23-Oct-2000
Category: Action, Adventure, Romance, Angst, Friendship.
Pairings: 1x2, 3x4x5 (combinations there of)
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Not mine, no money being made or sought off of these.
NOTES: As always, Bonne (bonnejeanne@yahoo.com) is the wonderful puppeteer for Wufei baby and I'm responsible for Trowa and Quatre.
Quatre took a deep breath and moved as if to address Wufei's question. But it was Trowa who got there first. Crossing the distance between himself and the Chinese boy, Trowa stopped, standing straight and tall, right before Wufei.
He didn't try to put his hands on Wufei, not at the moment but those brilliant dark green eyes caught and held their onyx counterparts. His smooth voice was low and calm but it thrummed, very slightly with the energy of feeling and emotion.
"Koi, I need to do this. I need to know I still can. Remember what I said, I'm a chameleon. It's who I am, it's what I'm good at. I feel alive doing this sort of work and I think I need to know that I can still do it. It's not easy. Not easy at all. That's why I held back my emotions for so long. But they're a part of me now too. Still, I need to know I can be the man I am. Please. Trust Quatre and I. He needs to know he can be who he is just as much as I need to know I can be who I am. We'll be stronger for it Wufei, look in your heart and you'll see that."
Wufei scowled intensely. "So what was that, earlier? I'm to ignore what my heart told me when you said 'no' so adamantly? Pass it off... Trowa, how can I be sure... do you know how many times I have passed such things off myself? I know how to be convincing too, while I am terrified, or hurt, or angry." Wufei dropped his eyes for a moment. "It's... not righteous of you, to make it an issue of trust."
Trowa blocked out everyone in the room and he reached. The touch was a bit tentative, a privilege, not a right but he moved to lift Wufei's chin so he could look at his eyes again. " I'm not trying to make it an issue. I'm not saying that you either have to trust us or you obviously don't. I reacted knee jerk, scared. I don't want to live with that fear Wufei. I don't want to live without knowing." He took a step closer and whispered so only Wufei could hear. " Quatre ... understands that, now. Look ... look in our eyes, we don't wear masks around you."
Wufei swallowed, looking into Trowa's green eyes. His own were wide open, showing his concern, fear, desire and a fierce desire to protect. He slumped slightly, resting his head on Trowa's shoulder for a bare instant. Then he straightened. He reached up and gripped Trowa's arms in his hands.
"Don't... fail," he said through clenched teeth, the predominant emotion a terrible fear. Then without moving, his onyx eyes became cool, still, and unfathomable. He released Trowa's arms slowly. So quietly that only Trowa was intended to hear, he said, "You can't give me the gift that you did, your love, and then take it away my leaving me forever."
Trowa answered just as softly. " I won't. " An answer to both questions, two simple words backed by the fierce expression of commitment and love in his own green eyes.
Wufei looked beyond Trowa for a moment and sought Quatre's eyes.
His look was a clear message, a question. 'Is this going too far? Is this right or wrong?'
There was a certain stillness about Quatre. It was a very calm, stillness. If Wufei thought about it, he'd remember the stillness as the type he faced when Shenlong's arm had smashed through the side of a ship and Trieze stood with his sword, quietly awaiting the young dragon's approach. The corners of the little blonde's lips lifted just a hair and he gave the barest of nods.
~'It is right. It will be all right.'~
Wufei took a deep breath, accepting it. He closed his eyes and opened them again, in that moment, resuming the demeanor of the cool, impassive dragon. It was a flawless cover and in that room at that time, probably no longer deceived anyone.
Quatre and Trowa watched each other for a long moment, then Trowa's shoulders squared up and his hands slid into the pockets of his hastily pulled on jeans. Quatre turned and walked back to the window.
"Heero, we need to start dropping hints that the reason you and Duo have been here is that things with Trowa have been strained. Use Alexis... she's smart and she knows the right rumor mills to drop bugs in people's ears." Quatre chuckled softly. " I don't think anyone would believe you or Duo would start a rumor."
Wufei pre-empted Heero's answer. "No, it's easier than that," he said flatly. "The reason things have been 'strained' with Trowa is because of your security chief. Trowa and I went off together to try and work it out but when we came back, you picked me."
Quatre quickly shook his head. "No. Yes, it would be easier but you would then have so many reporters in your face and following you that you couldn't get anything done. If you weren't spending your time shaking them off your tail, you'd be finding them popping up at the worst possible moments."
Wufei crossed his arms over his chest. "Shut up," he said simply. "It's perfect and you know it. Don't condescend to tell me I don't know the ramifications of what I'm suggesting or that I can't handle it. This isn't a sudden idea. I've thought it over before."
Quatre turned about, frowning fiercely. The little blond took in a breath but again it was Trowa's quiet voice that entered the air. "How will you protect him if you are busy fending off reporters on your own koi?"
"That's my job," Heero said. "Last I heard, I hadn't been fired yet."
Again Quatre took a breath but again Trowa's voice interrupted him. "Wufei... think about it. Do you really want to deal with Catherine when she hears?"
Duo had to quickly smacked his hand over his mouth.
"You have your job to do, I have mine. If you want my arguments, simply read back to yourself everything you just said to me." Wufei said in an even voice.
"But why like this Wufei. " Quatre finally got a word in. His soft tones were quiet. "Why would you do it like this?"
"Because it's perfect. It will create exactly the kind of publicity that will stir the waters. The more activity there is around me, the easier it will be for Trowa. It works much better than simply 'rumors of trouble'. It's plausible, people will believe it and I can make sure they do." Wufei said, with a hint of a scowl.
"Koi, you didn't let me finish." Quatre spoke gently but firmly. "The rumors, were just a start, blood on the water, to be followed with a very public blow up between Trowa and myself."
"Public blowups can be staged, and everyone knows that." Wufei answered just as calmly. "It's much less likely that you and I are fucking just to provide a cover story."
Quatre blinked, then he sort of looked at the carpet. "Goodness, I am a fickle fellow." Taking a slow breath he did something rather unique. He turned and he looked at Heero. Heero, who had been close enough in the past weeks as well as close enough to Relena, to know how the reporter feeding frenzy worked, as well as the delicate balance of public perception.
"What are your thoughts Heero?"
The Japanese boy looked back steadily, acknowledging silently his recognition that the question was some kind of landmark in the group dynamic or perhaps just in Quatre and Heero's relationship.
"Dorothy Catalonia sent someone here to dig up dirt on you," he said. "She saw me leaving your room late one night. I stopped her and shut her up but there will be others. They will keep digging and if they can't find anything they will manufacture something. If they do that, people will be hurt anyway, even if it isn't true. Why not take control of the situation by using them to our advantage. Give them the dirt they are looking for. Then carry it off. The story doesn't portray you as fickle ... people change partners, it happens. And people will believe and understand it a lot better than they would the truth. What do you think would happen if it were publicized that you had not one but two men in your bed on a regular basis?"
Quatre had retreated to his chair and he leaned one elbow on the curved arm of the modern desk chair, resting the side of his face on slender fingers. He smiled without any touch of humor, the icy 'politicking' smile he used in conference meetings a lot. "Oh believe me, that will make it's way out eventually. If it hasn't already." Remembering the caustic words Sally Cothe threw at him back on Earth.
Taking a deep breath, Quatre leaned back in the chair, folding his hands in front of his face and studying a bit of carpet under one of the breakfast carts. His eyes took on that far away look. Recognizing it, Duo reached forward and speared the last sausage link. Munching on it as he settled back to wait. Quatre's mind clicked quickly forward, over the unknowns, the knowns, possible leaks and the fallouts. Anyway he looked at it, it was going to be a nightmare but the bigger the nightmare... the better the cover for Trowa to slip past the Unity defenses.
"Trowa, you'll be able to find a great deal of sympathy with Burm's President, Harold Burm. He's a staunch, and I do mean staunch, believer in monogamy. I think it might come from being cuckolded five or twenty times." Quatre's lips quirked wryly. "Whichever, spin him a good tale of woe... and you'll be his bosom pal."
Wufei leaned back against the wall, his arms still crossed over his chest, waiting for a response from Trowa to indicate that the last aspect of the plan had his agreement.
Trowa had listened to the arguments. Following the argument from Wufei, to Quatre, to Heero then back to Quatre's face as the little blond made his final statement, showing his acceptance of the plan. Trowa stood for a moment, then he nodded his head, very much the dutiful soldier accepting mission parameters.
"Harold Burm, he's the rolley, fuzzy fellow I met a couple years ago?"
Quatre's shoulders jumped a little in a suppressed chuckle. "Rolley, fuzzy fellow... yes that's a pretty apt description."
Again, their eyes locked. Between them thrummed the roles of soldier and strategist, each accepting all aspects of the role completely. Trowa, the danger and Quatre the responsibility for putting him there.
Heero sat back a little, watching the three of them - Quatre and Trowa, and Wufei leaning against the wall. He glanced at Duo, looking for the braided boy's assessment of the situation.
Trowa's eyes left Quatre and he turned, looking at Wufei. His expression softening. Duo, for once, was rather unreadable. His normally expressive eyes and face shuttered behind the mask of eating and really that sausage couldn't be all *that* fascinating. To someone who knew him, Heero could tell that Duo was using the act of eating to mask his own thoughts.
Wufei met Trowa's look. There were things he couldn't say aloud to his lover, not in front of the others. He'd put forth this scenario for two reasons. One, it would give Trowa the best cover. Two, Wufei's honor demanded that he play a part no less challenging than the ones his two lovers were forced to accept.
Watching Trowa leave, when the time came, would be one of the most painful things he'd ever have to do, even though it was to be a mission, therefor not permanent. Wufei realized he'd never fully believed that there wouldn't be something like this to come. The miracle, as he still thought of it, the infinite joy of the new loves in his life was a gift that was to great not to require some kind of sacrifice in payment. It was the principle of balance, of yin-yang. He'd been given the light. Now it was time to return to a portion of the darkness and live with fear, and hope.
Quatre quietly watched this, then he nodded to himself. "Are we in agreement then gentlemen?"
Trowa, eyes still on Wufei, nodded. Duo popped the last bit of sausage into his mouth and nodded as well, cleaning his fingers neatly on a napkin.
Heero nodded. "Trowa, Duo and I are your backup," he said calmly.
Trowa finally took his eyes off Wufei and nodded to Heero and Duo. "Copy."
"Heero, would you and Duo, go over everything we have, with Trowa. Make certain that as far as we *know* there are no holes in his knowledge. I'll start sifting through WEI's books and records and finding information juicy enough to make Unity sit up and beg. Wufei, this is going to become a circus, very quickly. Would you contact Master Manshu and take what precautions you feel are necessary?"
Wufei acknowledged with a slight bow.
"Right then..." Quatre looked around at the other four.
"Get enough to enable us to kill Unity." Wufei said softly to Trowa. "Don't try and take them down alone. I want a piece of this."
Trowa gave Wufei a little smile. A pure hunter's smile and there was a fire relit in his green eyes. "Mission, Accepted."
Heero stood up. "Need us for anything else?"
Quatre shook his head. "Not right now... but... I'm sure you've already thought of this, still... when this goes down, make sure the guards around Relena are on their toes. Please."
Heero nodded once. "It'll be taken care of."
Quatre smiled. "I figured you would. Thank you Heero." The last three words were spoken with a very deep sincerity.
Heero looked at Trowa. "I'll prepare a file for you. Let me know when you want to go over the information."
Trowa nodded, watching Quatre with a hint of longing, he turned to Heero, back to business. "As soon as it can be ready Heero. I want to go over it, then have time to study it before we destroy it."
"An hour." Heero said. He looked at Duo. "Coming, baka?"
The gravity of the situation was not lost on Duo Maxwell. However, for some reason he held his tongue. In many ways Duo was as fiercely private as Heero was. Looking at his three teammates, he made a mental note to stop back later and talk to Quatre. That promise made to himself, he bounced around on the balls of his feet and flashed a manic smile at Heero.
"Depends upon how quickly you can get into my pants."
Heero's mouth twitched, and he simply grabbed the end of the braid and moved towards the door.
Long used to having his braid used as a leash, Duo danced lightly at the end of it, knowing that Heero wouldn't deliberately pull to hurt him.
The door opened, the door shut and the three were left alone together.
Wufei let out a breath and slid down the wall, sitting on the floor with his back against the comfortingly solid surface. He closed his eyes for a few moments, mentally reciting a meditation chant. It didn't do a whole lot of good but at least he tried.
With his eyes closed, Wufei couldn't see Trowa's approach but he felt the tall boy fold his body gracefully down to sit next to him against the wall. Trowa was silent as he watched Wufei's face. After a while, he reached over and shyly took Wufei's hand in his.
Wufei looked up, gripping Trowa's hand tightly. " 'Be the man you are'..." he said softly. "Trowa, you baka, you are a hundred times the man any of these idiots could possibly imagine," he said fiercely.
Trowa reached up and gently brushed back a stray piece of black hair smiling that little smile of his. " Ah but *I* need to be able to imagine it. I think... I'll be happier." His green eyes softened further. "Then, I can know all the joys in my life." He whispered softly, studying Wufei's face as if trying to commit it to memory, every sweep of bone and even the few little wrinkles.
"I want you to be happy," Wufei said softly. "Both of you."
Quatre's soft voice came from the direction of the desk chair. " We are happy Wufei, more so since you came into our lives. Now... we fight for it."
Trowa's eyes didn't leave Wufei's face but he nodded his agreement with the Arabian's words.
Wufei look a deep breath. He kept Trowa's hand in his and stood up, drawing the taller boy with him. Then he moved towards Quatre, towing Trowa with him.
"I understand about fighting for honor, for principles and because it is right," he said. "I understand being alone. The rest," he shrugged. "Still new but I will not fail either of you, I swear it."
Stopping by Quatre's chair, Trowa turned and put his free hand up on Wufei's shoulder, looking directly into complex onyx eyes. "We never considered that you would koi." He spoke softly.
Wufei sighed, looking from Trowa to Quatre. He had nothing more to say, it was out of his hands in so many ways.
Trowa stepped forward then and wrapped his arms tenderly around Wufei, resting his face against his dark eyed lover's neck. "I know it's hard, just...hold on. Never forget that I love you."
"I won't," Wufei promised, holding Trowa tightly. He looked over the tall boy's shoulder to Quatre.
Quatre was watching them both. His expression soft and tender. A quiet joy lit his turquoise eyes, reflected along with their forms. Trowa held onto Wufei for a moment longer, resting against the compact powerful body, then he straightened a bit and leaned forward, laying a sweet kiss against the Chinese boy's mouth before stepping back with a little grin to them both.
"You two both smell all nice and clean. I think I shall emulate your fastidious natures and partake of the shower myself." Teasing them both gentle about their habit of being neat as pins.
Wufei smiled and released his arms from Trowa obligingly. "Fine. Go bath... it's a wonder we aren't all holding out noses," he said dryly, his mouth twitching at the corner.
Trowa snorted as he turned towards the bedroom. "This from the man who takes secret pleasure in making certain that anyone with a nose will be able to tell that both of us are firmly marked with hint of Asian musk, 'territory claimed' thank you very much. If anyone feels like helping me wash my back, please feel free to join me."
Quatre chuckled softly as he watched Trowa stalk towards the bedroom. "And you have the nerve to call *me* a tease?"
"You are both teases." Wufei said in a decisive tone. "Asian 'musk'?"
Trowa shot a look over his shoulder at Quatre and the little blond smiled and waggled his brows in return, causing the older boy to laugh, deep and rich as he disappeared into the bedroom finally. The little Arabian then turned and looked up innocently at Wufei.
"Hmm?"
Wufei rolled his eyes. "Forget it," he said. "Or maybe we could work it into the scheme... you aren't fickle, you just couldn't fight the overwhelming allure of Asian musk..."
Quatre smiled a little sadly, looking away from Wufei, back down at the carpet. Then his head snapped back up. "Oh hell. What time is it." He came gracefully to his feet and looked around the suite, he still hadn't memorized where the small clocks were.
"At least you don't wound my pride by 'pretending' to laugh at my jokes," Wufei said.
Quatre had reached the desk, looking down at his laptop for the time, then back up with a blink. He stood there for a moment, then he leaned forward, bracing his hands on the desk and exhaling explosively.
"I'm sorry koi." He said softly. "This is all new territory for me and I'm not 100 percent certain what I'm doing from one moment to the next."
Wufei nodded, watching the blond.
The silk robe was slightly eschewed on Quatre's body, one shoulder had slipped down and the sarong had twisted, exposing one slender thigh. Quatre looked about as disheveled as someone who hadn't left a single room in 5 hours could look. He reached up one hand and typed a few things on his laptop's keyboard. Clearing out a couple of meetings from his morning schedule.
This done, he looked up and over at Wufei, smiling lovingly. "I think I have a natural sponge under the sink, you know how he loves natural sponges."
Wufei accepted the dismissal. He went over to Quatre, pulled him close, kissed him very deeply, then left to go find the sponge under the bathroom sink.
End Part 23-A
Laekin
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