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"Caught Between Two Worlds"Written By: Honor Disclaimers: Never say die! Never surrender! Pairings: 4x5, 1x3 established Spoilers: Nope! Warnings: AU, paranormal elements, yaoi, romance,
my weird and twisted humor, language, brief violence Rating: I’m thinking…NC-15 Betas: Velvet and Caitilin Archived: Gundam Wing Diaries and http://honordemandoren.livejournal.com/ Author’s Insane and often Incomprehensible
Rambling: Once again, I can blame this plot bunny on someone! I love
being able to do that. It means nothing is my fault. Emily quite nicely
asked for a story for her birthday. (Hi Emily! Sorry it’s late.)
So here it is. Em, I *still* think you bribed Quatre somehow. And
your story about Milo inspired the plot for this, so the whole thing
really can be blamed on you. *grin* ::ghost talking:: *emphasized* <phone conversation>
" Caught Between Two Worlds" Chapter Four The most eloquent silence; that of two mouths meeting
in a kiss.
My sister Iria came out and watched me pace for a minute, an amused female smirk growing on her face. “Okay, give.” …I guess it is a little obvious, isn’t it? I sighed, still keeping one eye on the street as I answered. “His name is Wufei.” “Uh-huh.” She was outright grinning now. “More info, please.” “He’s hot enough to set a room on fire, knows that I’m a Sensitive and doesn’t really care. He can also kiss like Cary Grant and for some reason thinks I’m the best thing since buttered bread.” It was hard to glower at her, because at this point she was downright snickering. “Is that enough info?” Iria had a hand pressed to her stomach as she tried not to laugh in my face. “Oh my. That was quite the description. When did you two meet?” When had that been…hm. “Wednesday.” “And when did you two get together?” “This morning,” I admitted a little sheepishly. I just know what’s going to be discussed next. Iria stared at me suspiciously. “I thought you were sleeping over at Heero’s.” “I was. Heero, the sneaky rat, invited Wufei over.” Her suspicious stare melted back into an amused smirk. “Ah. I see. Heero’s playing matchmaker, is he?” “I think it was actually Trowa’s doing,” I admitted. “Heero just probably went along with it.” “Hm. You’re probably right. Trowa likes to meddle sometimes. Tell me, is Wufei a Chinese hunk that drives a Miata?” I snapped around to see my boyfriend pull up in the driveway. Yes! I sprinted down the walkway and tackled him before he could really move away from his car. He caught me readily, planting a very enthusiastic and long kiss on me before I could say anything. Not that I’m complaining, mind you. “Hi,” he greeted with a slight smile. He looks soooo sexy when he does that. “Hi. What took you so long?” “I was ambushed,” he admitted with a slight roll of the eyes. “Meiran was demanding details. And who is this?” I shifted in his arms to look over my shoulder. Ah. I should have guessed that Iria would want a formal introduction. “This is my oldest sister, Iria. Iria, Chang Wufei.” Wufei let go of me enough to give her a slight bow. “A pleasure to meet you.” Iria blinked at the gesture. It took her a second to snap out of it and reply. “And you, Wufei. Would you care to come in?” I stomped on that before Wufei could respond. “We,” I told her firmly, “are going out for the day.” If she managed to get us inside, it would be *hours* before we could escape and I didn’t intend for that to happen. “I see.” She was back to being femininely amused. Darn her. “Bye, sis.” “Leave your cell phone on,” she responded with an unspoken ‘or there will be consequences’ hovering in her voice. “Of course, sis.” Oh my cell phone was on, alright. It was also on my dresser upstairs. I quickly ran around and climbed into the passenger seat, trying to hide my smile. I’m so bad. Really. And I was so going to get it later when she did call, only to hear it ringing upstairs. Wufei put the car in reverse and in a burst of speed took off down the road. The top on the Miata was down, and I lifted my face to the warmth of the sun and the wind whipping past my skin. I love little sports cars like this. “So where are we going?” “I feel like doing something outside. How about you?” I’d been cooped up in buildings all week, it seemed. “That sounds perfect to me. It’s nearly noon, do you want to grab some lunch first?” “Sure. Isn’t there an outdoor café down the road?” “Sweet Aroma Café,” I acknowledged. “They make the best smoothies there.” “Okay. Let’s go there.” I twisted in my seat a little so I could just look at him. “Wufei?” His eyes darted to mine before settling back on the road. “Yes?” I just had to ask. Curiosity killed the cat, and all that. “When did you decide to go out with me? I mean, the first time we met you were very grumpy.” “I’m not a morning person,” he responded with a wry smile. “Neither am I. Now answer the question.” “Playing that stupid game of Risk during History did it.” He gave me another quick glance, eyes warm and amused. “It was challenging trying to keep up with you—and it was amusing to see you being so polite to everyone when it was obvious you only wanted to crawl into a corner somewhere and sleep another ten hours.” With a bit of mischief he drawled, “The fact you’re hot didn’t hurt.” Well I had my answer. I wasn’t really sure on how to respond to it, however. Maybe it would be safer to ask another question. “How did you know to ask Trowa about me?” “I didn’t. Actually, I saw you talk with Heero. It was him that I approached—Trowa was just the one that answered my questions.” “Sounds about right.” I rolled my eyes at this. “Heero would let Trowa do all of the talking for him, if he could. I’ve never met a more naturally quiet person.” Another thought struck, and escaped out of my mouth before I had a chance to evaluate whether it was wise to actually open that can of worms or not. “You said earlier that you came *out* last year. I’m surprised that I hadn’t heard of you before this week, all things considered.” “So am I. I thought everyone in the school knew.” Of course, I wasn’t much on gossip, but still… Hesitantly I ventured, “Why did you decide to come *out*? I mean, most guys try to wait until after high school, for some fairly obvious reasons.” “Ah. Well.” There was a slightly pink tinge to his cheeks. “Truth is, I have a terrible habit of blurting things out when I’m mad. When Wilkinson started his usually bullying with me, things sort of slipped out…and then I thought, what the hell. I’m not hiding what I am for the sake of bastards like that. What about you?” “I’m a forgone conclusion,” I sighed with a slight grimace. “Everyone kind of figured out that they never saw me date any girls, and I don’t look masculine enough for them, so they jumped to conclusions. The conclusion just happened to be right, this time.” Wufei snorted at this, and a hard edge came and went over his face. “The next time that someone tells you that you’re not ‘masculine enough’, point them out to me. My katana and I would like to have a word with them.” Ain’t he just a sweetheart? We arrived at the café at that point. It was nothing fancy, but it had the best sandwiches on the planet and like I said before, their smoothies were excellent. I went with my favorite of roast beef with chips, and a Heavenly Tropics smoothie. Wufei ordered a turkey wrap with chips…and a Heavenly Tropics smoothie with a little bit of coaxing from me. We’d chosen one of the little round tables out front instead of going inside, and of course I sat right next to Wufei, doing my level best to not make out in a public place and limiting all touching reflexes to affectionate/innocent. Well, mostly. “Quatre?!” I used to think that Murphy was my guardian angel, but I don’t think that anymore. Nope. He’s my pimp, hat very much included. I groaned and turned to see Duo staring at me, the very beginnings of a smile lighting up his face. “Hello Duo.” I didn’t bother to fight the inevitable—Duo would, in fact, be joining my boyfriend and I for lunch. “I do *not* believe it!” He bounced forward, cheerfully hugged me then plopped in a chair close by. See? I told you it was inevitable. “My little Cat is out on a date and all grown up. I’m so proud.” He knuckled an imaginary tear out of the corner of his eye. With a sigh I did the introductions. “Wufei, Duo Maxwell. There are moments when I consider him a best friend, although if he doesn’t leave soon I might rescind that. Duo, Chang Wufei. My boyfriend.” I gave a glare that said ‘go away or you’re dog meat’. Duo beamed at Wufei. “Hi. So when did this happen?” Wufei didn’t even bat an eye. “This morning.” “Wow. Go, Q. Last time I talked to you, you were still lamenting over his great ass.” That’s it. He’s dead. I’ll figure out where to stash the body later. I very carefully did not look at Wufei as I leaned forward, fixing Duo with my most menacing glare. “If you want to survive until tomorrow morning, you’re going to go away Duo,” I growled at him. “Aw come on, Q. I want details!” “You’re going to get a pair of raccoon eyes if you don’t go away Deuteronomy Maxwell!” Duo winced. “Ooh. I’m in trouble if we’re on the full name basis, Quatre Raberba Winner. Okay, well, I know when I’m not wanted. I’ll catch you guys later, and I’m serious about the details, okay?” “Over your dead body,” I growled at him. Duo wasn’t disturbed by this, just winked and took off again in a cheerful sprint. I can catch him later when he doesn’t suspect it, then whap him over the head with something—um. My skin was tingling where Wufei had kissed me softly on the side of the neck. That felt…really nice, actually. I blinked up at him. Well, he didn’t look upset about Duo’s intrusion…this is a good thing. My irritation at my best friend dropped as I turned and pressed a soft kiss against Wufei’s mouth. It’s just hard being upset about anything while kissing Wufei. Mmm. He’s sooo kissable. The waitress cleared her throat slightly as she put our food down in front of us. She looked highly amused, but was thankfully professional enough to not comment. “Need anything else?” A dark corner somewhere so I can make out with my boyfriend without interruptions? “We’re fine,” Wufei assured her quietly. “Just call if you need something.” She cast us another smile before making her way back inside. Conversation kind of stalled while we ate. After all, neither of us had eaten breakfast…and well, we *are* teenage boys. Food is a vital part of life and all that. “Quatre, would you like to meet Meiran? She’s the cousin that I mentioned earlier—the one who is Sensitive.” My head snapped up and around. I’ve never in my life met someone else like me. “Really? I mean, is that alright? I’ve never gotten to talk with another Sensitive before.” “It’s more than alright.” There was a sardonic edge to his voice I couldn’t explain. “Meiran pretty much threatened me with archaic torture if she didn’t get to meet you. Being my boyfriend is only part of that—she rarely meets another Sensitive as well. I told her I’d introduce you two later this evening. Is that okay?” “Sounds perfect to me.” + “*Chang* *Wufei*!” I blinked at the outraged female yell that echoed down the staircase. I’d barely entered Wufei’s house (a very nice two-story with polished hardwood floors and elegant Chinese styled furniture) before that expression of outrage and frustration had filled the air. Next to me, Wufei winced. “Brace yourself, Quatre.” I didn’t understand what he meant, but nodded anyway. Two seconds later a short and rather pretty Chinese girl flew down the stairs. “You are in sooo much trouble!” Wufei sighed heavily, a ‘why me?’ kind of sigh. “Meiran, calm down a moment and let me do proper introductions.” This was Meiran?! She abruptly skidded to a stop, seeming to realize that I was there. Oddly enough, she didn’t seem embarrassed. It was more like she flipped a mental switch. She gave me a quick scrutiny, and then the light went on. “Oh! Don’t tell me—you’re Quatre? Quatre Winner?” How in hell did she know me? “Yes.” “I’m Long Meiran. Wow.” A wide smile split her face, and her eyes crinkled slightly at the corners. “Wufei said a little about you—he didn’t mention how cute you are! Here, come upstairs. I have a *ton* of questions I want to ask you.” Guys are not *cute* curse it. I had a lot of questions I wanted to ask her too, though. And she seemed friendly enough, just very…blunt? That wasn’t quite the word for it. There was something about Meiran that demanded your attention. Wufei grabbed my hand and led me upstairs. We didn’t go to anyone’s bedroom as I had assumed we would, but to something like an upstairs den. It was huge—twenty feet by fifteen feet, would be my guess. There were two computers on opposite desks, a TV with a few beanbags in front of it, and a lot of bookshelves. I could barely see the walls for the bookshelves. The one exception to that was a section of a wall that held a rack of swords—katanas of all lengths. Meiran glanced back at me, answering me as if I had asked a question. “Wufei’s actually the bookworm. These are all his. Only half the swords are his.” Oh yeah…he had mentioned something about a katana earlier. I’d been a little preoccupied by the possessive and protective growl in his voice to actually pay a lot of attention to it. “So if only half are his…then are the other half yours?” For some reason the question pleased her immensely. “That’s right.” “Cool. I’d love to see you two spar at some point.” And I was so having a camera handy when that did happen. Wufei was definitely fighting without a shirt on, too. “Come get comfortable,” Meiran invited with a casual gesture towards the bean bags. Wufei actually took the choice out of my hands, sitting down and pulling me down into his lap. I squirmed a little, getting comfortable before relaxing against him completely. I love being held like this. When Wufei holds you, you feel absolutely safe. Meiran barely let me get settled before she launched into her first question. “How long have you been a Sensitive?” “There’s never been a time when I couldn’t see them,” I admitted. “When I was really young, I couldn’t tell the difference between a ghost and a live person sometimes.” “It was the same way with me,” Meiran admitted thoughtfully. “Has there been any history of this kind of ability in your family?” I shook my head, a little sadly. “I’m the first.” “Oh. That sucks. It must have taken a while to convince everyone that you weren’t just telling tall tales.” Who said I had everyone convinced? Even now most of my family doesn’t believe me. “Yeah. I understand most of your family can at least sense ghosts, though. You probably didn’t have to do anything to convince them.” “Not really,” Meiran admitted. “Everyone in my family can sense *something*…except Wufei.” My boyfriend stirred behind me, in the same manner that an irritable tiger might while being poked at with a stick. I turned a little hesitantly so I could see his face, not that it helped. He was completely neutral. “Does it bother you?” I whispered. “That you can’t sense something she and I can?” For a moment, I thought he wouldn’t answer me. Then he seemed to release something with a long breath before admitting quietly, “A little.” “He makes up for it in other ways,” Meiran observed. I think she was trying to soothe her cousin’s discontent away. “Wufei is the scholar in the family—there’s very little about the paranormal world that he doesn’t know about. We don’t bother looking anything up anymore, we just call Wufei.” Got it. Whenever I run across something that makes no sense, I’m calling up my boyfriend. We spent another two or three hours up there talking, sharing experiences and the like. I had rarely enjoyed myself more. At seven, however, my sister had somehow managed to track me down (I really *was* going to get an earful about leaving my cell phone at home) and Wufei took me home again. I could forgive Murphy for lousy week days, if I could have weekends like this in exchange. ~*~*~*~
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