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"Not A Stranger"Written By: Dùlin Fic #4 In the Thirty Kisses Arc Archive: This arc is archived on this site with permission. Do not reproduce it anywhere without permission. Pairing : 1x4x1, 4+6, 1+6 Rating : PG Warnings : Canon-ness, post EW, angsty, sap. Spoilers
for the end of the series. Disclaimer : Those yummy boys belong to Sunrise and Bandai. Which are not me. The song is Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day. Which are definitely not me, and there’s not a day when I don’t regret it.
"Not A Stranger"
I walk this empty street “So that’s where you disappeared …” Zechs turned around, startled. He had stepped out to get a breath of fresh air, and somehow ended up there, in that little secluded corner of the gardens. And he had felt like staying a little longer. It was very nice of Relena to have organized that little gathering to celebrate his return from Mars with Noin, and he had to admit he had been glad to see Une, Sally, Mariemeia, and the other pilots again. It had not been nearly as awkward as he had imagined it. The young boys he remembered had grown into fine young men, his sister was a dashing young politician, … and it made him feel a bit old, he didn’t really know why. Quatre Winner gave him a smile and went to sit down by his side on the stone bench. “I don’t want to go back inside yet”, Zechs whispered. “Sorry if you were sent to find me, but…” “I wasn’t”, Quatre assured him. “I was just looking for you. I wanted to know if you were okay.” “Why wouldn’t I be ? Parties just aren’t my … thing, that’s all …” “I understand that”, Quatre said with a quiet laugh. When the taller blonde raised a quizzical eyebrow at him, he laughed openly. “You only have one sister, Zechs. I have twenty-nine, and they all wanted to celebrate when I got home in one piece.” Zechs laughed too. But it was a bit hollow. The truth was, he felt even more estranged from Relena now than he had before. They had missed so much of each other’s life that their present relationship was a bit strained. Zechs took a genuine interest in his sister’s projects and had told her he would back her up to the best of his abilities, but she didn’t have the reflex to come to him first when she had a problem, because she had never learnt to do that. He couldn’t blame her for that, of course. But now, all he could do was watch her from a distance and wish her the best. “Heero was happy to see you”, Quatre said softly. “I know it didn’t show much, but he truly did miss you, you know. I think you may well be one of the only person who always saw much more in him than he himself did.” “I never realized that Mr. Yuy was actually paying that much attention to me”, Zechs said with a little smile. “Oh, he is. You two have a lot in common, you know. I think you understand each other far better than anyone else.” There was a small silence. “Sometimes, I wish I could do that for him too. I wish I could be there for him like that. But there are times when I feel that I just can’t. You know what I mean ?” “You two are good for each other”, Zechs said. Quatre’s face lightened up. “I still don’t really understand how it happened. Just one day, I opened the door, and he was there. And he never left. There’s not a day when I don’t feel blessed and honored that he entrusted me with his heart.” Silence fell again. For a moment, Quatre seemed a bit hesitant, something that wasn’t often seen on the young tycoon’s face. Zechs smiled. “If you have something to say, just say it.” “It’s just … Heero made me realize that he and you were so much alike … but you and I are also.” Zechs frowned. “What do you mean ?” “I mean that when Heero found me, after I used Zero and almost killed Trowa and destroyed another colony, he knew that there was something I needed, more than anything else. And he gave it to me.” “What did you need ?”, Zechs asked. “To be forgiven.” Zechs stared at Quatre helplessly. The smaller blonde scooted closer, and took Zechs’ face in his hands, no longer small little hands, but strong capable hands. Two shades of blue met each other as they looked deep in each other’s eyes. “I can only imagine why you still blame yourself … although I have a pretty good idea of what must be plaguing your nightmares. I went through the exact same thing. But I was fortunate to be given a gift. A gift no one has ever given to you.” Quatre’s face came closer, and he kissed Zechs on the lips, very lightly. It only lasted a second, but it was probably the most sincere kiss Zechs had received in his entire life. “I forgive you, Zechs Merquise”, Quatre said in a whisper, and his breath tickled Zechs’ cheek. “And so do I”, a slightly nasal voice added. Zechs almost jumped out of his skin. He looked up to find Heero standing just behind Quatre, and not looking mad at all, like he would have expected a man who caught his lover kissing someone else would be. Quatre looked at Heero too, and got up from the bench, forcing Zechs to stand up too. For a short moment, Heero just gazed at the older man, then he took a step closer and also deposited a feather-like kiss on the stunned blonde’s lips. “Just take your time, we’ll tell everyone
that you’ll be right back”, Quatre said lightly, catching
Heero’s hand and beginning to tow him away. “And …
thank you”, he added before finally disappearing, followed by
his lover. ‘I forgive you, Zechs Merquise. Thank you.’ And he was not a stranger anymore. OWARI |
