14 Jun 2000
DISCLAIMER: All Gundam Wing characters are property of Sunrise, Bandai Visuals, Sotsu Agency, and Asahi TV. This work is not written for profit, but for entertainment purposes only.
WARNINGS: shonen-ai (will become lemon); angst; some sap (my fault, not Tzi's); blatant domesticity (in this chapter)
Pairing: 6x5/5x6 (Implied 13x6, 13x5)
The room was dark when Wufei woke and he was deliciously warm and safe, a fact he accepted before he ever even opened his eyes. A slow shift and he realized that he was not alone in the bed -- more than that, even. Arms cradled him tightly against a strong chest, his own limbs wound tightly around that other body, and he sighed slightly before stiffening with realization. /Zechs!?/
It was definitely Zechs and they were wrapped up so tightly in one another that there was no hope of getting loose! Not, he found, that he particularly wanted to move away from the other man at all... if anything, it was one of the most pleasant experiences he'd had recently and so he closed his eyes, laid there... and simply enjoyed it for a while.
Zechs let out a long sigh in his sleep, shifting a little, tightening his grip and nuzzling against the top of Wufei's head. The he was quiet again, with nothing but deep, even breaths and a little noise of satisfaction.
/Ah, Zechs. What are you doing to me?/ Wufei thought, sleep reaching out for him again. /You're changing me, I think. You spoil me..../ And finally, a last thought before he was claimed by deep slumber once again. /What will I do when you finally get tired of me?/
When his eyes finally opened, a profound disorientation hit Zechs. He had been reading, and gone to sleep when the sun was shining in through the windows and making the room pleasantly warm. Now the darkness was pitch and he was shivering, so he pulled the boy closer for warmth.
/The boy?/
/Dear God in heaven what *am* I doing?/ As his eyes adjusted to the dim light Zechs made out the tangle that he and Wufei were in and panicked a bit. /Oh, he isn't going to like this. Not one bit. But then again.../ more searching and feeling of the tangle, /his arms are around me too, and... damn I can't move without practically tossing him off the bed! And what time is it? I suppose I'll have to wake him up and hope he doesn't start screaming at me./
A soft, low voice - "Wufei?" No response. "Wufei? Wake up, I think we've slept through the entire day."
"Mmm?" came the sleepy answer with an accompanying pat upon his arm. "D'n wanna. 'S dark still, Zechs..." Wufei's face burrowed more tightly against his chest.
If the lights had been on, Zechs's cheeks would have looked red. As it was he looked down at the boy in some alarm and then pondered his options. /I could keep trying to talk him awake - although the success of that is highly in doubt. I could extract a limb - somehow - and try to turn on the light. Perhaps he's sort of cave-dweller who needs light cues to wake up his brain. But he's got a death-grip on me. Think, Zechs, think.../Unfortunately the only thought that came to him was the way Treize used to wake him up. And that was definitely out of the question here.
He settled back down on his pillow, completely at a loss. Turning his head downward to look at the boy, he tried once more. "Wufei!"
"Mph." The reply was short-lived as Wufei wound himself more tightly about him. "F've more minutes..."
Exasperated he looked back up at the ceiling, pleading with God, or any gods that happened to be wandering over Luxembourg at that moment, to bring him deliverance.
A thigh slid carefully between his legs as arms came up and wrapped around his neck, the feel of an erection growing rather prominent against his hip. "Mmm..."
Zechs could only roll his eyes. /Oh wonderful. This is just wonderful. What am I gonna do with him if he wakes up now. He'll scream. I know he'll scream. *And* probably jump off the bed so fast he'll hurt himself. And *then* I'll have to take him to a hospital. And they'll ask me all sorts of questions about... Oh, God, *what* have I done to deserve this!/
Following this internal monologue, to his great consternation, Zechs found that he could not ignore the throaty sigh, nor the firm length of the boy, grinding against his hip. The thought of what it represented was like an accident scene to him. He knew he should just move away from it as soon as he could, and yet he had an overwhelming urge to slow down and watch. What made matters infinitely worse was the fact that he felt his own shaft beginning to harden in response.
/No... oh please... no!/
Another of those soft murmurs sounded before Zechs realized that Wufei had lifted his head and was looking at him. The almost non-existent light glanced off of sleep-hazed black irises, lending them an odd glint there in the darkness of the night. "Zechs...."
The slow realization that he was pressing himself firmly to Zechs's hip brought his eyes open almost impossibly wide as he gave a little gasp of surprise. /Oh, gods!/
Zechs didn't move. At the moment he classified Wufei as a top-grade explosive device that, given the slightest tremor, could go off right in his face (and ears.)
When he spoke his voice was very low and calm. "Yes, Wufei?"
For several seconds, nothing passed between them but silence before Wufei said solemnly, "Would you mind terribly if I kissed you?"
Zechs turned his head on the pillow to look into Wufei's eyes. His world was spinning, leaving him in a confusing free fall. /Did I hear him correctly? Am I still asleep and just having an odd sort of dream?/ He stared at the boy, now more visible as Zechs's eyes adjusted to the dim light. /He is beautiful. Silky hair, and lovely dark eyes... / "No," he said softly, surprising even himself. "No, I wouldn't mind... terribly."
A caress barely as light as a brush of gossamer wings wafted across his lips, nudging nervously as Wufei lifted a hand and placed it on Zechs's chest.
Zechs blinked. Had he been kissed? He wasn't sure, but... he *had* felt *something* on his lips, so he assumed it must have been a kiss. He felt a strange sense of disappointment and he didn't know exactly why, but he suspected it had something to do with the two hardened shafts he could feel, the mildly erotic position they had found themselves in, and the seriousness of Wufei's request.
Shaking his head a little he looked over at the dark-eyed boy lying next to him and smiled. Then he slowly raised one long finger and with the back of it traced softly down the line of Wufei's cheek.
A shuddering sigh passed Wufei's lips before he leaned forward and kissed Zechs again, mouth parted slightly as he sweetly sucked at Zechs's lower lip for the barest of seconds before withdrawing once again.
Another soft smile and then Zechs murmured, "Well? What do you think?"
"I think," Wufei said shyly, "that was nice and I might like to do it again."
"Well," Zechs said, "Just let me know if you'd like to. It'll be your call."
The slight smile that crossed Wufei's face was just visible and he was thankful for the dark that hid the blush he felt creeping up into his face. "All right."
"Are you hungry? I can make us something."
"Wh'time is it?" Wufei asked, yawning and stretching slightly as they disentangled.
"Nine," Zechs replied, glancing at the clock as he stood. He felt an overwhelming urge to stretch and it felt so good to lift his arms above his head and stretch all the way through to his fingertips, his muscles relaxing as they came back to a neutral position. "Is pasta all right?"
"Mmm... fine, I think. I feel better," Wufei said solemnly, "and that's not likely to make me sick again." /Especially since I'm not so upset just now. In fact, I feel amazingly mellow.../
"Well, come and keep me company then" he said. "I'll even let you stir the pasta." He hesitated for a moment by the door of the bedroom, then turned back to the boy. "And, Wufei? Why don't you give your hair band a rest for a while. You look really nice with your hair down." A whisper of a smile played on Zechs's lips for a moment and then he was gone.
For a little while, Wufei only sat there, fingers touching his lips uncertainly. /I can't believe I asked to kiss Zechs Marquise!/
Still... Zechs was going to let him cook something! Well... stir. That was sort of helping him, at least! So Wufei hurried out of bed, rapidly combing fingers through sleep-snarled black strands and heading for the kitchen.
Zechs had gotten a pot and a saute pan out and when Wufei came into the kitchen he handed the pot off to the boy. "Can you please fill this with water - about two-thirds full. Then add a pinch of salt and a little oil from that can by the stove." Zechs himself went to work slicing mushrooms and a small handful of fragrant herbs. "What about salad Wufei?" he murmured, his eyes on the mushrooms. "Have you ever made a salad?"
A slow nod came in answer. "What do you want in it?" he asked, glancing over at the other man's face before allowing his hair to fall in his own and hide the slow flush that was creeping up his cheeks again.
Now the herbs were being diced with quick, decisive strokes of the knife. "Lettuce, artichoke hearts, olives - all in the refrigerator. Tomatoes and capers - in the pantry. The bowl is in the cupboard you're standing by, as is the chopping board. Knives are on the counter. Put it together and then I'll show you how to make the dressing."
Wufei shook his head slowly and filled the pot as directed. He then moved to delve into the refrigerator, pulling the desired items out (even though he looked at the artichoke hearts and made a quick face at them before placing them on the counter). All of the salad ingredients were gathered before he opened the cabinet and looked up to the bowl and cutting board he'd been directed to get... on the top shelf. "Um... Zechs?"
Zechs looked over at Wufei. "Yes?" Then he followed the boy's eyes to the salad bowl on the top shelf. "Ah. Right." He walked over and stood behind Wufei, still staring up at the unattainable bowl, and leaned over him, reaching up and grabbing the bowl neatly. He felt an inexplicable wave of desire as he did, feeling the boy's body against him, and an image of them together, on the floor, came unbidden to his mind. Trying gamely to control the blush that threatened to sweep his cheeks, he handed the bowl to Wufei and went back to chopping, grateful for long hair that hid his face.
The evening seemed surreal, a strange slow dance that left Wufei sighing as he began carefully tearing fresh-washed lettuce and placing it in the bowl. The feel of Zechs's lean length was still against him, just as the imagined feel of those limbs hadn't yet faded from earlier. /Treize, I hope this is amusing to you. You've done this to us somehow, haven't you, put us together this way? Busybody./
Mushrooms, herbs, olive oil and a dash of white wine were cooking in the saute pan. "All right," Zechs said, "pasta." He brought out a long, flat package from the refrigerator and handed it to Wufei. "The important thing to remember about pasta is that it's easily overcooked," he said, going back to his sauce. He poured some fresh cream into the pan and talked while whisking it. "You have to wait until the water is at a full boil and then drop a couple of strands in at a time, but do it quickly because it will cook in only a couple of minutes."
"Why so fast?" Wufei asked, opening it up and holding the package out to Zechs.
"No, no," the tall blond said, "you do it. Just as I said. It'll be done in about 5 minutes." He went back to the saute pan, which now held a light, fragrant cream sauce. Turning the heat down most of the way, he covered the pan and went to the cupboard for a small mixing bowl, pulling a couple of kitchen tools out of an earthen jar on the counter. "That's it," he said looking over at the stove, "just get those last few strands in and then set the timer on the stove for 4 minutes. Then we'll make the dressing."
Each strand of pasta was laid in with a careful precision, quickly swallowed by the boiling water until it was all inside and Wufei stirred it gingerly, peering over the edge and into the pot. "There."
"Good," the blond murmured. "Now bring that oil can over, will you?" With measuring spoon, he scooped mustard from a small jar and put it into the bowl, doing the same with a small bottle of white wine vinegar. "Now," he said at last, "what you need to do is pour the oil into the bowl in a very slow but steady stream while I use the whisk. Ready?" He held the small bowl in between them and looked over at Wufei from under long, golden lashes.
The companionship of their motions, the dance they seemed to perpetrate there in that quiet kitchen, was enthralling. Wufei tilted the can of oil easily, pouring it slowly, the proximity of Zechs's body and the heat it threw off enough to make him tremble.
There was something exquisite in these moments; something he'd never quite done or felt before, the throb of excitement and nervousness in his veins. The strange twisting agitation of being so close was new and different, somehow, than it had ever been before. "Say when it's enough."
"Mmm..." the blond murmured. "See how it's thickening? That's because you're pouring the oil slowly enough for me to force it into a suspension with the mustard and vinegar. It's so simple but easy to do wrong." Zechs signaled Wufei to stop and cast a critical eye over the vinaigrette they'd made. "However, this looks perfect." He handed the bowl to the Chinese boy. "Why don't you put that on the salad - there are some tongs in that drawer. I'll finish the sauce."
Silence spread out through the room, aside from the sounds of their steady motions, and Wufei almost sighed into it. Earlier had been so strange and awful and yet, now, everything was perfectly all right -- better than all right, really, aside from the fact that he was as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs!
The vinaigrette smoothly covered all of the salad as he mixed it together, glancing at Zechs from the corners of his eyes every so often. When he was done, he rinsed off the tongs and carefully washed the bowl -- Zechs had seemed to know just how much was enough for the salad. When he was done, he sat the bowl in the drainer and turned, watching the tall blond openly for a moment.
While the sauce simmered, Zechs drained the pasta and drizzled a small amount of oil on it. He'd already gotten plates and salad bowls down and now he forked long fetuccine noodles onto each plate before spooning the fragrant sauce on top. As a last touch, he grated a small amount of a savory-smelling cheese onto each. Picking up both plates he headed for the table. "Would you mind bringing the salad and the bowls?" he called back to Wufei. Then he headed to the refrigerator one last time for water and wine.
Arms loaded with the larger salad bowl, hands clutching the small ones, Wufei moved to the table, going back to fetch silverware and napkins before seating himself nervously and watching Zechs. His stomach was flipping about nervously, just a little, and he sighed. /Don't be silly, Wufei. Just... Don't do anything silly./
When everything was set, Zechs put two candles on the table and lit them, turning the lights down after he did. "It's late, we're both feeling the day, so let's make it easy on our eyes," he murmured. Sitting down in the chair opposite Wufei, Zechs rested his chin on his hands and stared over at the dark-eyed boy. "Thank you so much for helping," he murmured softly. "Couldn't have done it without you."
Almost giddy with the attention and his fluttering tummy, Wufei murmured a solemn, "You're welcome," glancing up at Zechs through his lashes.
The blond man smiled softly. /Treize... I'm beginning to feel things that I know I shouldn't feel. Scary to think I could feel anything again. Doesn't that mean I'd be forgetting you...?/ The thoughts drifted chaotically in his mind, continually bumping up against one, immutable fact. He was close to being happy. Something he hadn't felt since he and Treize began drifting apart. But now, everything seemed to be in flux, and the unthinkable had finally happened: he had a reason to get up in the morning.../
"Well," he said, picking up a fork and giving himself a mental shake, "let's see how we did, shall we?"
End of Part 8
(:./kumiko/lvvs8)
