Inspired in part by the screenplay, "The Sixth Sense" written by N. Night Shyamalan
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.
WARNING: shounen-ai and implied yaoi
PAIRING: 6x2/2x6
Key for punctuation:
"..." - character dialogue
Slashes are used for character thoughts
The garage appeared to be deserted when Duo and Wu Fei arrived. "That's weird," Duo muttered, "he should've been back by now." He cast a critical eye at Wu Fei and then guided the other boy to the hood of the car. "Why don't you just sit down and rest a minute, okay? I'm just gonna check to see if he's outside somewhere."
Wu Fei gave him a brief nod. He was still feeling shaken from the confessions he'd made to Duo and welcomed the chance to sit and collect his thoughts. He watched the braided boy disappear around one of the exit doors and then leaned back against the windshield and closed his eyes. It was odd, but there seemed to be a comforting warmth along his back, almost as if someone had been laying there and had just gotten up.
Duo's search didn't last long. He had walked out of the doors to the garage and immediately seen Zechs leaning against the wall to his right, facing a small alley that ran the length of the building. "Hey," he said softly. "Whatcha doing out here?"
Zechs looked up slowly and then smiled. "Hey. Just needed some fresh air. It smells horrible in that place." His gaze flickered away from the the American and focused on some point on the far wall of the alley.
"Zechs? Is anything wrong?" Duo walked over to his lover and slipped his arms around the man's lean hips. "You look pale," he mumured, "I mean, paler - not that you don't look kinda pale all the time, 'cause that's just you, you know, but -"
"Do you believe in ghosts?" The rich baritone voice was soft, almost dreamy in quality, and Duo felt a little shiver down his back at the tone.
/Man, what's going on? First that weird kid claims to see dead people and now Zechs is talking like this.../ He cupped the blond man's face in his hand, fingers slipping into the pale, silky hair. "You're givin' me the creeps here, Bunny. Why would you be asking something like that?"
Zechs didn't answer right away, just frowned a bit and continued staring ahead of him. Finally, he shook his head. "It's nothing. I'm sorry - must have been a mood from the Tower. All that death paraphenalia." He smiled down at Duo. "I'm fine, really. Sorry to be so macabre."
Meeting the apology with a small grin, Duo tightened his hold on the man. "Well, hey - if you can't be macabre in London, where the heck *can* you be macabre, that's what I say." He nodded his head vigorously to emphasize his point.
"Is it?" Zechs murmured, nodding as well.
"Yup," said Duo, still nodding.
"Duo? Do you even know what macabre means?" Still nodding.
Duo's nods turned to shakes of his somewhat shaggy head, which Zechs mimicked. "Not in the least, Bunny."
A sharp voice caused them to jump. Wu Fei stood at the doorway, looking somewhat petulant. "What's taking so long?" he asked sharply. "I thought we were going." So saying he turned abruptly and headed back into the garage.
Zechs and Duo stared after him for a moment, then looked at each other. Zechs sighed heavily and Duo put his hands on his hips. ""You have Relena," he said to the tall blond, who put on a long-suffering expression.
"And you have Wu Fei," Zechs answered back with a resigned air. "Does he know he's being invited?"
Duo looked sheepish. "Well, not exactly. Not yet..."
Pushing himself off of the wall, Zechs hooked an arm around Duo's shoulders. "All right. Let's go. But I'm warning you, if he starts screaming death threats at me I will definitely consider asking him to find somewhere else to stay. And that's final." Zechs nodded decisively as they headed into the garage."
Slipping his arm around Zech's waist, Duo looked up at the older man and nodded too. "Only fair, Bunny. Only fair."
It was after 4pm by the time they arrived back in Berkeley Square. Duo had decided that he would ask Wu Fei about staying with them after they'd all had drinks. Not that the Chinese boy was a drinker, by any means, but at least he would have been able to see that the house was comfortable and big enough to accomodate them all without compromising privacy.
Hadley answered the door and from his mildly pleasant expression you would never have guessed his surprise at seeing yet another young person on the doorstep. Instead he bowed graciously and ushered them all inside.
"Hadley," Zechs began, "this is an acquaintance of mine from the War and a good friend of Mr. Maxwell's - Mr. Wu Fei Chang."
Hadley bowed slightly to the dark-haired boy, noting the mild look of disapproval on his face, but perceptive enough to realize it wasn't necessarily directed at him. "A pleasure to meet you, sir," he said softly. "May I take your coat?"
Frowning for a moment, Wu Fei reluctantly handed over the black jacket he'd been wearing. Zechs and Duo had already shed theirs and were walking ahead of them, down the hall towards the sitting room.
Wu Fei watched the butler carefully as he hung the jacket in a nearby closet. When the man turned, the boy frowned again. "Do you work for him?" he asked somewhat curtly.
Hadley's pleasant face didn't change a bit. "For Mister Marquise? Yes indeed I do."
Wu Fei's eyes traveled up and down the neatly attired man. "You're kind of young to be a butler, aren't you? I thought all butlers were old men."
"Did you?" Hadley replied, just as pleasantly as ever. "Well, actually I've been butler here since the time of the previous owner. Sadly, he died in the war, but he passed the house on to Mr. Marquise and so far he's been an excellent employer."
"Died in the war?" Wu Fei asked faintly. "And passed it on..." /It couldn't be... it just couldn't.../
"Excuse me for saying so, but are you unwell, Mr. Chang?"
"No, no" the Chinese boy answered, "of course I'm not." /The memories weren't enough? First there was Zechs, and now... Treize's house?/
A thoughtful looked briefly crossed Hadley's impassive face and then he smiled again. "Perhaps you would care for a tour of the house after you've had some refreshment? Please, come this way - your friends will no doubt be in the sitting room at the back of the house."
Their drinks had been served and consumed and now Wu Fei was beginning to feel the effects of his restless night. After he had yawned for the third time, he sat up as if to go. "Duo, I think I'm going to head back to my hotel. I didn't get much sleep last night and I'm tired."
"No! Wu Fei! Wait!" Duo jumped up from the sofa, where he'd been sitting next to Zechs, nearly spilling his lover's cup of hot tea in the process. "Why don't we, uh, talk for a moment?"
"Duo, we *have* been talking," Wu Fei noted wearily.
"Well, just the two of us," he said clapping his friend on the shoulder hard enough to make him stumble. "You'll excuse us, won't you Zechs?"
Having been given his cue, the Master of the house rose gracefully. "Of course," he murmured, "I'll just check in on Relena. Excuse me." Duo watched him go, raising his eyebrows quickly, a touch of lust playing around the edges of his mind, and then turned to Wu Fei.
"Okay, Wufie, sit down." Wu Fei frowned a little at the order, but was too tired to object just then. Duo sat down on the sofa, kitty-corner to his friend and propped his chin in his hand, elbow resting on his knee. "Look, I know this is gonna sound strange, but, well... I talked it over with Zechs and... we thought maybe you'd like to stay here for the rest of the time you're in London. What do you say?" There was a hopeful grin on the boyish face.
"Stay here?" Wu Fei asked slowly, as if Duo had just used large words that he was unfamiliar with. There was some small part of him that was sighing with relief, and it made him uncomfortable. "Why...? Why would you - no -why would *Zechs* want me to stay here?" He grew more animated as he talked. "Didn't you listen to *any* of what I said this afternoon? He and I... we don't get along. In fact we just don't *like* each other, Duo! Why would I want to stay in his house? Why would he want me here?" He stood abruptly and paced over to a nearby bookshelf, pretending to read the titles. Duo noticed,with some satisfaction, that he was protesting loudly but had made no signs of leaving at all.
"Well, I just thought -" the braided boy started.
"You *didn't* think apparently," Wu Fei snapped. "It's a ridiculous idea! My staying here. Ridiculous." He crossed his arms and his scowl deepened but he stood in place, not making a move toward the door.
Duo suddenly realized that his friend was actually considering his offer. He just needed a little incentive to tip the scales. He walked over to Wu Fei and lowered his voice. "You know, Wufie, you'd be doing me a real favor if you said yes."
Wu Fei looked over at him suspiciously. "What do mean?"
"Well," Duo explained, "you heard Zechs. *Relena's* here. Because Zechs told her she could stay until she leaves at the end of the week. Now c'mon Wufie, you *know* how I feel about her."
The dark head gave a slight nod.
"Well, it'd be nice if there were someone here that *I* invited, you know? Otherwise it's me against the Peacecrafts and you *know* that isn't pretty, right?"
A sidelong glance, then a mild look of curiosity on Wu Fei's part. "And Zechs agrees with this?" he asked Duo skeptically.
"Yeah!" Duo grinned and added in a low voice. "I mean, she's his sister and all but he understands. Oh, believe me does he understand." Duo laughed softly and rolled his eyes. "Please, Wufie? It's more for my sake than yours, really. I know you're fine where you are, and that moving would be a pain, but I'll help you get your stuff and, well -" he tilted his head to the side and grinned at Wu Fei. "It could be fun...?"
Duo had been unerring in his judgement. The request had been just what Wu Fei needed - a way to accept the offer without looking as though he wanted or needed to. "Oh, all right," he grumbled, almost agreeably. "But I'm doing it as a favor to *you*, understand?"
"Yeah, yeah - now let's go tell Zechs and then we can get your things!" Duo pulled Wu Fei out of the room and down the hallway where he practically knocked down Hadley, who was polishing the wall sconces.
"Whoa, sorry Hadely!" Duo said, still grinning. "Hey, Hadley, Wufie here is gonna being staying with us for awhile. Isn't that great?"
"Indeed?," Hadley said smiling benignly. "Another guest, how wonderful. I'll just go inform the housemaid to make up another of the bedrooms, shall I?" He arched a subtle eyebrow in the direction of Wu Fei, who frowned at the gesture and looked flustered as Duo pulled him further down the hall.
Hadley turned back to his polishing. "Curiouser and curiouser..." he murmured, attacking a almost-invisible patch of tarnish.
Zechs had asked Winston, the chauffer, to get Wu Fei's belongings from his hotel and, much to the blond's surprise, Wu Fei had agreed to the suggestion that he stay at the house and let the servent do the packing up for him. Zechs himself was now having a second tea with Relena, who seemed inclined to stay in her room, so Duo and Wu Fei were temporarily on their own.
Duo sought out Hadley and found that Wu Fei would be in the room on the other side of the one he shared with Zechs. The housemaid was just in the process of airing it and making up the bed when they visited, so Duo led the way into his room. "Look, Wu Fei, you're obviously exhausted and dinner around here tends to be late. Why don't you just stretch out on our bed and take a nap?"
"No, I couldn't do that," Wu Fei said with great certainty.
Duo blinked, "Well... why not? Your bed's not done yet, this one's made up, just lay down and get some sleep." He made a move towards the door.
"No! Duo really, I don't think -"
Duo paused, considering his options and then hit upon a stretegy that would surely be effective at getting his friend to rest. "Wu Fei," he said softly, "would you promise me something? I mean, really promise, on your honor and all that stuff you like?
The Chinese boy frowned in concern. "Ah... of course, Duo. You know we're friends. If you ask for a promise, I wouldn't go back on it."
"Really?," Duo said, smiling in what he believed to be his most adorable way. "So you'll promise me?"
Wu Fei's look began to slide towards a glare. "I've already said I would, Maxwell, is that not *enough?*"
"It's perfect, Wu-man," Duo said. "Absolutely perfect."
He was about to turn for the door when Wu Fei stopped him. "Hey, wait! What did I just promise?"
Duo smiled, trying to look like an angel. "To lie down on that bed and stay there until you're called for dinner. I'll see you then!" The smile turned to a grin and he headed out of the room, closing the door behind him as he went.
Wu Fei glared at the closed door. "Maxwell! You... you..." He was too tired to rant, so he sat down on the bed and crossed his arms in front of him, glaring at the door through which his friend and betrayer had gone. "Hell!" he said crossly. /It's bad enough that I'm staying in the man's house, but now he wants me to stay in the man's bed as well. Ha! I'll show him what good that does. I'll lay down, but I *know* that I won't sleep./
He laid back stiffly on the soft, down coverlet, crossing his arms again and looking sternly at the ceiling. He tried very hard not to think about what his friend had, no doubt, been doing in that particular bed with Zechs Marquise and promptly found that trying not to think about something practically guaranteed that one would think about it. Feeling a small but disturbing sense of arousal, he closed his eyes and fell asleep out of sheer self-defense.
Duo headed up the stairs to the third floor, hoping Mouse wouldn't be too mad at the lateness of his visit. The landing again was deserted, all three room doors closed, but the mustiness was gone. There was a faint smell of lemon polish in the air. Crossing to Mouse's room, Duo knocked on the door, but there was no answer. /Maybe he's in one of the other rooms. Might as well take a look./ He opened the middle door that lead to the sitting room but it was empty so he moved on to the bedroom on the other side. Opening the door, he was startled to find a housemaid there, polishing the doors to the large wardrobe. She kept on with her polishing but looked over at him a bit startled herself, and he suddenly felt sheepish.
"Hi," he said, grinning at her. "Sorry, didn't know anyone was in here. I was looking for Mouse, have you seen him?"
The maid's eyes went a little wider and she shook her head shyly, looking back to the wardrobe. Duo decided to take pity on her, so he backed out of the room with a slightly embarassed laugh and closed the door. "Smooth, Maxwell," he murmured to himself, "nothing like scaring the hired help." He turned away from the door and almost tripped over Mouse, who was standing just behind him.
"Whoa, man! Careful, okay? I'm sorry I couldn't get here sooner."
Mouse looked at him reproachfully. "It doesn't matter to me. I didn't think you'd come anyway." As he passed by Duo with an air of injured pride, the American could see tear stains on his cheeks. He followed the boy to his door and leaned on the wall next to it.
"Hey, Mouse - what's going on? You upset about something?"
The boy paused for a moment, his hand on the doorknob. "It was just an argument. Nothing too important."
"Yeah?" Duo asked softly. "Who was it with?"
Another pause, longer this time. "My mom. She doesn't like me talking about... them. She gets very angry."
Duo nodded in sympathy. "So, is she angry right now?"
The boy ducked his head and nodded, a few tears slipping down his face to fall to the thick carpet below. Duo put an arm around him.
"How about we go in here and sit down and just talk for a bit? What do you say?"
That seemed to trigger something in Mouse and he looked up at Duo, quickly wiping his eyes. "Yes, I have something to tell you. Something I found out today." He was beckoning at Duo to come into the room with him. "It's what I told you I'd have. The proof."
Duo followed him in and sat down on the neatly made bed. "Proof? You mean with the dead people thing? Look, Mouse, I don't need-"
"No! You*do* need to hear it! Otherwise you'll never believe me." The boy paused, looking at Duo, his face drawn and serious. "I need you to believe me."
Duo nodded. There was something of the desperate about Mouse, and it spoke to a part of the braided American that was buried deep inside, locked away in his past. "Okay," he said. "I'm listening."
Mouse sat down slowly in the chair next to his desk and regarded the young man opposite him. "You grew up in a sort of orphanage, didn't you, and there was a priest there who looked after you."
Duo looked skeptical. "Yes. But look Mouse, if that's your proof, well... anyone could have found that out."
"That's not it. Let me finish." Mouse frowned at him and continued. "Once, right after you'd gotten there, you stole something. A medal." He glanced quickly at his notes that lay on the desk to his side. "A *Miraculous* medal. And the priest found it in your pillow case."
Duo had gone very quiet and still. He stared at the boy across from him, trying to determine how he'd done it. How had this kid, down here on Earth, found out about something he'd done years ago on a colony at L-2? Before he could say anything, Mouse started speaking again.
"He talked to you about it, just the two of you, and he told you he understood that you had stolen things to keep your friends alive. Then he told you that you didn't need to steal anymore."
"How do you know this?" Duo whispered.
"He told me."
Duo stared hard into the boy's eyes. "Mouse, this isn't funny anymore. Now I want you to tell me the truth."
"He told me!" Mouse was staring at the long-haired boy, his eyes pleading. "And he said that he gave it to you - the medal - but that you said you wanted someone else to have it."
Duo's face was pale. "Dear God... there's no way in hell you could know..."
"It was a statue of a little boy," Mouse continued with one more glance at the notes he'd taken. "In the back of the church - a children's shrine. He said you two put it on the statue together."
Duo's hands were shaking and he shook his head back and forth. "No, you can't possibly know that. No one else was there and I know he didn't tell anyone..."
"He said you wanted to do it because the statue looked like Solo."
It was a rare occurance, but it happened. Duo was at a complete loss for words. He stared at the boy for a long, long time and then walked to the room's one small window, staring out into the fading afternoon. After several minutes, he said softly, "You really talked to him didn't you?"
Mouse nodded slowly and Duo put his head in his hands. It felt strange but suddenly he had to say it. "Okay, man -" he said after a long pause. "I believe you."
/Are you sure you want to go through with this? Are you *really* sure? Because if you're not.../ "Oh, this is ridiculous!" the Princess of Sank said outloud. She looked into the mirror on her dressing table and gave the voice in her head a stern talking to. "Of *course* you want to do this! You've wanted Heero from the moment you saw him and now's probably the last chance you have to get him." She brought her hand down firmly on the table's surface. "This is *not* the time for hesitation, Relena! Did Heero hesitate when he had to save Earth? Did he hesitate when he crashed into Dekim Barton's bunker? Of course not, and *you* shouldn't either!"
She stopped when she realized that not only had she raised her voice to herself, but she was leaning forward, poking her reflection in the chest like some backstreet thug. Resting her elbows on the table, she let her head drop into her perfectly-manicured hands. "What have I come to?"
The knock at the door was a welcome distraction. It gave her an excuse for turning away from the face that had confronted her from the mirror. Relena stood up, crossing to the door and opening it to find Zechs standing outside.
"Zechs? I hadn't realized you we're back."
"May I come in?" His voice betrayed the tiredness he felt.
"Yes, of course," Relena murmured, standing back and waving him inside.
When they were both settled in the small armchairs by the hearth, Zechs cocked his head to the side and gave his sister an appraising look. "So, I assume that you've attended to everything you needed to do before you leave?"
She paused, a little uncomfortable for a reason she couldn't quite put her finger on. "Yes. The leader of the Senate is in charge pro-tem, and my diplomatic missions have been picked up by others in the Foreign Office." She picked nervously at her skirt, almost of afraid of her brother's questions.
"Then you're all set to go," Zechs nodded. "I'm a little surprised that you're not on your way to Algeria right now. Anything in particular keeping you here?"
The princess stared down at her hands and frowned, not quite knowing how to answer, how to tell her brother that the doubts she had about her ability to convince Heero to come back to her had been worsening all day. Then, of course, there was also the matter of Dorothy.
Zechs' eyes narrowed. He didn't like her silence. It betrayed a kind of anxiety that wasn't typical of her at all, and he'd learned in the last two years that if Relena wasn't acting like Relena, it generally meant trouble - for her or for someone else.
He leaned forward in his chair, taking her hands in his. "Are you still having second thoughts?"
She tried to affect a disinterested shrug. "Not second thoughts really, just ..." She grasped his hands a little tighter. They were large and strong and oddly comforting somehow. "I guess I'm wondering if I should even try."
Zechs waited for a moment before he spoke. "Relena, I did pick up some useful bits of knowledge from my years in the military and one of them was that any commander worth his salt gives some thought to negative outcomes when he plans his attack. In other words, you would be foolish if you *weren't* thinking about that." Relena looked skeptical, so he continued. "But a commander cannot become so concerned with the prospect of losing that he fails to engage in the battle at all."
Relena regarded him for several moments. This was her brother. This was Milliard, who had never really approved of the idea that she and Heero be together. It didn't make sense. "Why are you saying these things to me? I *know* you don't think Heero and I would be good for each other. Shouldn't you be encouraging me to change my mind?"
"No," came his quiet answer. "After a certain point, when you've committed so much to achieving something, doubts only act as poison. I did encourage your doubts about Heero before this, and I'm not at all sorry that I did."
Relena started to pull her hand away from him, but he held it fast. "But now, Relena, you've committed yourself to the point of possibly changing the power structure of our homeland, and I believe that the only way for you to move on from this is to go through with your plans."
"Zechs... do you hate me for what I'm doing?" Her expression was grave.
"No, Relena," Zechs said, his voice low. " I don't hate you. We're alike in so many ways, and I know that both of us take after our father." He slowly released her hands and rose, walking to the window to look out into the twilight. "I still believe there's a place in the world for people who are reckless and stubborn; people like us. We're the catalysts, you see? We're the ones who set things in motion. They may not always end up in the place we wanted them to be, but at some level, just the movement itself is important."
The Princess regarded her brother, the Prince, and realized for the first time how far he had come since the end of the war - how much more mature he sounded, how much broader his vision had become. He sounded every inch the responsible older brother. He sounded, she thought to herself, almost like a king.
Wu Fei was dreaming. It started out innocuously enough. He was wandering through a library, enjoying the sight of so much knowledge in one place, and the smell of very old leather. Off in some other part of the building he thought he heard familiar voices so he wandered over to see who was there. Treize was sitting in an overstuffed armchair, reading from a large, leatherbound book, a look of perfect contentment on his face. Wu Fei could only stand and stare at him - Treize - here again, as if nothing had happened two years ago, as if he hadn't died in the cold emptiness of space.
The Chinese boy felt a strange clash of emotions, intense joy and bitterness, tremendous sadness and relief. He walked towards his former lover, wanting nothing more than to hold him and never let go, but just as Treize was about to look up, Zechs came around one of the stacks. He stood at the back of Treize's chair, a hand on the man's shoulder, and Treize looked instead up at the tall blond. "Ah, Milliard - you're here at last." The look that passed between them was so loving and so passionate that Wu Fei felt as if his heart were being crushed under the weight of it.
"Treize," he managed to croak, his voice hoarse and sticking in his throat. But by that time Treize had stood and, as he and Zechs faced each other, the former Commander of OZ gave the beautiful old book he'd been holding to his childhood friend. It was very significant somehow, that passing of the book from one man to the other, and Wu Fei finally managed to shout out the tall nobleman's name. Treize turned and, with Zechs, looked over at Wu Fei. "Whatever are *you* doing here?" Treize said softly. "I thought you realized you weren't needed."
Breaking through sleep and the horrible scene it had brought him, Wu Fei sat up in the bed. "No!" he huffed out in a loud whisper. Realizing where he was, he laid back down and tried to calm his breathing. /Only a dream... it was only a dream.../ That was when he felt the touch. Warm and heavy, covering his chest just above his heart. It felt so real, so palbable, that he couldn't move for fear of it. After a moment or two it faded, and Wu Fei was left to lie on his former rival's bed, trembling and trying to make sense of what had just happened.
"So, you say you've seen this guy, who looks like a military officer, and he needs you to find these letters?" Duo was sitting on the floor next to Mouse. They were both behind Mouse's bed in the place he went when the dead came to him. At the moment, the boy seemed somewhat amazed that Duo had listened to everything and that he actually seemed to believe him.
"I've got to be able to talk to that lawyer," he said, his voice betraying a trace of desperation. "Will you help me?" Dark green eyes stared up into violet and Duo never had a chance.
"Oh... yeah of course. I'm not sure what I can do, but I'll try."
Mouse smiled and visibly relaxed. The his face turned serious again. "So... got any ideas on how to tell someone he's dead?"
There was a knock at the door of the bedroom and Wu Fei got up, almost relieved to be out of the bed. Opening the door, he saw Hadely standing in the hall. "Yes?" he said, feeling awkward suddenly and not knowing why.
"I hope I didn't disturb you sir. I just wanted to let you know that your room next door," and here the butler gestured down the hall to his right, "has been made ready for you. "Winston brought your belongings from the hotel and you'll find them in your room, along with a few other things to make you comfortable. Just let me or any of the other staff know if you're in need of anything else." He bowed and was just turning to go when Wu Fei stopped him.
"That tour -"
Hadley turned back. "Excuse me sir?"
"You said... you'd give me a tour of the house. Can you do it now?" It would be perfect. An excuse to get out of that room, out of that bed, and... this had been Treize's house. Enough of a reason right there.
"Ah - well." Hadley discreetly checked his watch. Just over an hour until before dinner drinks would be needed. "Certainly. It's an excellent time," he said, smiling pleasantly at the young man. "Shall we begin on this level?"
Zechs was standing near the foot of the stairs when Duo came down from the third floor. He and Mouse had talked for awhile about the problem of the lawyer and Duo was frankly amazed to find himself taking it all seriously. But he had to, now. Mouse's information was too good, too personal. There was simply no other explanation to Duo's mind. He stopped in the middle of the flight of stairs.
"You've been up there for quite some time," Zechs said, his voice low with a touch of firmness to it that made Duo's heart race. /Oh, yes! Bunny's in the mood for a little rough stuff.../
"Mouse and I had... a lot to talk about," he said casually. Then leaning on the stair rail he looked deep into Zechs' eyes and added deliberately, "You got a *problem* with that?"
A ghost of a smile landed fleetlingly on Zechs' lips before he advanced a step and growled softly, "Do I have to come up there and get you?"
Duo put one hand, palm down, on the wall of the stairway, the other on his hip. His eyes never wavered from Zechs'. "Yeah. You do."
Zechs began walking with exquisite slowness to the staircase. He expression was no less than a predatory stare at the boy just above him and his voice was raw silk as he came near. "You do remember, don't you, what happens to boys who cause trouble?"
Duo felt a delicious shiver run down his spine. /God he looks so good... like a golden panther stalking me./ "Yeah, I remember..." he said, trying disguise the excitement he felt. This little game they sometimes played could ruin his composure faster than just about anything. It was exhilarating. "You gonna tell me how naughty I've been?"
"I think," Zechs purred as he closed the remaining distance between them, "that by the time I'm finished with you we will be at a *complete* understanding." So saying, Zechs proceeded to scoop the braided boy off his feet and over his shoulder, carrying him down towards their room.
Duo put up a very theatrical protest. "Hey!! Let me go!! You wouldn't be able to show me *anything*! You can't do anything to *me* - no way, no how! Now let me go!!" He threw in some kicking feet and pounding fists against Zechs' back as they reached their bedroom door.
Just as Zechs was opening it, Wu Fei and Hadley appeared at the other end of the hall, having finished their tour of the second level, preparing to go down to the first. Hadley averted his eyes discreetly and kept walking towards the main staircase. Wu Fei was not that polite, staring at Duo in a strange combination of shock and embarassed fascination.
Duo, who at that moment had been telling Zechs just what he *wouldn't* be getting from Duo in bed, broke off suddenly, eyes widening at the sight of the unexpected audience. He quickly clapped a hand over his mouth and struggled bravely to ward off an attack of laughter that had struck him all at once. Then Zechs kicked the door shut and Wu Fei was left in the hallway, blinking in the direction that the two had gone.
Hadley's face appeared around the corner of the staircase. "Will you be coming down, Mr. Chang?" he said in his calm, authoritative voice, "or were you planning on joining them?" He looked up at the dark-haired boy and waited politely for an answer. It was never a good idea to try to second guess one's employers - or their guests.
End of Part 8
** Inspired by and dedicated to tzi-'neechan, Wufei no miko.
(:./kumiko/2road25)
