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"The Art of Being Selfish"Written By: Gypsie 1201 Pairings: 6x2, hints of 4+2 (unrequited) Warnings: ANGST (this is gonna be bad everyone,
sorry) Rating: PG Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or any of
its characters, nor will I make any money from the creation of this
story. Feedback: All is welcome and very much appreciated. Written for Shevaleon’s request: “GW, 6x2, "Break this bittersweet spell on me" Summary: Best friends are always there for each other, no matter what the consequences.
"The Art of Being Selfish " The scenery passed the window in a green blur but it might as well have been the middle of the night for all Duo Maxwell knew or cared. The train would take him home and beyond that point, nothing else mattered; nothing but the ache and feeling of emptiness that clung to his chest like a dead weight. Beside him, his best friend, Quatre Winner, watched him carefully, seeing him sigh every few minutes and reach up to rub across his eyes in frustration. The blonde man knew he was fighting tears that he simply would not and could not allow to fall and his heart broke every time he saw it. When Duo had moved into the city to attend college three years prior, the young man had been beyond happy. The chance to get away from the small town the two had grown up in and leave his family behind, carried excitement that had brought a huge smile to his gamine face. And even though his own heart had twisted at the thought of losing his friend, Quatre simply could not hold his happiness against him. But he need not have worried. Duo made sure to keep in touch with him, calling on a regular basis not to mention the time spent on instant messenger every night. And of course, since the school was only a few hours away, he managed to come home to visit every other month or so, allowing the childhood friends to keep from drifting too far apart. Or at least it did up until the violet-eyed man met Zechs Marquise. Zechs was a late entry to the college, having attended a school in Europe for most of his life and the aristocratic air he possessed was more than enough to draw most of the student body to him, Duo included. The fact that Marquise had chosen Duo over those who were practically throwing themselves as his feet had not come as a surprise to Quatre. He knew just how beautiful, both inside and out, his best friend truly was. But no matter how much he tried, he simply could not be happy for him this time. Just the thought of the two of them together was enough to cause his heart to stutter painfully in his chest and because of this, he found it impossible to keep the bitterness from his voice during the increasingly fewer times he actually spoke with Duo on the phone. Duo being Duo though never called him on it and he simply could not say anything himself. Before he knew it, the gulf between them had grown until it seemed impossible to cross. Then came the phone call only a few, short days ago. It was midnight and Quatre had just turned off the television with the intention of heading to bed. Before he could go very far though, the phone beside the bed had jingled and a quick look showed the called id as unknown. For one moment, the blonde man had thought to let it ring, thinking it was quite possibly some sales man with no sense of proper time. A sick feeling in the pit of his stomach though had him reaching across the bed to grab the phone before the answering machine had a change to pick up. “Hello?” he asked, allowing just a hint of annoyance creep into his voice just in case. “Quatre?” Duo’s softly spoken voice answered him back after only a moment’s pause and it was the sound of that voice, sounding so close to tears, that had the blonde man sitting up straight in the bed. “Duo?” he asked back. “Yes. Um… I didn’t wake you, did I?” “No, of course not. I was just watching TV.” “Oh, okay.” the violet-eyed man said, his voice trailing off and going quiet for such a long moment that Quatre had thought he had hung up. “Duo?” he called. “Yeah, I’m here.” came the tired sounding reassurance and Quatre knew then and there that he would be on the next train to the city just as soon as he hung up the phone. “What’s wrong, Duo?” he asked as he swung his legs off the bed. “I… I’m not…” the braided man stammered before falling quiet once again. “Duo?” “It’s Zechs.” Duo’s tear-chocked voice said and at the sound of the other man’s name, Quatre felt himself stiffen in anger and jealousy. But he quickly pushed the unwanted feeling away as his best friend’s voice continued on the other side of line. “He… he said he was going back to Vienna. He’s transferring to a university over there to finish his degree. I… I thought he…” Duo finally broke down on the phone and Quatre could literally feel his own heart break as he listened to the soft sobs coming from his friend. “I’m so sorry, Duo.” he breathed and inside he knew it was the truth. “I… I know you don’t… don’t like him and I don’t know why… but I love him, Quat.” Duo said, causing the blonde man to cringe in shame as he hung his head. He knew he had let his friend down by his inability to accept his relationship with the tall blonde and he had to wonder if he could ever make it up to him. He would give it a try though. “I know, Duo, I know you do. Did he tell you why?” “His family, they want him to go. It was always the plan from the time he came to the states, that he would return to finish. But I just didn’t think…” Duo trailed off with a soft sigh. His tears had finally calmed, for which Quatre was grateful. For several long moments, the two friends were quiet, each settled in their own thoughts. Then, just barely more than a whisper, Duo voice said, “He asked me to go with him.” Quatre could literally feel his world come to a crashing halt. ‘Break this bittersweet spell on me.’ he thought and had to stop himself from dropping the phone in shock. While his and Duo’s friendship had become strained over the past year, just the fact that the longhaired man was only a few hours’ drive away had kept him from feeling as if he had lost him completely. This though was something entirely different. “Wha… what was your answer?” he asked although in his heart, he was not sure if he wanted to know. “I can’t, Quat, you know that.” Duo answered with another sigh, this one filled with frustration and anguish. “I lose my scholarship if I leave here and there’s no way I could afford school without it.” In his heart, the blonde man could feel himself slipping away as he realized what he needed to do. Swallowing sharply, he cleared his throat before beginning, “Duo, I could--“ “No, Quatre.” Duo said firmly and this time the frustration won out on the anguish. “Zechs offered the same thing, but I won’t take a handout, you know that. Not even for this.” “So what…” Quatre asked, once again stopping to clear his throat as it closed up on him. Only this time with relief at knowing Duo would not be leaving him and the guilt that relief caused as it swept through him. “what do you need me to do?” “Could you… could you come out here?” the braided young man asked in a small voice. “I know it’s a lot to ask and all--“ “It’s not, Duo.” Quatre stated with a firm shake of his head. “If you need me there then that’s what I’ll do.” “Thanks, Quat. You have no idea how much that means to me.” “It’s what best friends do.” the blonde man said softly. “When do you need me?” “Zechs’ plane leaves at nine in the morning.” “Then I’ll be there by six.” “Quatre--“ “Don’t, Duo.” the blue-eyed man said. “I want to be there for you.” There was an audible swallow on the other end of the line before Duo’s cracked voice said, “Thanks.” “Don’t mention it.” he reassured him. “Now, you should get some sleep and so should I. I’ll see you in the morning.” “Yeah, morning.” “Goodnight, Duo.” “Night, Quat.” After hanging up the phone, the blonde man had immediately made the arrangements he needed to be gone for a few days before packing a light bag. But no matter how much he tried to sleep afterwards, he simply could not and ended up spending the night tossing and turning before finally giving up and climbing from the disheveled bed in the early hours of the morning. With the effects of his restless night praying on him, he managed to eat a small breakfast before hitting the road early enough to put him in the city well before time to meet Duo. All during the drive, the blue-eyed man could not help but wonder about what would happen once he arrived. The tension between him and Zechs had been pretty intense the last time they had been in the same room together and he knew that that was the last thing Duo needed right then. So, with a silent vow to himself, he prepared to do everything in his power to not make this any harder for his friend than it had to be. Luckily, he need not have worried. When he arrived at Duo and Zechs’ apartment, he quickly found himself relegated to third-wheel status as he watched them saying their goodbyes. Zechs had been trying his best to keep Duo from going to the airport with him, saying it would be better and easier for the longhaired man to let it go at the apartment. Duo though was being extremely stubborn on the subject and eventually the platinum-haired man relented, earning him a watery smile from his lover before the man excused himself to go to the bathroom to clean up a bit. As soon as he was out of the room, Zechs rounded on Quatre for the first time since the man had arrived, giving him a hard look. “I will be back.” he said with finality in his voice. “In a year maybe two, but I could never ask him to wait for me.” Quatre found himself staring wide-eyed at the other man as his mind tried furiously to come up with an excuse for the man’s words. Zechs though was not through as he gave his head a small shake before continuing in a soft voice, “I’m not blind like Duo when it comes to you. I know about your feeling for him and I won’t tell you to stay away from him. I just want you to know that this isn’t over between him and I, not unless he says it is.” Before Quatre could say anything in return, Duo returned from the bathroom; his face freshly scrubbed and ready for the drive to the airport, leaving Quatre feeling both relief and regret at not being able to refute what was said to him. From that point, things moved quickly. The cab that Zechs had called arrived and together the three men carried his bags down and loaded them in the car. Then climbing inside, they rode to the airport in silence. Once there, Duo and Zechs once again said their goodbyes, each promising to keep in touch until the man returned. Then, he was gone and Quatre was left to help his best friend back to his apartment. That had been three days ago and it had taken that long for Quatre to convince Duo that a long weekend at home with his family was what he needed to help him deal with losing his lover. But as he watched Duo reach up and swipe a hand across his eyes yet again, he could not help but wonder if it was true. And he also wondered what would happen in a year or two when the tall blonde returned as he had promised. With a shake of his head, he turned his attention toward the front of the train. He would just have to wait and see. END
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