July 2000
Category: Adventure, Action, Friendship.
Pairings: None for now.
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Not mine no money being sought.
NOTES: Alright, looks like I'm going to keep going with this. Bonne is the wonderful puppeteer of Wufei in this part. This fic is in the same universe with OCT and Shades.
Duo twisted around in his seat one more time, looking over the back of his chair down the body of the shuttle as if trying to spy someone. Quatre peeked open a turquoise eye and peered at his traveling companion balefully.
"Duo, we're clear of the atmosphere. I don't think even Heero can teleport."
The American turned back around and dropped back into his seat with a heavy sigh. He sat still for all of 5 seconds before he released the seatbelt and jumped up.
"I've got to go to the bathroom."
"Duo..."
But the braided boy was already gone. Quatre heaved a sigh, a little growl issuing in his throat as he banged his head lightly against the headrest of his seat. Duo had to calm down or any sort of *incognito* was going to be impossible. A lock of dark hair dropped into his eyes with the motion and Quatre jumped a little, still unused to his hair being another color.
Reaching up, he pulled the lock closer to his eyes and peered at it, wrinkling his nose. The dark dye hadn't been able to completely flatten his bright hair and the result was a strange mixture of black with silver and gold highlights. To Quatre's mind, he looked even more distinctive now then with his natural blonde locks. Duo had also seemed a tad put out...
"Quatre!! It's even more... unique now! How the hell are you going to blend into the crowd with hair like that???"
"Ahem... who's holding the dye bottle Maxwell? And I better not be reading that right.. PERMANENT???"
"Uh...well, I couldn't risk it washing out. Sit still while I get your eyebrows."
Quatre shifted in his seat, deciding that he also *hated* jeans. He was dressed in black, head to toe. The black sweater wasn't so bad and the leather duster was down right cool but the black jeans were just a tad too tight for someone used to wearing tailored khaki slacks.
Quatre twisted and looked to the rear of the shuttle. Duo probably wouldn't reappear till landing and Quatre still had not clue where they were headed. All he knew was that they were going to a colony in L2. Duo had practically thrown a bag over his head and stuffed him into the car, driving so far slunk down in the seat Quatre had feared the American couldn't see over the dash.
Duo was adamant about keeping Heero from knowing anything. He had in fact sworn Quatre to complete secrecy. Quatre hadn't said a word to Heero and had kept his dark hair low profile till the Japanese boy had left but he had flat out refused to just leave without first talking to Wufei.
Trowa had been spending time with Catherine, since the circus was nearby so Quatre had sought the Chinese boy out just before he and Duo had left...
Wufei had been sitting under a willow, reading a book. It was an old, large book, written in Chinese characters and might have been handwritten. He looked quiet and somewhat unlike the usual picture people tended to have of him. But he looked up quickly hearing Quatre approach. He tilted his head to one side, then to the other.
"Um...hmmmm?" he made a very puzzled sound. "Fall head first into an inkwell?"
Quatre stepped under the cover of the willow's sweeping branches. His small hands tucked into the pockets of the long duster that nearly swept the ground behind him.
"Erm.. yeah, tell me about it. I'm going to kill Duo later, this stuff is permanent and will have to grow out." Quatre hitched at the thighs of his tight jeans... he preferred khakis! Hunkering down he looked at Wufei. "Duo needs some help... on a personal matter. He didn't feel comfortable with Heero knowing." He'd said a mouthful with those cryptic words.
Wufei's eyebrows shot up. He looked at Quatre. A beat. Then the eyebrows slowly descended to normal level. "Duo no baka," he said. "Comfortable? With Heero knowing? Heero will be uncomfortable with anything he *doesn't* know. Of the two, I would prefer having Duo uncomfortable than Heero... wouldn't you?"
Quatre balanced gracefully on his heels, his hands held in a gesture of surrender. "I agree. I also doubt that Duo's going to be able to go and get back without Heero figuring it out. I tried to point this out to him a number of times while he was drowning me in hair dye."
He took a breath, plucking a leaf off a hanging branch and running it through his fingers, watching the path the little green sliver takes. "He's... desperate Wufei. More so then I've ever seen him. Every time I tried to encourage him to talk to Heero.. just tell him he was going... he just backpedaled even faster. Something's up and I can't let him go alone."
Wufei reached out and cupped his hand beside Quatre's cheek. "If you tried your best then you did, little one. Duo will have to deal with Heero when the time comes. And it will come soon. You should not worry about that any more. So you are going. Where?"
Quatre leaned his head into the hand with a grateful smile. Feeling a weight lift off his chest. "A colony in L2. Duo won't say which one, but he mentioned that he was going to help an old friend who was running the orphanage that they spent some time at together. A woman named Shelby." He gave Wufei the bits and pieces of information he himself had, knowing that in a crunch the other boy could cross-reference and nail down a location if needed.
Wufei followed the Arabian's thought but simply smiled. "Fine. But I want you to do something else, for me. Take a tracer. Take two. Keep one on you at al times and put one on the baka. I won't interfere but I want to be able to reach you. I don't want to have to play Sherlock Holmes. We can let Heero do that."
"I can carry one.. no problem. Tagging the bouncing Duo might be a little more tricky. He's treating this like a Gundam mission, keeping below Heero's radar. If I didn't know better I'd swear his braid was a tail and he was a cat on a porch covered in rocking chairs. He might relax once we're heading to our destination and I can try to tag him then." Quatre gave a wry smile.
Wufei nodded. "Do your best. There are some kinds of idiot he is not. If he is acting this way, there is danger - why else would he keep it from his lover? If there is danger... I know you are both the best but remember... we're stronger together. As you love him, get the tracer on him. Let's keep the baka alive for Heero to murder at his leisure."
Quatre gave a quirky little grin, "Just so long as you promise to keep Heero from murdering me for going along with this scheme! I have a feeling my butt is going to land in the Yuy fire no matter the condition Duo and I come out in."
Wufei placed the book carefully on the grass and stood up, drawing Quatre to his feet, then taking him in his arms. He smiled. "Even the Perfect Soldier will not harm what is mine, koi. Trust me for that." He bent and kissed Quatre with quiet tenderness, then a bit more passion. If it was going to have to last a little while.
Quatre wrapped his arms around Wufei's waist, tightening in an embrace and then returning the gentle kiss, making a soft little noise to the deepening of the caress, soaking it up for later reflection. He had no idea where Duo was about to drag him off to, might need a warm thought to get through the night!
Bumping Quatre's nose with his own, Wufei said, "Be careful. I'll be waiting... with a bottle of bleach..."
Quatre giggled and hugged Wufei again before stepping back and striking a pose, "What? Don't like brunettes." A sassy little wink accompanied the words.
"I could just put a bag over your head I suppose," Wufei said dryly. He smiled. "Stop posing or you're not going anywhere..."
Quatre stuck his tongue out at the *bag* comment and wiggled it suggestively before dancing lightly back. His turquoise eyes sobered. "Trowa is spending time with Catherine. Tell him when he gets home, then keep him from silently tearing small holes in things."
"We'll manage, Winner," Wufei said. "Come back soon. Or I'll crash the party."
Quatre sighed as he ran the conversation back in his mind. He wished he'd also gotten a chance to see Trowa before he'd left but he knew he left his green-eyed love in the safe hands of his dark eyed love. Quatre looked out the window, trying to read their course from the star patterns. They were still too far away for him to pinpoint anything other then they were headed past the first L2 colony.
The little blonde was so preoccupied with the stars that he nearly jumped out of his skin when Duo plopped back into the seat beside him. Quatre looked over at the other boy's profile. Duo was pale, too pale. It made his violet eyes huge and bruised in his face. The normally laughing mouth was twisted in a parody of the American's usual buoyant expression. Duo could barely leave his hair alone, though as they got further and further from Earth the braid had taken less and less abuse.
"Duo..."
"Wha?" The American nearly pounced on Quatre.
Quatre found himself blinking at the intensity that burned in Duo's gaze. It was nearly as unnerving as Heero's fiercest expression. "Uh... nothing, it'll wait."
Duo didn't even try to pry, he just nodded and went back to his fixed gaze on the door leading into the cockpit. He looked as though he was contemplating taking over the controls himself, his hands twitched in a pattern that Quatre recognized. It was as if Duo held Gundam controls in his hands.
~Hard right.... quick left.... left arm defensive shield launch... right arm scythe sweep...hard back....full thrust up...~
Quatre's mind registered the movements almost at the same speed that Duo's hands unconsciously performed them. Shaking his head hard Quatre forced himself to look away from the American's hands and up at his face.
"Duo...where are we going?" He really wanted to open the subject of Heero once again but was concerned about the already agitated pilot's reaction.
"A colony in L2."
Quatre just lifted his brow and looked around himself pointedly. Duo had the grace to blush a little.
"Ah.. yeah. We're going to the 4th colony in the ring."
"That's a rough one I hear." Quatre spoke softly, trying to keep Duo talking.
"Yeah, it's not much fun but you know what they say.. no place like home! Oh, that reminds me. You should go by another name."
"First my hair, now my name?"
"Hey, I'm just trying to keep you in one piece man. People on the 4th... well they don't take too kindly to outsiders and even less so to outsiders with bankrolls like the Winners."
Quatre exhaled and forced back the urge to rub at the bridge of his nose. 'This is *his* turf Winner, his call. You need to let him run his own path and try to keep up.'
"All right, any suggestions?"
"As a matter of fact... I was thinking of F.C."
"Initials?"
"They don't have a lot of use for proper names on the 4th Quatre." Duo rounded on Quatre a little, his violet eyes blazing.
Quatre drew back a little, not at all certain quite how to handle the American's sudden mercurial mood swings. One moment Duo was joking and much like the Duo they were all used to, the next he was positively paranoid and aggressive, defensive and confrontational.
"Okay Duo... F.C. it is." Quatre spoke gently.
Duo just nodded and looked back up at the cockpit. Quatre let the silence between them settle until he could no longer feel the waves of hostility flowing off his companion, then he asked.
"Do they stand for anything?"
"Huh?"
"The initials Duo? Do they stand for anything?"
"Uh... well, yeah."
"Can I know?"
Duo looked over at him with a truly evil grin on his face. "Sure." The American leaned over and whispered the meaning in Quatre's ear followed by a pointed gesture with his hands... "You know..."
Quatre sucked on his own tongue for a moment to keep from pistol whipping his suddenly grinning friend.
"Duo... you can be such an asshole."
"Whatever you say...FC."
Quatre turned in his seat and looked back out the window, contemplating shoving the twittering American out an airlock.
End Part 2
((::Evil grin:: Alright... a little puzzle for the readers. Any idea what the initials FC stand for? Anyone who thinks they have the answer please send it to me directly at Seregill@aol.com. >:D
Laekin and bonnejeanne
Please send comments to: seregill@aol.com or bonnejeanne@yahoo.com.
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