fashion statement?" he asked with a grin.
Heero glanced at Duo and just shook his head.
Mariemeia giggled slightly before answering somewhat flippantly, "Yeah. It's the 'not running naked through the halls to my own room to get dressed' statement."
"I'm familiar with that one," Wufei muttered under his breath.
Wufan giggled.
Duo choked slightly on his breakfast as he shot an amused look at Wufei. "Good choice," he replied to Mei.
"Hey Wufei, you look good in Duo's shirt!" Duan called out, then stuffed a muffin in his mouth.
Wufei shot the braided child a harried look.
"That's what I said, too," Duo replied, leaning across the table to high five Duan.
Sallah's fork paused halfway to her mouth as she turned to watch the exchange. Her cheeks suddenly flushed and she sighed a little as she put the food in her mouth. Many things pulled together at once and she nodded to herself. 'At least I didn't make quite a fool of myself,' she thought. '... Or get stuck with that dreadful Marcus. Yes, there is a divine spirit out there after all.'
A light tap on the door of the suite was followed by the same door opening without waiting to be answered.
"Ah, breakfast! Mind if I share?" the tall redhead asked amiably as he strolled in and made himself at home.
"Could we stop you if we said no?" Duo joked in return.
"Now that you mention it, not only no, but I'm not even sure you'd hurt my feelings," Ripper answered happily, piling a plate with food and dropping onto the couch beside Heero. "Morning, love. Hope your feet aren't worn out today... how's the thumb?"
Heero frowned, glaring at the tall man. He reflexively lifted his thumb to check it, then closed his eyes thinking that it was a stupid move. "I'm fine," he answered.
Duo sighed dramatically, shaking a finger at the manic redhead. "No teasing before breakfast, Rip. It's not sporting."
"You're bloody well welcome to try and stop me," the other returned with a grin.
"Hi Rip!" Duan called from the table, then turned back to his food.
"Hallo, Duo Junior," Rip replied merrily. He looked around with a pleased expression, while consuming a lot of food quickly. "Isn't this nice? Reminds one a tad of the Hyatt, in an obscure sort of way. No revolving restaurant on top, but I imagine we could talk the owner into adding one..."
From where Sallah sat, she dropped her fork on the table as a vision of a revolving restaurant atop the Sanc Kingdom Palace came to her mind. "That's not fair, Rip," she said, chuckling.
"Fair is for marks, right Tryan laddie?" Rip returned smiling. "Morning, Red. No kiss?" he said to Mariemeia.
Tryan gave Ripper the *thumbs up*, then went back to his food.
"You should eat more slowly," Heero said, looking at Rip.
"I'll keep that in mind should I find myself in a position to try it out," Ripper said to Heero, leering.
"I didn't mean.. I... oh, never mind," Heero said "Hn."
"Hi Rip, you want some tea?" Wufan asked, politely.
"It's very good," Mei added, "Thank you for the dance last night... It was fun."
"Of course, sweet princess," Rip said graciously. "No tea today, Wufan, unless you have any that's radioactive."
Wufan shook his head.
Duo snorted with amusement. "Radioactive... I should track you down one of Howard's old shirts in that case," he muttered.
"Haven't we been the busy ex-Gundam pilots," Rip commented, brown eyes sliding from one to the other of the three. "Big plans for the day then?"
"We were just about to get to that part," Heero said, "Okay everyone, the mission we had planned before has been cancelled. We managed to get some good intel last night."
Kenny's ears perked up. "Hn," he remarked. "Know where It is?"
"Not exactly, but we know where It isn't," Heero commented as he looked to Duo.
"Since Dekim had it last year," Duo said, nodding to Mei, "We know It's not in the Epyon anymore, so we don't need to look for that, now."
Hn," Heero added.
Carter brushed a few crumbs from his lap. "Someone who has been close to It recently was here last night," he said quietly.
"Any clue who?" Duo asked.
Carter looked down. "I'm sorry," he said. "There were so many people... and so much emotional stuff. I couldn't keep track, I just felt it close and then it got lost. It might be someone who left already but if they are still here I think I can find them."
"It's okay, Carter," Duo answered soothingly, "You've been doing so much lately. We'll find It. Don't let it get you down. Yer doing great."
Carter nodded and made an effort to smile.
Wufei frowned slightly. "I was fixated on finding Epyon," he said half to himself. "But it makes sense that it was with Barton. But that would mean it came to Earth... and there would not be so many people who could have taken it from the fortress."
"Good point," Heero said. "So we look for who would have the capability to move something like that."
Mei bit her lower lip hard and stared down into her cup for a long moment. "May I be excused for a few minutes?" she asked quietly, "I need to check something."
"Can I go with you?" Wufan asked, noting the look on Mei's face.
She nodded a couple of times, before looking back up at Wufei for permission.
"Yes," he said simply, trusting Wufan to make sure she was safe.
"Thank you," she replied, sliding down off the couch and depositing her cup on the table before reaching for Wufan's hand out of reflex.
Wufan stood and took Mei's hand, moving with her.
"We'll be right back," she called as the door shut behind them.
Duo frowned as he peered at the door. He really didn't know the girl that well, yet, but the sudden shift from cheerful to deep thought seemed terribly out of character for someone so young. He kept those thoughts to himself for the moment and turned back to the group. "Well, it would have had to have been someone in Dekim's army, right?" Duo asked, glancing at Wufei, "Or maybe a Preventer? Someone who was in there early after the surrender?"
Wufei nodded. "We were outside," he remembered clearly. "But there are, or were, tapes from the fortress's internal surveillance that were confiscated by the Preventers. Perhaps that is what Mariemeia thought of. If not, I'm certain we can get access to them, through Une or Zechs."
"Well, if it was a Preventer, wouldn't there be some record that you could match with the Preventers at the party?" Sallah offered.
Wufei tilted his head. "The Preventers at that time were an extremely small group. It was just after that incident that I joined, and the organization began to enlarge to the size it is now. During the period before Barton's attempted coup, they had only a handful of agents, including Sally and Noin... Zechs joined during the incident. Lady Une and a small group of office personnel were all that existed then. I think it's more likely to have been one of Barton's people but," he shrugged. "I guess we need to check all possibilities."
"Something that's always bothered me. How did Lady Une get inside the fortress that fast? I blasted my way in, but she was already there with Relena and Mariemeia," Heero said, thinking aloud.
Wufei tilted his head. "I don't think it was her, or Carter would know," he said slowly. "But it *is* an interesting observation."
"Wouldn't the surveillance cameras have pictures of who left the party early? Most of the people were there for the disco dancing and that was kinda late," Duan offered.
"That's a good idea," Duo replied thoughtfully, "We'll have to see if we could get those tapes, too."
"Has anybody talked to Quatre and Trowa?" Tryan asked. "They were there last night. Maybe they noticed something?"
"We should talk to them soon, anyway," Duo replied, tossing glances at Heero and Wufei.
"Hai," Heero said, with a nod.
There was a polite knock at the door.
Heero moved to the door and opened it.
Quatre smiled. "Good morning!" he said. "I hope I'm not interrupting. I just wanted to see if you might have some time to spend with Trowa and I, today. We've decided to stay a couple of days. I didn't know if you all were going back today so I thought I'd better come by and find out."
"Come in," Heero said, moving aside to let Quatre into the room.
"We were just talking about tracking you guys down!" Duo called, waving the Arabian in cheerfully.
"Morning," Trowa said, walking in behind Quatre.
Rip grinned and waved at the two. "Another bloody reunion, isn't it grand?" he said cheerfully.
Quatre blinked and then smiled tentatively at the tall redhead. "Um... well, yes, I guess it is at that," he said pleasantly.
"Hi Quatre," Carter said softly. "Hi Trowa."
"Hi guys," Trowa replied, walking over to the table.
"Hi guys!" Duo said, "Hungry? There's plenty!"
"Thanks, we've had breakfast," Quatre said, smiling at Duo. He nodded a greeting to Wufei, who nodded back. Then he smiled at Sallah. "Hi! Good to see you again."
"Good morning," Sallah replied. "And thank you again. You save my life last night."
"It was our pleasure, wasn't it, Trowa?" the Arabian said warmly.
"Of course," Trowa said, then sat down beside Carter. He looked at the young boy, then brushed his cheek. "You look a little tired," he said. "Everything ok?"
Carter nodded. "Fine," he said. "Just a lot of stuff going on, that's all."
"Hn," Trowa said, nodding.
Duo sighed and tossed Quatre a long-suffering look. "Are you and I the only ones who actually speak in full words?" he asked, gracing Heero, Wufei, and then Trowa with teasing glances.
Quatre smiled. "Well, some people put so much meaning into single syllables that I guess they don't need as many as the rest of us do."
"Well... I guess there *is* something to be said for monosyllabic... grunts," Duo agreed, stifling a smirk.
Rip listened to the byplay while idly reaching up to play with a stray lock of hair at the back of Heero's neck. He concentrated, as if testing it out. "Hn," he said, with a slight grin.
Heero turned his head quickly to look at the redhead. "What?" he asked.
Rip raised his eyebrows. "Nothing, dear boy, nothing at all," he answered with a pleased expression.
Quatre raised his eyebrows but decided to keep any questions or comments to himself.
Duo's gaze narrowed in on Rip's fingers idly playing with Heero's hair. He caught the frown trying to surface and stuffed it back down quickly before anyone, especially his Japanese lover, could notice it. "So," Duo said, glancing from Quatre to Trowa before continuing in a patently manic tone of voice, "We're working on saving the world again. Wanna help?"
Trowa looked up at Duo and shook his head. "Sure thing, Duo," he said. "Whatcha got?"
Quatre blinked and then nodded. "Actually I was going to ask you about that. Didn't know it was world class again this time, but definitely count me in."
"Well, ya know... We're hoping to catch it *before* we get to the whole world class thing, but I guess, over all, in the grand scheme of it all, it already is," Duo expounded with a professorial air.
"Put it in English, Duo," Trowa said.
"We're on a mission," Tryan offered.
"Okay, see, there's this thing, this object that apparently has versions of itself in lots of different universes. The one in the universe where Arcadia was almost destroyed their world. Well, we have one too, and we need to find it. It likes to mess with people and influence them in destructive ways. Example: Treize had it before he started the war. He put it in Epyon and Zechs tried to blow up the planet. Dekim Barton had it last year when he tried to take over the world. Seeing a trend there? So we need to find it and make it gone. Speaking of which, how the hell *do* we kill it, Rip?" Duo asked, finally taking a breath at the end of the question.
The redhead smiled lazily but a spark of predatory anticipation gleamed in his eyes. "You don't kill it, we do," Rip said pleasantly. "You see we have something you don't... the gate openers... and do you know, if you open a gate, it's supposed to go somewhere... but if it goes no where..." the predatory smile deepened. "Things tear apart. Anything. Even It..."
Heero listened and watched Ripper with some fascination. He'd seen that expression before, but not quite at that level. "Hn," he said, with a nod.
Rip turned the smile on Heero. He reached up again and brushed at another errant lock of hair with a long finger. "Do you have any idea how satisfying it is to murder something that doesn't *believe* it can die?"
Prussian blue eyes looked into deep brown ones. Heero thought for a long moment, then a small smile stretched his lips. Visions of the impenetrable fortress of Dekim Barton came to mind. The smile grew wider. "Something close," he said, quietly.
Rip nodded happily. "It's quite spoiled me from most ordinary crimes. I'm such an addictive personality..."
Heero thought for another moment, then nodded. "Hai," he said.
Quatre found this exchange a bit uncomfortable to listen to, but absorbed as much of it as he could. "It's an object, but it's... alive?" he said, only for confirmation.
"Something like that, I guess," Duo replied with a shrug. "So ya still in?"
"Of course," Quatre answered automatically. "It sounds like you might need some help. I'll definitely do anything I can to help complete this mission."
"I'm in too, Duo," Trowa said. He had been watching the kids and Sallah for reactions. He noted that they seemed quite at home with all of this.
"Ripping," the redhead commented cheerily. "Back in the saddle again, eh, chaps? How bloody exciting."
"So, we're gonna set it up and you blow it away," Heero said, nodding. He was at last finding a part of this whole deal that he understood clearly and could take some joy in. He extended his hand towards Rip. "Hai," he said.
A slow smile spread across the Ripper's face revealing many white teeth. He took the hand and lifted it to his lips, and then kissed the injured thumb with a smack.
Heero looked at his thumb with a small smile on his face. "Arigato. It feels much better," he said.
Ripper burst into laughter. He retained his hold on the hand that he had been about to release and promptly kissed the underside of Heero's wrist. "With luck I can work my way..."
A sharp pain raced up Duo's arm from where he'd clenched his fist so tight, his nails had begun to dig into the soft skin of his palm. Unobtrusively taking a calming breath, he forced his hand open and assumed a neutrally bored expression.
Heero looked up at Rip. The soft lips on his wrist elicited a shiver that Heero felt throughout his body. A small part of his brain reminded him that he was in a room full of people, not to mention children and this could get embarrassing very quickly, but the thrill of Rip's former description of how he intended to kill the Crown and Heero's understanding of it, had kicked Heero into the daredevil zone. "Yeah?" he said, softly, hearing his voice sounding more like a child's than its usual deep timbre.
Wufei's eyes narrowed and he looked sharply over at Duo.
Kenny nudged Duan, eyes widening slightly.
Duo was leaning over the table, his head tilted to one side and propped on the arm he had on the table. "Would you boys like some privacy?" he drawled dryly, "The rest of us could... oh, I dunno, take a picnic or wander the grounds or something until y'all are ready to save the world..." His voice trailed off teasingly, and his eyes flashed dangerously, despite his bland expression.
Sallah, who had been holding her breath, suddenly inhaled as Duo's voice cut through her thoughts. She shook her head to clear it and was grateful that at least Wufan and Mariemeia were away.
Quatre was blinking, glancing from Heero to Rip, then to Duo and then quickly to Trowa, his cheeks flushing slightly. He just managed to stop himself from a nervous giggle.
Rip placed another kiss in the inside of Heero's elbow and then released his arm, giving the Japanese pilot a wink. "I'll pick up there later," he said with languid cheerfulness. "You know how braidboy gets when he's not the one being chased around the mulberry bush." Rising from the couch, Rip sauntered over to the table where Duo was leaning and picked up a strawberry from a plate of fruit left over from breakfast, right next to where Duo was leaning. Looking down into Duo's eyes, Rip bit the strawberry in half.
Heero blinked as Ripper released his arm. He felt a hot flush to his cheeks and scowled down at nothing in particular. Taking a deep breath, he stood and glanced over at Kenny and Duan, the latter having effected a wide-eyed, 'Nothing to see here' look on his little face. "Gomen nasai," Heero half whispered and went into the bedroom quickly.
"Try the peaches. They're fresher," Duo advised Rip as he stood. The braided pilot slipped around Rip with a grin, heading for the bedroom in Heero's wake. "Although, you do look good in red," he tossed over his shoulder cheerfully, waving somewhat expansively behind him to indicate the strawberry.
Quatre cleared his throat. "Well," he said a little too brightly. "We'll just... um... wait until you guys are ready to tell us more about this mission," he said, half calling it after Duo. He nodded to Wufei with a fixed smile. "Um..."
Carter padded over and simply climbed up in Quatre's lap. "I'm glad you and Trowa are helping," he said sweetly.
Quatre sighed and hugged the little blond boy. "Me too," he said, relaxing.
Heero walked quickly inside the bedroom and leaned against the wall. He then slid down to the floor, taking deep breaths.
Upon entering, Duo crossed quickly to Heero and slid to the floor beside him, sitting close enough that their thighs brushed, without intruding too much on Heero's space. "What's wrong, koibito?" he asked quietly, one hand hovering between the two of them hesitantly as his natural urge to comfort warred with his unwillingness to make Heero any more uncomfortable.
There was a slight pause, then Heero turned to Duo and wrapped his arms around the braided pilot's neck. Leaning closer, Heero kissed Duo deeply and thoroughly. A short while later, he moved back, but didn't let Duo go. Breathing deeply, he leaned his forehead against Duo's.
"Wow..." Duo breathed, panting still from the kiss. "Talk about fight or flight..." He settled back against the wall and then wrapped his arms tightly around Heero, coaxing the Japanese pilot up against him until Duo had his lover cradled against his chest for a fierce hug.
Heero hugged back, then looked up at Duo through his bangs. "I didn't look too foolish, did I?" he asked.
"You never look foolish to me, Hee-chan," Duo replied, "Especially not when you're getting so good at that." He smiled tenderly down at Heero, though there was an amused, only slightly teasing edge to the expression. "I don't think I've ever seen Quatre's eyes quite that wide before, though."
Heero's eyebrow arched into his hairline as he looked up at Duo. "So, I did look stupid," he said and sighed deeply. "Thanks, pal."
"Do *you* think you looked stupid?" Duo asked, tightening his arms around Heero.
Heero reached down and took Duo's hand. He placed it over the now prominent bulge in his pants. "Hai," he said, feeling both the touch and the irony of the situation reverberate through him.
Duo tightened his fingers over the firmness as he leaned a little closer and nuzzled Heero's ear. "Stealth mode?" he asked in a bare whisper. "And why? Why did you think that about yourself?"
Heero leaned down and closed his mouth over Duo's neck, licking and tasting the braided pilot's warm flesh. "Because..." he said, working his way to the hollow, "... there's a room full of people... including children... and I nearly jumped Ripper and was not going to give it another thought." Reaching down, he rubbed the front of Duo's pants with his palm, feeling his own temperature rise.
Duo bit his lip hard to silence the groan that was threatening as Heero pressed against his own erection. Closing his eyes for a moment, he concentrated on keeping his voice no louder than a harsh whisper as he replied, "Obviously you did give it another thought... cos we're in here, and he's out there." With shaking fingers, Duo fumbled open the button of Heero's dark jeans and rasped the zipper down to reach inside. "So you can jump Rip later when there's fewer witnesses," he offered as his hand wrapped around the prize.
Heero gasped, as a feral smile etched itself on his lips at Duo's touch. Leaning over, he kissed Duo deeply once again. "Although," he said, against Duo's ear. "I think it was more correct to say, I was almost jumped." The Perfect Soldier's fingers unerringly found the fastening on Duo's pants and opened them, claiming his prize as well.
A shadow appeared in the open door of the bedroom. It was recognizable by the silhouette, pausing for a bare moment, before Wufei reached in and pulled the door closed, returning to the main suite.
"We'll have to thank him later," Duo managed to gasp out as his whole body shuddered under Heero's skillful touch.
"Hai," Heero hissed, through clenched teeth. "Stealth.... mode," he repeated, moving the loose skin of Duo's shaft back and forth.
Duo smiled wickedly as his other hand yanked the hem of Heero's shirt out from the open waistband of the black jeans and dragged it up and over his lover's head. "More to stealth mode than sound," he explained haltingly as he repeated the maneuver on himself before bending his head down to fasten his lips upon the pulse of Heero's neck.
Heero closed his eyes and bit his lip as he felt the waves of pleasure wash through him. His hand continued his motion caressing the hard flesh, feeling it become slicker with the lubricant from Duo's body. "Love you," he whispered, feeling his eyelids droop.
A low whimper slipped unauthorized from Duo's throat as Heero's hand continued its dance. Duo tightened his grip a bit, thumb running over the slit at the tip as he nipped at Heero's throat. "Love you too... so much." He pulled his mouth away, resting his head against Heero's shoulder as he felt the familiar rush of fire and ice begin tingling along his nerves. The same dizzying vertigo he used to get from piloting Deathscythe stole over him as the whole world crashed into that instant and he spasmed in an explosion of pleasure.
Heero felt the warm liquid spill over and into his hand and the reaction of Duo's body shudder against him. He stiffened suddenly, unable to contain himself further. Leaning down, he captured Duo's mouth with his own as his body released as well.
A short while later, Heero felt his body quieten and he gathered Duo into his arms, holding on to him. For that moment, they were the only two people in the world and Heero felt settled.
Duo snuggled contentedly against Heero, absently lifting his hand to his lips and sucking his fingers clean.
"We are totally irresponsible," Heero said, kissing the top of Duo's head.
"Probably," Duo agreed unrepentantly, "But I figure, we're only seventeen. There's plenty of time to be responsible when we're thirty or something..."
He stretched suddenly, leaning up to claim Heero's mouth for a lingering kiss. He sighed as he finally drew away, looking forlornly at the door. "But, I guess we'd best clean up and get dressed and back out there before Wufei decides to wash his hands of us hentais," he said cheekily.
Heero sighed. "Hai," he said, reluctantly.
Meanwhile...
Sallah watched as the two young men exited the room. She saw Wufei stand and close the door and smiled to herself. "Wufei, could I have a word with you?" she said and stood herself.
Wufei threw a look at Ripper, who was happily eating a peach. Then he turned to Quatre and Trowa. "We have some information and are gathering more. I think a real briefing is needed. Can you meet at... three o’clock?" he said pulling the time out of the air.
"Sure thing, Wufei," Trowa replied.
Quatre nodded and gave Carter a hug. "I'll see you a bit later, Carter, okay?"
Carter beamed, nodding happily and jumped off Quatre's lap. The Arabian stood gracefully. "I wanted to talk to Relena today, so I think I'll go down and see if I can slip into her schedule somewhere. We'll see you at three, then."
"Do you still work with the circus?" Tryan asked Trowa, watching the older boy stand.
"That's right," Trowa answered.
"Maybe you can give me a recommendation sometime. I had to quit the circus back home to come here," Tryan said.
Trowa smiled. "Sure," he said. "Nice to see everyone again," he added as they left.
Wufei threw yet another glare at the tall redhead and turned to Sallah. "Forgive me," he said politely. "We can talk on the balcony if you like?"
"That'll be fine," Sallah said, heading out to the balcony.
Wufei looked around, catching Kenny's eye, as well as the other boys. "If Wufan and Mei return, call me, please?"
Kenny nodded. "Yes sir."
Then Wufei joined Sallah. He looked up to meet her eyes and faced her directly, waiting for her to begin the conversation.
Sallah took a deep breath and said, "I've been thinking, about quite a few things and I wanted to talk to you about them. First, let me say that I think you and the other pilots are amazing and outstanding people. I'm glad to know you, Wufei. I'm also glad that Wufan has had a chance to be around you... all of you."
Wufei frowned slightly. "Hn," he said. He took a deep breath. "Sallah, I have noticed that you have never seemed uncomfortable with the relationship between Heero and Duo... I do not know if this kind of relationship is common where you are from, but I feel that you must be a very honorable person by the way that you have never seemed to make any judgment." He paused, a little uncomfortably.
"Wufei, I came from a military base," Sallah replied. "Relationships there were quite different than here. To give you an example of what I mean, when I became pregnant with Wufan, I, along with the other female personnel there, got slapped with a 'Conduct Unbecoming' charge to our records. Many relationships there were same sex, so yes, I'm familiar with the type. We weren't encouraged to fraternize and when some of us did become pregnant, we were all but ostracized. We did the best that we could," she said, remembering. Looking up, Sallah smiled. "Wufan thinks the world of you," she said.
Wufei blinked, listening careful to the recital and trying to understand everything she was telling him. He was angered on behalf of the women for their treatment, but he felt he was somehow not connecting something together.
"I love Wufan," he said quietly, feeling a little lost in the moment. "And I... care about you. Very much."
Sallah watched Wufei closely. "Thank you," she said. "Love is a good thing. It's a pity I didn't find out about it until after I had Wufan, but, it's never too late, I guess."
Wufei felt a sudden obscure sense of panic. He searched inside himself for the source and could not seem to pinpoint it. "Sallah," he said, a little breathlessly. "I... told you about Sally, and... but... I never told you about my wife..."
Sallah's eyes widened a little, then she moved closer to Wufei. Taking his hand, she gently led him to one of the chairs on the balcony and sat him down. "You were married," she said, evenly, watching his expression and feeling an outpouring of concern and warmth. He looked so very young, then.
Swallowing, Wufei reached into his pocket and pulled out the small holographic viewer he always carried on his person. He touched the button and the picture appeared of a young girl, a child, with a sweet, determined face and a pair of very determined pigtails.
"My family, my... colony was very traditional," he said, gazing at the image as if it gave him courage. "Meiran and I were betrothed as small children. We were married when I was thirteen. She was killed not quite a year later." He touched the button and the picture disappeared. He looked up at Sallah. "She is with me every day of my life. The most we ever shared as man and wife was a kiss. I thought... I suppose I thought we would have all our lives for me to understand what we were suppose to be to each other, but we didn't. Sallah I thought... I thought..." his eyes dropped, Trying to find a way to give her his honesty, though to his mind it did not enhance his honor at all. "I thought perhaps in time you and I might become closer."
Sallah smiled a little, then reached up to touch Wufei's cheek. "My sense of honor and integrity won't keep silent," she said. "Wufei, for a time, I thought the same thing. However, I understand that it will not happen. It would not be right for either one of us. I'm not an expert on such things, but I think you are feeling some grief and some guilt?"
Wufei sat a little straighter. He looked into her eyes, searching them. "I do not want to hurt you, or Wufan," he said simply.
Sallah's smile grew wider. "You are not and will not be hurting us at all," she said, and then a thought occurred to her and she looked into Wufei's eyes. "Oh, I think I really understand now. Oh Wufei, you think that Wufan would be hurt, because you believe he expects that you and I will... marry? Is that correct?"
"Perhaps I have given him this expectation... perhaps also..." Wufei said slowly.
"I admit I've walked around your world with wide-eyed notions, even up until this day, but I assure you most of them came from well worn fiction novels and not from anything real. Wufan, I'm afraid, has had his little head filled with stories of history and times gone by of Emperors and courts and you can guess where he got most of it from.... me. I have heard him mention pair-bonding before, but he got that from me as well. It's not something that's a part of his background. What Wufan knows is the military life he witnessed at the base. It was harsh at times, but relationships were more under wraps. He knows what I've told him about his father, but he has no concept of what a father really is. When he looks at you, he sees a 'one like the others have.' It's got nothing to do with a father figure, but someone who he can trust."
Wufei listened and her words caused a number of feelings to moved through him. He was silent for a while after she stopped speaking. Finally he said, "And I see someone who has a chance... a better chance to fulfill his promise uncrippled by the self-doubts I have always had."
"Then you will help him," Sallah said. "And he will help you as well. He does have a tendency to be very hard on himself at times."
Wufei watched Sallah for a while, thinking. Then he leaned forward slowly, reaching up to cup her face in his hands, and placed a warm, but chaste kiss on her lips. Leaning back he said softly. "From Meiran. And me. Xie xie, Sallah. You honor me and I will always be where you need me."
Sallah felt a small measure of surprise, which transformed into a deep warmth for the young man before her. "And I'll always be where you need me as well," she said, bowing slightly to him.
Wufei nodded solemnly and then smiled, a rare, sweet smile that transformed him in an instant to the very image of her son. He stood up and took her hand, and then led her back to the room.
Sallah walked back inside. Seeing Ripper playing with the children, she walked over to him and took his hand. "Thank you so very much for including me on this trip," she said, then leaned up and kissed his cheek.
Rip smiled brilliantly. He came to his feet and swept her up in a rather dramatic stage kiss. Then he tucked her arm in his. "Let's get together for drinks and dancing sometime," he said in a very urbane drawl.
"You're on," Sallah replied, enjoying the moment.
TBC
End of Part 39
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