28-Apr-2001
Disclaimer: I own not one iota of Gundam Wing or its characters. I do this strictly for fun, no money exchanges hands or gets deposited in any secret offshore bank accounts.
Pairings: 2 + 3 for now.
Rating: R for expletives
Warnings: None this chapter, but just wait . . .
I decided to do something a little different. Instead of the boys already being attracted to one another and having lustful thoughts, they are going to become friends first. This is a lemon fic, its just that you will have to wait a little longer for the lemon.
The week I spent with Trowa at the lakeside cabin turned out to be one of the most fun times of my life. Trowa not only taught me how to fish (which I found out was much more fun when you did bait the hook) but he also taught me the rudiments of swimming. I may not be a great swimmer, but at least now I won't drown.
He still doesn't talk very much but occasionally he makes an attempt at making small talk. And I've learned you don't have to keep a conversation going to enjoy someone's company.
He likes my sense of humor, can you imagine that? Heero just rolls his eyes and shakes his head when I make a pun or tell a joke, but I get a chuckle out of Trowa. For him, that's pretty much a belly laugh.
We haven't seen much of each other these last couple of weeks, our missions have taken us in opposite directions of the world. But we keep our fishing gear handy, we have a standing agreement to wet our lines every chance we get.
You know he was right. Heero still doesn't have a clue, in fact he seems more remote now that Trowa and I kind of hang around each other. Was he always that way and I never noticed? I guess some people neither want nor need other people's companionship, he must be one of them. But I'm determined not to give up.
I was the first one to arrive at our current safe house. I've got time to kill so I'm finally getting the chance to read the book Trowa had with him at the cabin. He loaned it to me the last day we were there. It's pretty good. ‘Mystery Of The Spanish Cape', by Ellery Queen. Trowa says reading these old murder mysteries helps to sharpen your observation skills. I'm not sure about that, but they are fun to read.
Being friends with Trowa has had a calming affect on me. I don't feel as anxious or ansty when he's around. I wonder why that is? Maybe it's because he's my first real friend since Solo.
Heero arrived later that night, and with perfect predictability, headed straight for one of the bedrooms to get started on his reports. He only stopped long enough to nod a greeting and ask which room was his. You know, I keep asking myself just what it is I find so attractive about him. It's definitely not his cheerful personality.
I know better than to bother him when he's working. The first time we shared a room, I'd asked him about his mission and began telling him about mine. I never saw anyone move so fast in my life. In the blink of an eye, he had a fistful of my shirt and had shoved me up against a wall, telling me to shut the fuck up. I always made sure he was finished or spoke to me first before I'd even say hello to him, after that. Ghodz he is such a temperamental person. That must be it, I'm attracted to the dark, moody ones.
I don't think he's ever fully forgiven me for shooting his cute ass, either. I wonder just how many times I have to apologize before he gets over it.
Wufei traipsed in not too long after Heero's arrival. Wufei's an ok guy, even if he's almost as grumpy as my favorite spandex boy. He acts like everything annoys him, but I know that's not true. He just has his own issues to work out. Like we all do. All I know is, when push comes to shove, he is someone I would want protecting my back.
Quatre you can depend on as well. Just don't make the mistake many people do and misjudge him. His kind nature does not prevent him from doing what he has to do. He wouldn't be joining us this time around, he went to spend some time with his Maganac friends. They're a great bunch of guys, by the way. You ought to meet them sometime.
I was starting to get worried about Trowa but he finally showed up the next day, and apologized for being late. It's not easy finding a place to hide something as big as a gundam, you know. And finding transportation afterward is a bitch most times. After all the only places remote enough to hide them is out in the middle of nowhere. It's not like we can rent a spot in a parking garage.
We found a small lake on our maps. It was a few miles from where we were staying. We raided the kitchen and after we had a stack of sandwiches made, grabbed some sodas out of the refrigerator and purloined a bag of chips and some cookies, we loaded the jeep I had ‘borrowed' and headed for it.
You know, I like the peaceful quiet of sitting on the bank, listening to the lapping of the water as you lean against a tree. The birds singing and the buzzing of insects fill the air with their music.
It's times like this that Trowa opens up and talks. He didn't at first, but little by little he'd make a remark here or a statement there and not before long, he started talking about himself and his life. I felt honored that he entrusted me with secrets he had never told another living soul.
Then he'd abruptly change the subject.
"Made any progress with Heero?" he asked, casting his line into the water.
"Nothing new to report," I said, my line joining his a few seconds later, "I'm still chasing and he still doesn't notice. I sometimes wonder why I even bother."
"Because you care for him," he answered, "I wish there was something I could do to help. But I think I'm as inept as you are in matters of the heart."
I laughed, inept was right. I could stand naked in front of Heero and he'd just tell me to move, I was blocking his light. I know because I tried it.
"What about you, Tro?" I asked as I tightened the reel, "have you ever thought you were in love, is there anyone that you're interested in?"
He blushed but didn't say anything and I didn't push it. He'd tell me when he was ready. Hanging around him has even taught me patience.
We sat there for most of the day, munching sandwiches, talking about the book he'd let me borrow, our next mission coming up and who I could talk into helping us clean the fish we'd caught. We packed up and drove back before the sun began to set.
We had grilled fish for dinner that night and it was delicious. We all went to bed with happy stomachs.
Our next fishing hole was a small river almost a day's drive from where we were hiding out. We'd invite the others to go with us but no one seemed interested in fishing. Secretly, I preferred it that way, just Trowa and me and the fish. I think he did too.
"I'm going to teach you how to fly fish soon, and tie your own flies," Trowa said, "we may get lucky and be near a river that has trout, one of these days."
"That sounds like fun, but why can't we just use the equipment we got?"
"Because trout are smarter than other fish, it takes a special technique to catch them. Trout fishing is a challenge and the end result is well worth it. There's nothing better than a pan of trout frying over a campfire."
"No wonder your favorite movie is "A River Runs Through It," I chuckled.
"I brought it with me, want to watch it tonight when we get back? You make the popcorn."
"Sure, buttered or cheese?" I asked.
"Sour cream and onion," he grinned.
"Sour cream and onion it is then," I answered, I didn't care for it that much, but it was his favorite.
He invited me to stay with him at the circus on our next break. He wanted me to meet Catherine, she was the closest thing to family he had. He said his family should get to know his best friend. You have no idea how much that meant to me, to hear him call me that. It was the first time he had said it openly.
The circus people are a lot of fun, and Catherine is great. She really treats him like he's her little brother. Now she's adopted me too. She fusses over us something terrible, but I have to admit that I like it.
It's been a very long time that someone has taken care of me. She washes and irons my clothes, she's constantly asking us if we are hungry. She'll stop right in the middle of whatever she is doing and cook us a meal. She is a great cook, but not as great as Trowa. She always has cookies or brownies made. If I'm not careful, I'm going to gain a lot of weight while we're here.
She loves to brush my hair. What is it with women and my hair anyway? She can brush it all she wants, she has a gentle touch and she makes my head tingle the moment she touches it.
I helped Trowa feed the lions a couple of times. He has an uncanny way with animals. I swear I think if he scratched them under the chin, they'd lay down and purr for him.
I'm learning how to juggle, one of the clowns is teaching me. I'm also learning how to do acrobatics. That's a skill I think will come in very handy sometime.
What's really awesome is Catherine's act. Knife throwing may not seem as exciting as the high wire act or the flying (that's circus talk for the trapeze act) but it is. Those aren't rubber knives they use, they are real and they are very sharp. If her aim is off just a little, she'll be advertising for a new partner.
What really gets me is how calm Trowa is when he's standing in front of the target board. He stands perfectly still, frozen in one place. He doesn't even bat an eye much less flinch. That takes a lot of guts and a lot of trust.
We didn't do any fishing while we were with the circus, there was just too much to see and do. I enjoyed every minute of it and was kind of sad when it was time to leave. At least I got my fill of cotton candy and candy apples to tide me over for a while.
What was amazing was to see how warm and open Trowa was with her. I think he hugged her as tightly as she hugged him when they said their goodbyes. Why did it give me a sudden twinge of jealousy?
TBC
End of Part 2
KwyckSylver
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