27 Jan 2001
TITLE: The Lonely Goatherd
AUTHOR: kumiko & tzigane (guilty as charged)
PART: Story 1 of Lingering Days
FANDOM: Gundam Wing
PAIRING: 6+5
WARNINGS: AU/OOC
DISCLAIMER: They don't belong to us. If they did, they'd spend more time naked.
C&C: If you feel the urge ^_^
The one thing Chang Wufei honestly hated about going to college in the south was the heat. Even in late September, it was sweltering, the heavy weight of humidity practically crushing him into the dirt as he picked up the bucket full of oats that he was going to feed his goats.
Well, they weren't actually *Wufei's* goats. They were actually goats belonging to the exhibit at 'Lingering Days' where he worked as a historical re-enactor. The pay wasn't great; in fact, he spent more time volunteering than getting paid to work, but it was a lot of fun, and it gained him credits for independent study in his history major, which was even better.
Now, if only the goats weren't so smelly....
The smell wafted across the dirt road and into the windows of the one-room schoolhouse across the way. Zechs Marquise, a graduate student in English, was playing the schoolmaster, and the moment the smell reached him he stood and walked to the window, preparing to shut it.
It was rather unfortunate that the goats rushed Wufei the moment the gate opened, sending him tumbling over with a shout amongst hooves and bleating goats at the *exact* moment that the lovely blond schoolmaster reached to shut the windows. "AGH!"
Zechs raised a sleek eyebrow and considered his options: stay there in the insufferable heat of the schoolhouse, or try to help the somewhat trampled young man in the street. /Hmmm... think he's bitten off more than he can chew there. I'd better help out. Besides, maybe the goats rushing by will make a breeze.../
Decision made, he turned and headed for the door!
By the time he arrived, Wufei was laughing -- honest to God *laughing*! -- in the midst of goats that were doing their best to *eat* his clothing in an attempt to get at the oats scattered all over him. "Stop it! Go back in your pen!" he tried his very best to say.
"I don't *have* a pen," Zechs mused, beating off two of the animals and offering the younger man a hand. "However, the schoolhouse might very possibly be the human equivalent. Are you all right? Did they bite off anything irreplaceable?"
"You rescued me in time, I think," Wufei answered, shaking his head with some little disgruntlement as he stood. Little strands of hair were flying loose from the ponytail he habitually sported, black silk floating around his face mixed with some oats. He shook his head and saw a goat escaping from the corner of his eye. "Hang on!"
That said, he scurried after the fleeing goat, certain that the others would go nowhere with a human standing in the gate. Luckily enough, he was right, and it didn't take *that* much of a chase to heard the young animal back towards its pen.
"Thanks," he said breathlessly once he had them all back in and the gate closed behind them. "That was good of you."
"Not a problem," Zechs murmured. "I'd hate to have your death on my head, especially if ended up being 'death by goat.'" He smiled and held out a hand, fighting a sudden strange urge to tuck those stray strands of hair behind the other man's ear. "By the way, I'm Zechs Marquise, resident schoolmaster."
"Chang Wufei," was the rather charming reply, accompanied by a wry smile. "Goatherd. Also, history major at the local university."
"Ah, another student. I'm just starting the Master's program in English." He paused for a moment and looked around at the hot dusty street then up at the sky. "I think we may be getting a thunderstorm soon -- at least I *hope* we will. Do you work outdoors all day?"
"Most of it," Wufei admitted. "Well, afternoons and weekends, anyway. It counts for independent study under history. Three hours a semester," he said, "and it's fun besides. If it's going to rain, though, I'll have to pen up the goats. Then, I suppose it's scrounging for cover until then, or heading back to the dorms." He wrinkled his nose. "Though there are certainly better places to go than there!"
There was a rumble in the distance and the wind began to stir, ever so slightly. "Don't tell me," Zechs said. "You have the Roommate From Hell."
"Affectionately known as Mueller the Moron," Wufei replied with a *distinct* wrinkling of his nose, "though it could be worse... somehow, I'm sure."
"Ah-ah," Zechs said reproachfully and put a finger on Wufei's lips. "Never say that. It usually *does* get worse when you say it can't."
Several teenagers and preteens were coming down the road and filing into the schoolhouse. Zechs dropped the finger and nodded courteously. "My pupils have arrived. You'll forgive me for abandoning you to your goats." He turned to go, and looked back over his shoulder, letting his gaze linger on the dark-haired man as he did. Just before he disappeared into the building, he called out softly, "Very nice to meet you... Wufei."
It wasn't until the soft splatters of rain started hitting dusty ground ten minutes later that Chang Wufei remembered to send his goats into their little stable.
"Once the death sentence was read, they took Wallace outside, tied him to a team of horses, and dragged him to a field outside of the city walls. There, they hanged him 'til he was half-conscious. He was then tied down, castrated and disembowelled, all while he was still ali... Oh, dear. We appear to have reached the end of class," the delicate blond history professor said cheerfully, seemingly oblivious of the pale faces and pained expressions of several members of her class. "Do remember, I'm expecting your research papers in by Monday at three. Class dismissed!"
Taking a deep breath, Wufei closed his notebook, the pages conspicuously missing the last several tidbits of information. /Thank God this is the last class with Haverson this week!/ he thought with relief, standing up and heading out into the hall. Instead of taking the main stairwell, he slipped down a rather dusty unused one at the end of the hallway. It headed past the English department on the second floor, where he'd stop to head all the way *down* the hall and back to the main stairwell. If anyone had asked him *why* he went that way, he'd probably have stammered, muttered something about variety, and headed on his way, if a bit more hurriedly than before. Luckily enough, no one *had*, because Chang Wufei was not a young man who was very good with outright lies.
As that was the case, he certainly wasn't going to lie to *himself*; he was looking for Zechs Marquise.
Not that he'd seen him in the entire week that he'd been looking for him; that hadn't stopped him from hoping, though!
Persistence, however, was about to pay off. One of the faculty office doors ahead of him opened suddenly and a tall man with waist-length, pale gold hair backed out of it. He was followed by a woman who was obviously a faculty member, smiling and talking animatedly.
"Are you going to the gallery opening, Zechs?" she was saying, "because I am, too! Perhaps we could carpool it and share the driving?"
"Oh, that's... very generous of you, Dr. Noin, um... I'm not sure what time I'll be heading up, though..."
"Oh, I can wait for you," she said, continuing to walk towards him eagerly, and causing him to back further into the hall. He stumbled a bit and then backed right into Wufei.
"Oooph!" With all the gracefulness he'd shown with his goats, Wufei went down, legs tangling irrevocably in Zechs's, the books and papers still in his hand and his small black leather bag with the rest of his things tumbling to land in a profusion around them as they both hit the floor!
Still on the floor, Zechs twisted around to see who he'd bumped into and found himself staring into the dark eyes of the goatherd boy he'd met over the weekend. Their faces were only an inch or two apart and something about the boy's proximity was profoundly unnerving. Those jet black eyes were wide and hypnotic and Zechs was finding it an effort to move or even speak.
"W-Wufei?" he asked tentatively. "I'm... sorry. I didn't look where I was going." /Your hair's coming loose again.../
"That's okay," Wufei answered, utterly hypnotized by the bright blue gaze so steadily on him. Zechs looked surprised and Wufei *felt* surprised, and more than a little pleased. It had only taken a week of wandering through the humanities department to see him again!
That thought made him flush suddenly, flustered, and he said, "I seem to be running into you like this a lot... I mean, with me having fallen on my rear."
"A rather painful way to keep in touch," Zechs said and smiled, "but original, I must say." He then remembered Dr. Noin and looked up to see her leaning over him, the rounded tops of her breasts in full view.
"Oh, dear! Zechs, let me help you up!"
Turning around he winked at Wufei, hoping he'd play along. "Thanks, Dr. Noin," he said accepting the hand. He stood and spun artfully away from the near embrace on which she seemed hell bent, instead offering his hand to Wufei.
"Sorry," he said to the boy, "I didn't mean to be so late. I'm glad you came looking for me. Shall we find a quiet place to study?" Ever so delicately, he took a step down the hall.
"Ah..." Wufei began, picking up the last of his books and papers quickly. "Yes!" His head was spinning just a bit, and his heart had picked up an impossibly quick beat, partially due to the look with which Dr. Noin had pinned him... NOT that it was the first time. He'd had the devil of a time passing her Romantic Lit class, one he'd taken as an elective, and so he was rather glad to scurry away from her and towards the tall golden being that was heading down the hall again.
The instructor's face was crestfallen as she headed back into the office, but Zechs was smiling brilliantly. He turned and waited for Wufei to catch up. "You have *impeccable* timing. Has anyone ever told you that? A beautifully executed escape."
"Now, if only I could have done it standing on two feet, *that* would have been even better," Wufei told him, looking up into that gorgeous face and grinning. God, he hadn't seen anybody that gorgeous since he'd broken up with Trowa, his high school boyfriend!
"Ah, but that was the perfection of it, you see," Zechs said, holding up a finger in a schoolmasterly way. "No one could argue with a friend helping a friend to find someplace quiet after that -- could she?" He gave Wufei a sidelong glance and winked again.
The answer came in the form of a twinkling-eyed smirk. "Probably not, only I'd hate to keep proving myself *totally* ungraceful. If I keep it up, you'll think I only use my feet for tripping over!"
Zechs gave Wufei a quick glance, up and down his body, coming to rest on his sneaker-clad feet. "You seem to be walking very skillfully now," he said with approval. "But the deed shouldn't go unrewarded. Do you have time to get a coffee or something like that? Student Union?"
"Medieval torture was my last class of the day," Wufei replied loftily, "so I'm definitely free for coffee."
/Even better... who'd have thought this day would turn out so well... Getting away from the predatory professor, seeing *him* again... I *would* like to tuck that hair behind his ears, though... so tempting.../
"Great," Zechs said, leading the way out of the building and into the humid, early fall heat. "Medieval Torture, you say? Now *that's* a major you could really *do* something with."
"It's commonly known as Brit History 227, but Haverson seems to linger a lot on the more gruesome aspects of history. Today included the castration of William Wallace," Wufei told Zechs, peering up at him. "I could have done without that."
Zechs gave out a laugh. "Oooh -- did all of the men in the class cross their legs at the same time?"
"I thought a couple of them were going to puke, they turned so green," the Chinese man confided, mouth tilting up in a smile.
Zechs held the door to the Student Union open for him and smiled back. "I'm glad you made it out of class alive and intact. Well, what'll it be: the espresso place or the juice bar?"
"Anything's fine," Wufei told him. "But decaf's a necessity. Caffeine puts me to sleep," he admitted sheepishly. "And I'd really rather not fall asleep to add to my clumsiness."
They headed into the school's coffee house and managed to snag the last available spot -- a booth near the front. "What can I get you?" the tall blond asked, "besides 'something decaffeinated.'"
"Surprise me," was the answer, "but make it sweet?"
Zechs nodded and turned, heading off towards the counter. He stood there, his back to Wufei, and got several suggestions from the young woman at the counter, who was giving him more suggestions than needed because she simply liked looking at him. "Uh... two white chocolate mochas, please, one decaf, and a plate of those raspberry jam cookies."
Meanwhile, at the table, Wufei was suddenly blinded by two hands coming over his eyes. "Guess who," said a soft female voice in his ear.
"I'm blind!" Wufei replied, reaching up and grasping the wrists attached to those hands. "Hey, Sal."
"And what are *you* doing lazing around here at this time of day?" the young woman said, sitting down opposite him in the booth. She was an inch or two taller than he was with golden brown hair worn long and warm blue eyes. "What do you think this is, anyway, Friday?"
"Last I checked," Wufei answered, black eyes rolling slightly before settling on Sally Po. "What are you doing in here, anyway?"
"*I* was studying with my study group," she said virtuously. "We have a quiz next Monday in Chemistry and everyone in the class is practically in hysterics over it." She glance around the shop and, not noticing anyone she knew, she smiled and said, "You're all alone here? Shall I join you?"
"Ah... I'm not alone, actually," Wufei admitted, nodding to the counter. "I'm with *him*."
Sally followed Wufei's gaze to see a tall man with extraordinarily long hair paying for something at the counter. Her jaw dropped. "*Him*?" she whispered. "My gods, Wufei -- he's twice your size!! He should be wearing a hat with horns on it! What *are* you thinking, foolish boy?"
A rather distinct red flush snuck across his cheeks quickly. "Sal!" he protested. "I don't even know if he's... uh... YOU know. Just, he's nice. I ran into him at work. He saved me from the goats, you know. That's all. And I did him a favor and saved him from a prof." Not that he wouldn't really *like* it a *lot* if Zechs was 'YOU know'.
"He saves you from goats and you save him from a prof?" She looked at him skeptically. "Sounds like love at first sight, but who's castle are you riding off to at the end? Oh, no -- he's coming back!"
Sure enough, the woman behind the counter had finally let Zechs leave with his purchases and the blond man was coming back toward the table, tray balanced precariously. There was a small frown of concentration on his face, which deepened just the slightest bit when he got to the table and saw Sally.
"Oh -- ah... should I go back and get another coffee?"
"Ah..." Wufei looked at Sally, tilting his head to the side.
"I was just going," the woman announced, sliding out of the booth. "After all, I've *still* got that Chemistry test on Monday, and I have to get ready for work besides. 'Fei," Sally said, "I'll talk to *you* later."
Wufei nodded, smiling at her. "Yeah. Thanks, Sal."
Zechs slid into the seat Sally had vacated and watched her leave the coffee shop. "Something I said? I didn't mean to chase off your friend." He handed a steaming glass mug to Wufei and put the plate of cookies in between them.
"Ahh, no," Wufei answered, palming the cup between his hands. It was deliciously warm in contract to the air conditioning that had just started up and was now blasting down on them -- the reason the booth had been the last one empty, he was sure. "She works down at McCorkle's, you know, on the square? Best Mexican food in the city, even though you wouldn't know it from the sound, so she probably *did* have to get ready for work. They're pretty busy on Friday nights. You like Mexican?" Wufei asked, reaching out and snagging one of the cookies. He *loved* raspberry!
"Hmm," Zechs nodded as he took a long drink of the frothy mocha, "I do. Taquitos, guacamole, and beer -- the food of the gods." Taking a cookie for himself, he looked over at the younger man. "You sound very familiar with the city -- are you a native?"
"My mom is. Dad was from a little village near Mount Fanjingshan in China, but they met when he came to the U.S. to study medicine. That's where they met -- at Emory, you know, in Atlanta? She was a nurse there, so," Wufei said. "I've been to the area a lot. Enough not to get lost and to know all the best places to eat or go see something fun. How about you? Where are you from?"
"My family's from Minnesota. You should have seen their faces when I told them I'd be coming here for graduate school. They thought I was insane." He took another drink and then sat back and smiled. "Of course, maybe they were right. My mother took time out of her busy schedule to call me -- just to tell me they had lovely fall leaves and 'crisp, clean air.' You'd think this place was hell itself they way she talks." Frowning in thought for a moment, he looked at Wufei and said, "It's not... is it?"
"Damn," Wufei replied. "The secret's out! Where else but hell would they leave the dorm furnaces on when it's as hot out as it's been this week?"
Zechs gave a sympathetic laugh. "How thoughtful of them. I guess that's one good thing about living off campus -- true control over the destiny of one's thermostat." Taking another cookie, he sat back and broke it in half, eating each piece slowly. "So, tell me -- what *is* the hot career move for history majors these days?"
"I'm sort of hoping to go into historic preservation, you know, like the stuff over at Lingering Days? Except I was thinking more along the lines of studying the more artistic of restoration processes. You know, like the walls they used to paint to look like something else, trompe l'oeuil?" Wufei answered, picking up another cookie.
Zechs looked suitably impressed. "Do you paint as well?"
Wufei nodded. "Believe it or not. I'm not half bad, either, even if I do say so myself!" He smiled. "History, art history, and painting. I've got a fifteen hour course load, two afternoons and weekends free, and those get spent at Lingering Days." He shook his head. "On the other hand, summers are better -- I can get in a couple of classes and spend more time working, and since I really enjoy it, it's not so bad. How about you?"
Zechs gave him a rueful smile. "Well, at *some point in the future I'm planning on teaching, so the schoolmaster role fits just fine. But I didn't need a Master's degree for that. If I'd wanted to I could have gotten my credential and started teaching this fall, but like about half of my graduating class I took one look at the 'real world', screamed in terror and ran like hell for graduate school."
He paused for another long pull on his mocha. "I'll be a grown up -- someday. Right now I like studying better."
"Not a bad idea," Wufei told him, one elbow now on the table. /Is he gay? Isn't he? That's always the hardest thing to find out.../ "I couldn't teach. Too many kids out there with guns these days, you know? Harassing whoever's different, kids with braces, kids who believe in God, kids who don't believe in God, kids who're gay..."
"Oh, well," Zechs replied, "the kids with guns and knives and all that are frightening, that's true. It'll help that I'm bigger than most of them will be. As for bullies, I have a very effective remedy for them."
He straightened up in his seat, arms crossed on the table. "It's simple, really," he said. "All I do is recall my Scandinavian heritage and put on what my father calls, 'The Viking Face'." He demonstrated by raising himself out of his seat and *glaring* hard at Wufei, ice blue eyes commanding obedience or else the miscreant could expect the delivery of a vague but devastating punishment.
Then he suddenly relaxed and smiled, sitting back down and taking a sip of mocha. "Did it work?" he asked.
Swallowing a deep draught of his own coffee, Wufei shook his head and fairly grinned at Zechs. "It worked," he said with a little shudder that somehow conveyed that it had not been a *bad* thing, either. "I'll bet that gets you pretty far in a fight without a fist ever needing to be thrown or a spanking handed out, either!" And just *that* thought was quite enough to make Wufei extraordinarily grateful for the table between them!
"Well, I don't know about spankings -- haven't done too many of those, but you're right, it does tend to cut things off before they can get ugly. Also helps when I have to tell some jock that I study 19th Century British Poets. After they see the Viking Face they seem to drop all the snide remarks." He chuckled over his coffee and gave Wufei another wink.
"I don't see how anybody could make snide remarks after seeing your face, anyway!" Wufei blurted out before his eyes widened with the realization that he'd said that *out loud*! "Uh..."
A bemused expression flickered across the tall man's face. "Thank you -- I think," he said, and then he laughed. /Hmmm... and that meant...? Don't get my hopes up, young man. Expectations can be dangerous things... but how to find out?/
"So what do people do around here on the weekends?"
"I guess it depends," Wufei answered thoughtfully. "You know, on what you like to do. I work most of the weekend, out at the historic reservation, so I probably don't know as much as I *should*. There're a couple of really good restaurants in town, if that's what you like, and movies -- you know, the old cinema they just renovated? They play golden oldies there, from the thirties through the sixties. Ah, if you like to dance or hear bands, there are several options, mostly depending on what kind of music you like and, uh," and this he spoke a little self-consciously, "what your orientation is. You know, if you want to pick up women, there's Flaming Lucy's down on Sequoia Avenue. Then there's the Blue Butterfly over on Spring Street..."
Zechs gave him a slow smile. "You sound like you've done your research pretty thoroughly," he said. "Which of those things is your favorite to do -- after you get off work, that is?"
Wufei nearly melted at the smile that transformed Zechs's face. "Depends on the mood. Usually, good food and a movie is my thing. I love those big musicals they used to do, you know? Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, that kind of thing? Sal's my best friend and *she* likes dancing, though, so, um, if I'm going with her, then the Butterfly."
/Hmm... best friend... perhaps the answer is no.../ "Ah -- so do you and Sally go out often?" /And how much can I ask without sounding either nosy or predatory?/
"Only when she badgers me," Wufei admitted, grinning. "Or when she's on the prowl. You know, women."
/That one's far too good to be left alone.../ "Hmm, yes, I do," Zechs murmured, leaning forward on his elbows and looking innocently at the dark eyed boy. "And what do *you* do when *you're* 'on the prowl?'"
The color came back into Wufei's cheeks as dark eyes glanced to the side momentarily. "Uh, apparently, I get clumsy," he said sheepishly before glancing back across the table with some nervousness. /Either you're giving him a big hint or you're chasing him off,/ he thought to himself, taking another swallow of coffee to hide some of his anxiousness.
Zechs blinked, unable to believe, at first, what he'd heard. /Goodness... surely he couldn't mean *that*.../ "Clumsy, eh? Well, that's a very interesting way to make a first impression." He smiled again and tilted his head to the side thoughtfully, holding the gaze of those dark eyes. "Do you find that it works well? With the women?"
For a moment, the corners of Wufei's mouth dropped; then he reached for another cookie, breaking it into pieces so that he would have something to do with his hands. "I'd say it works about equally well with both sexes," he finally said frankly.
/Ah -- so he is. Well *that's* a relief... now I can start flirting *seriously*.../ "Well, I can only speak for one of the sexes," he told Wufei, draining his mug, "but it certainly made an excellent impression on me."
Wufei let out a sudden sigh and laughed, popping one of his crumbled bits of raspberry cookie in his mouth. "Whew! For a second there, I was afraid I was going to get the Viking Face again!" he said, smiling at Zechs across the table. "I'm glad my klutz approach seems to be working!" Now was *definitely* time to get down to serious business, he decided.
"Yes, actually, it was very endearing," Zechs said, smiling. "You got a foot in the door with the sympathy, you see, and it was all downhill from there. The only time it was in doubt was at the beginning with the goats -- nearly slammed the schoolhouse window on you... when are you working again, by the way?"
"Oh, I'm supposed to be there at six," was the answer. "In full costume, you know. And there's the Festival tomorrow, so I'm supposed to work at the goat exhibit half the morning and then at the dry goods place 'til seven, selling ice cream." Dark eyes peered through black lashes, the look almost seductive. "Shame you don't need students, schoolmaster."
Zechs raised sleek platinum brows. "There's always one or two seats open, but you'd better be careful -- I *do* have to use my lash occasionally." He laughed softly. "And of course, since there's no school at night, guess who gets to be one of the chaperons at the Harvest Dance tonight? I'll have to be at my sternest, of course."
"No kissing in dark corners or haystacks, huh?" Wufei asked. "Sounds like fun... well, except for maybe the stern lashing part. Would that be..." He had started to ask if it would be with his tongue or something else, but he coughed instead. Better not to embarrass himself too much too soon! "Uh... a dangerous prospect? I mean, kissing in dark corners and haystacks."
"Oh, yes," Zechs nodded, taking the last cookie, breaking it neatly and handing half to Wufei. "They gave us rulers -- all dancing couples have to stay at least nine inches apart." He chuckled evilly and added, "I plan on being ruthless in my attention to that."
Thanking him for the cookie-half, Wufei grinned. "Kind of makes me glad I'm a goatherd, then. I'm usually safe from the 'nice ladies' once they realize I've been out and gotten sweaty with the goats."
"See, *you're* the lucky one. The Schoolmaster is considered one of the most eligible bachelors in town, so several of my pupils have been coached to flirt with me." He rolled his eyes. "Of course, *none* of the boys do it, more's the pity. Maybe I *do* want you in my class..." he said, grinning back.
Wufei laughed aloud at that. "We'd be run out of town on a rail!" he said, eyes fairly sparkling with delight. "Tarred and feathered, even!"
"Only if they caught us," Zechs said conspiratorially. "There are *lots* of little hiding places in that town, you know..." He looked thoughtful for a moment and then looked at his watch. "Speaking of town, though -- it's four o'clock already and I have to do laundry before work." He looked over at Wufei, smiling. "It's been wonderful having coffee with you, Wufei."
Shivering slightly from the sheer force of that smile (and not to mention the bare hint at the possibility of something that sounded remarkably like stolen kisses to one *very* hopeful Chang Wufei!), the Chinese man nodded. "Yes," he agreed. "It's been remarkable..."
The blond man stood and stretched, taking his book bag off of the seat. "You really were a life saver back there with Noin." Again the thoughtful look crossed his features. "Of course, that means that I really do owe you one -- would you like a lift to work?" /Please say yes... oh *please*.../
There was an almost visible relaxation in Wufei's spine even as he slid out of the booth and looked up at Zechs. "I'd *love* that."
"It's the *least* I can do," Zechs said. "Where should I pick you up?"
"By Darlington, at five-thirty?" Wufei suggested. "I'll be at the back of the dorm, waiting for you?"
"Great -- see you then," Zechs said and began to head out of the shop. At the door, he turned and backed out, smiling at Wufei the entire time before disappearing into the hallway outside.
"Oh, wow," Wufei muttered to himself before turning and gathering his books together. /This has got to be either a dream or the best day I've ever had!/
Still in a pleasant daze from the coffee-talk, he slung his bag over his shoulder and headed out the door, down the steps and towards his dorm. Darlington was the last dorm towards the back of the property, placed against the line of pine trees that started the forest that almost surrounded the campus. It took all he could do to go inside without dancing, to put away his books, shower, and get dressed, and it took *more* than he could do to wait for five-thirty, though he somehow managed it.
At five-twenty, he was waiting impatiently, seated on a stone picnic bench beneath an oak tree in his homespun trousers, white lawn shirt and suspenders, wriggling his toes in his boots.
Sally dropped onto the bench beside him, dressed nattily for her job at the McCorkle's, in her white shirt, sleek black slacks and penny loafers. "Okay, I give -- why are you just sitting out here in your Sunday best when you *should* be going to work? Can't face the goats?"
"Ah... no," Wufei admitted with a sly grin. "I've got a *ride*, so I'm waiting. He's supposed to be here in about..." A check of his pocket-watch revealed the time. "Seven minutes!"
"*He*?" she said pointedly. "And just who would *he* be? How many boyfriends do you have, anyway?" she teased.
"None since Trowa broke up with me to date that little blond bimbo!" Wufei snorted. "You know that! But... ah, I'm hoping that this guy might pan out. You know, the guy in the coffee shop? The one needing a hat with horns on it?"
"Him?" Sally asked, looking skeptical. "I wouldn't have thought he was your type. I thought you went for the deep, dark, silent types. That guy was so... so... *blond.*" She paused for a moment, narrowing her eyes. "Hey -- this isn't just some, 'You got yourself a blond so *I'll* get *myself* a blond too,' is it?"
"Sal," Wufei said, looking at her sternly, "do you *really* think that badly of me?"
"All right, all right -- so why Mr. Blondie? Other then the fact that he's beautiful?"
"That's not enough?" Wufei asked her teasingly, propping his chin in his hand. "Well, he's gorgeous, intelligent, sweet, the resident Lingering Days schoolmaster, and, to top it all off..." His black eyes were fairly snapping as he looked up at her. "He's gay and he's interested."
Sally arched a delicate eyebrow. "Sounds a little too good to be true. What's the catch? Is he a convicted felon? A sadist? A pedophile? A secret gay basher who picks up pretty boys and does horrible things to them???"
"You're trying to scare me, aren't you?" Wufei asked suspiciously, glaring at her.
At that moment, Zechs drove up in a small blue convertible, its black leather top securely up. He got out, long hair swinging, sunglasses on, and stood looking over it at the two of them. "Hey," he called, "ready to go, Wufei?"
Sally gave him a doubtful look and then whispered into Wufei's ear in a motherly voice, "I'm not sure about this dear... he looks like one of the *fast* boys..."
"That," he said back to her, "is exactly what I'm hoping for!"
With a grin, he moved off of the table and waved at her, hurrying towards the car. "Wow," he said, eyeing the car with the prejudiced gaze of a boy who'd grown up in the South -- even if it *had* been Atlanta. "Gorgeous!"
"Thanks," Zechs said as they climbed into the car. "I'm rather attached to it." He pulled out of the parking lot and onto the main thoroughfare. "It was a present from my father for my eighteenth birthday."
"It's *gorgeous*," Wufei repeated, looking over at him. "A perfect complement to you, actually. I got my parents' old car when I turned sixteen," he said, "and I've still got it! I just couldn't resist the offer of going someplace with you."
He looked at Wufei out of the corner of his eye. "Couldn't resist, eh?" he said with mock disappointment. "It's a terrible burden to have a car like this -- I can never tell if their with me for me, or... just my car!" He shook his head sadly. "Terrible, really."
They turned onto the interstate in a tight, smooth turn. "No, really this was just a hunk of rusty metal and bolts when my dad gave it to me. I've spent three years either repairing or replacing everything in it. I had it painted last year to celebrate graduating." /And I wouldn't have thought at the time that I'd be all the way down here, thanking God for little Southern boys and their car fetishes.../
Wufei glanced over at him. "I'd believe that disappointed tone if I hadn't accepted *long* before I saw the car... not that the car isn't one very cool thing. You rebuilt it from the ground up?" He wanted to look under the hood, but the draw of the *car* wasn't half as nice as the draw of the man at the wheel! "Sounds like pretty impressive mechanic skills to me."
"Well, I do all right, I guess. I think I like it because it's so different from what I do in school. It's a very different way to think about things than you get in poetic analysis! So working on the car has been a good way to take a mental *and* physical break from studying."
Turning off the highway, Zechs tried to ignore the sweet, clean scent of boy coming from his passenger. It didn't work very well. /Mmmm... I'll bet his neck is warm and smells like soap... the best place for one, perfect kiss.../
"That," Wufei said mournfully as they headed down the short paved lane towards the parking lot, "was the shortest ride to work I've ever had. So, the dance starts at seven-thirty... and you'll be there then?"
Zechs nodded. "I'm helping set up, so I'll be there all evening." He shut off the engine and turned to Wufei, smiling. "So, are goatherds allowed to attend Harvest Dances?"
"Yeah," Wufei answered, "goatherds get to come, they need somebody to set up tables and be sure nobody smokes a cigarette and then tosses the butt in the hay or something."
"Wonderful," Zechs said, getting out of the car and taking out a suit of clothes on a hangar. "Then I'll see you there." He held up the old fashioned suit. "Time to go get dressed. I'll be looking for you at the dance, ready to scold you within an inch of your life for any misbehavior..."
That earned him a smile and a wink as Wufei slid out and shut the door behind him with a gentle touch. "Yeah, well. I promise to give you something to scold me for, how's that?"
"I'd say that sounds extremely intriguing," Zechs said, giving him a wave and heading off towards the schoolhouse. "See you there."
As he walked up the lane, he tried his best not to let his imagination get the best of him. /This is too good -- it couldn't possibly be what it seems to be; he's just flirting, doesn't really mean anything... oh, *damn* I can't wait to see him again.../
At seven-thirty sharp, Wufei was standing outside the 'barn' where dances were ordinarily held, drawing in a deep breath. /Okay,/ he thought to himself, looking at the other people arriving. Some were in costume, most of those being persons who worked at 'Lingering Days', and a lot of others were not, but were fully ready to take part in the fun to be had.
The door to the schoolhouse opened and Zechs came strolling out of it and down the street. He was dressed in a form fitting morning coat and trousers, a plain cotton shirt and a string tie. His hair was tied back in a loose ponytail with a black ribbon, and he wore black boots. He chided several teenagers running up the step to slow down and not act like wild animals and then he spotted Wufei.
"You there -- boy," he called, "why are you not going to the dance?"
Wufei's smile was utterly unrepentant. "Oh, I was waiting on somebody, Mr. Marquise." Dark eyes ran from Zechs's feet up to his very blue eyes and a black eyebrow perked up slightly. "You think maybe I should go on in now?"
"Young people do not belong on the streets," the blond said crisply. "It only leads to dissipation and moral decay. Now come inside at once." He gave Wufei a very discrete wink and then pretended to wait impatiently for him, much to the delight of a group of nearby visitors.
"Yes, sir." The sound of it was just *slightly* surly, but it was accompanied by a wink as Wufei shoved his hands in his pockets. "You coming in with me? Might as well go ahead and face all of those eligible ladies who'll be running after you tonight," he teased.
"Yes," Zechs said, somewhat mournfully, "I actually have to dance with several of them." He bent down and whispered in Wufei's ear, "I'd much rather dance with you." Then he walked off, pulling out his ruler and beginning to scan the dance floor.
That left Wufei almost laughing as he slipped into the dance hall and found a safe corner that was mostly out of the way and settled in to watch the night's revelry.
The dancing began almost immediately and Zechs's ruler got a good workout, as did his stern expression. In one instance he even had to wag his finger at a young lady who was pouting after being "distanced" from her beau. After he broke that particular couple up, he searched the room for Wufei and then tried hard to catch the dark haired boy's eye.
It wouldn't have been half so difficult if Wufei hadn't been cornered by the little old ladies that ran the dry goods store! When Wufei *did* realize he was being scoped out, he apologized and excused himself quickly, slipping over to Zechs's side of the barn.
"Whew! It's hot in here!" Wufei told him by way of greeting, looking up at him. "You look like you're burning up!"
Zechs assumed a look of mock hurt. "Oh. I rather thought I was looking cool and collected... must be all the sinful thoughts I'm having to intrude on." He gave Wufei a sidelong smile and then asked a bit reproachfully, "Aren't you supposed to ask one of these lovely young ladies to dance?"
"Oh, no," Wufei demurred, shaking his head so that short strands of dark silky hair fell into his eyes. "Young ladies don't like to dance with goatherds, much. Something about the smell," he confided.
"Is that so?" Zechs asked with interest. He lowered his voice and leaned closer, brushing warm breath over the boy's ear. "Good thing they're all gay then..."
Wufei turned absolutely crimson at that, but the smile that snuck up and captured the corners of his lips was undeniable. "Yeah, I'd say that's a *really* good thing," he answered fervently.
"Mmm, I see some sweet young things trying to get away with indecency," Zechs said. "Can you meet me outside in ten minutes? I think I have a break due..."
"Behind the outhouse," Wufei murmured before splitting away from him and heading for a small door that had been built into the barn, leading outside.
Zechs extricated three additional couples before the band stopped playing and an MC of sorts began talking to the assembled crowd. He slipped out the front way, and walked around the back of the barn, smiling when he saw Wufei.
"Nice to get out of there for a moment," he said, walking up beside him.
Slightly nervous, Wufei shifted from one foot to another and peered up at Zechs through black lashes, a look *definitely* meant for seduction. "Yeah," he agreed, worrying that he sounded stupid. "It's pretty hot in there."
"Ah, and here I thought that lovely blush might be for me," Zechs teased, looking down at him and smiling. "'Does he like me, or is it heat stroke?'"
"Ah, it's definitely not heat stroke," Wufei admitted, taking an adventurous half-step closer.
"Oh good," came the low reply. "I'd hate to have you fall into my arms for a completely mundane reason."
"Nothing mundane about it," was the whispered answer, Wufei sidling the slightest bit closer, "when there are fairies involved." Eyes suddenly widened, witnessed by the light of the harvest moon. "I mean, not fairies as in fairies, but fairies as in, you know, with wings and fairy dust and gorgeous, um... oh, hell."
Zechs laughed softly leaning even closer so that their faces were only inches apart. "Tell me what the fairies have to do with this, Wufei?" he purred.
"Ahh..." Wufei said incoherently, dark eyes trained very closely on the beautifully shaped lips that were so close to him. "Ahh..."
"Hmmm..." Zechs said thoughtfully, "Perhaps you've forgotten... maybe this will help jog your memory." The tall blond closed the distance between them and kissed Wufei gently but firmly on the lips. "Is that any better?" he whispered against the younger man's mouth, hoping to God that Wufei couldn't hear the pounding of his heart.
"Oh, yes," came the hoarsely whispered answer, Wufei nodding slightly. "I was right. You are magic..." he murmured, leaning up again to lightly press his mouth to Zechs's a second time.
The second kiss was softer, slower, and Zechs had just reached a hand up to Wufei's hair when two loud female voices were heard coming towards them.
"Zeee-eechs? Where *are* you?"
"Come on, schoolmaster! You're on our dance cards!"
"Here Zechsy, Zechsy, Zechsy!!"
Zechs pulled back, his face a mask of regret. "I'd better see to the herd -- we wouldn't want a stampede on our hands, would we?" He brought a hand up and grazed Wufei's cheek with the back of it. "See you later," he murmured, and headed off just in time to intercept three young women in long, flouncy dresses who took him by the arms and dragged him back around the barn with them.
"Wow," Wufei whispered to himself, left standing alone in the moonlight for a moment before he walked to the outhouse to find a spigot, flicking it on and filling his hands with cold water to splash against his face. "Oh, wow..."
When the dance at last broke up, Zechs was recruited into carrying a number of chairs and tables back to the schoolhouse. When it was done, he returned to the barn and began looking around for Wufei, hoping that the young man hadn't found another ride home. While he searched the room, he lifted a hand and slid off the black ribbon that held his hair back, shaking the pale gold stuff loose as he did so. Then he spotted a dark, silky head. "Wufei? Is that you?"
"It wouldn't be anybody else," Wufei replied. "Just finished locking up the back exits and checking to make sure all the lanterns were out. Time to go home?" he asked, gnawing at his lower lip slightly. It was hard to believe that what had happened earlier had actually *happened*! It seemed so much like a dream...
"Definitely time to go," Zechs said. "I've made more pure, wholesome small talk tonight than is remotely healthy for a person." They walked to the car and got in, heading out of the parking lot. "Did you have a good time?" Zechs asked.
Wufei stuffed his hands in his pockets, nodding at the last man there who always locked up and walked out behind Zechs. "There were definitely bright moments," he confessed. "This fairy kissed me out behind the outhouse, twice. That was pretty much the highlight."
"You've been kissing fairies?" Zechs said in mock surprise. "What *will* your friends say about that? And who is this fairy anyway? Hmmm? Is he the unsavory type who might steal you away?"
"I can hope!" Wufei replied lightly as they reached the car and climbed in. "He was really nice. I don't think I'd mind," he confessed as Zechs started the car and sent it out of the parking lot quickly.
Zechs only smirked at that, keeping his eyes on the road ahead of him, hard as it was. "I'm working twelve hours tomorrow. How about you?"
"Eight," Wufei replied. "From ten 'til seven with an hour for lunch around three. Maybe you could use a student about then?" he asked, not disguising the fact that he was watching Zechs at all. "To impress the visitors and all."
"We~ll," Zechs said slowly, turning to look at his passenger, "it would mean acting rebellious and cowed into submission by turns. Think you could handle that?" There was an unmistakable grin on his face as he said it.
"Yeah," Wufei said with a wink. "I think I can definitely handle that, Schoolmaster Zechs," he drawled.
"Well, then I look forward to you joining us," the blond said with a smile. "We break at 12:30 for lunch. Do you want to eat together? There's a nice little shady place behind the church."
"I'm not supposed to be off more than an hour at three," Wufei answered disappointedly, "but maybe I can talk to Mrs. Ashcroft and see what she says." He hated that they were getting so close to the college again! "She's got a weak spot for boys, y'know."
"No, don't get your boss mad at you," Zechs said, highly disappointed as well. "We can do it another time." They pulled into the parking lot by Wufei's dorm and Zechs cut the engine. He looked over at the younger man. Wufei's eyes were dark pools and his hair reflected the moonlight coming through the car window. "Has anyone ever told you that you're beautiful?" he asked softly.
"Once or twice," Wufei whispered, moving his head on the headrest so that he was slightly closer to Zechs. "I'm not so sure they meant it, but it was nice of them to say. You mean it, though, don't you?" His heart was tripping a rapid-fire beat as he looked across at the moon-silvered face so close and yet so far away from his own. It was hard to believe anyone so unbelievably gorgeous would say such a thing about him, but...
Zechs raised a hand to graze along the outline of Wufei's cheek. "I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it," he said softly. "I find myself thinking about you a lot... something about the way you look when you smile..." His thumb brushed over Wufei's lips. "You're becoming quite a distraction to me."
Swallowing hard, Wufei's gaze darted down to Zechs's lips, tongue coming out to moisten his lower lip and catching the tip of that digit, making him flush with a sudden pulsing desire. "Yes," he agreed, meaning that Zechs was distracting *him* as well.
A shiver of pleasure ran through Zechs at that tiny, accidental touch. He leaned forward and pressed the softest kiss imaginable at the very corner of Wufei's mouth, and then did the same at three places along the boy's jaw. "Exquisite," he breathed, "like some exotic jewel... Thank you for going with me tonight... for letting me close..."
"Ah..." Wufei's brain had gone on vacation, he knew it, even as he tilted his head slightly and shivered, the sheer joy of a kiss placed at the site of a pounding pulse making him give a little moan. "Th...ank you for asking me...!"
Zechs pulled back a little and smiled softly. "May I walk you to the door?"
Ohhh, that was disappointing! At the same time, though, it was so nice -- no pressure, just... sweet! "Sure," Wufei answered quietly. /Be careful, though, Zechs. I wouldn't want any baseball happy gay-bashing freaks to get hold of me, *or* of you and that beautiful face.../
Zechs climbed out of the car and waited for Wufei. They went up the sidewalk that ran to the building's side door. Zechs leaned back against the wall of the dorm and took a long look around before pulling Wufei to him gently. "Good night," he said softly, and slipped long arms around Wufei's waist. he leaned his head down further and captured Wufei's mouth in a gentle but insistent kiss. "Hmmm... you taste so good..."
It was somehow dangerous and sweet and altogether too wonderful, and Wufei melted into it for a long moment, leaning up to that kiss and enjoying it greatly. "Wow," he whispered when they broke away, taking a deep breath. "Thanks, for tonight. I'll see you tomorrow..."
"Right," Zechs said, again feeling strangely disappointed. "Tomorrow it is." He let go of Wufei and smiled, heading back towards his car. He turned when he got there and lifted a hand. "Bye."
Waving back, Wufei slid into the dorm and headed up to his room, fairly drifting on clouds of sheer delight. /It just doesn't get much better than this,/ he thought as he entered his dorm room, gleeful to find Mueller the Moron mysteriously missing. With a little laugh, he dropped onto his twin bed and stared up at the ceiling for a moment. "Yeah," he said aloud, laughing again. "Yeah. It doesn't get much better than this!"
End of Part 1
(:./kumiko/ldays1)
