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"All Through The Night "Written By: Honor Disclaimer: They aren’t mine. The boys are
actually quite grateful for this. Rating: NC 17 Warnings: Shonen-ai, language, wacky humor, emotional
angst, romance, yaoi, and I’m acting like the war lasts two years
and Eternal Waltz didn’t happen Spoilers: Er…yeah, maybe. It would help if
you watch the series first. Pairings: 2x5, 3x4 established Summary: Sequel to Persistence ~dream/ thought~ /thought/ *emphasized* " All Through The Night " Chapter 1 Both silence and words are the gifts of friends.
Bright light, an explosion of metal in every direction. It took over the viewscreen in Nataku, blinding him to anything else. He couldn’t take his eyes from the screen. ~don’t do it!~ Metal that used to be a colony. Home. Family. ~DON’T LEAVE ME ALONE!~ “NO!!!” His own voice woke him and he spasmed awake, chest heaving and cold sweat lingering on his skin. “Shit!” He knew that voice. Not his own…a team mate. It barely registered, truthfully. He was too wracked with remembered visions of that moment, with pain that refused to heal or fade. Two months since his home was lost to him—two months, and still there was no sign of peace or softening in the bright pain that flared up in his chest. Something dipped the mattress next to him, and Wufei blindly lifted his head to see what or who. He barely managed it before strong arms enfolded around his back, pulling him into a comforting embrace. Duo… “Shh. Wake up, I’m here buddy. It’s just a bad dream.” Duo…no. He couldn’t let Duo see him like this. He couldn’t let anyone see him like this, but especially not Duo. He was stronger than this. He wouldn’t be thought of as a... Weakly he began to struggle, mind not entirely cooperating with his body. His traitorous body didn’t want to move out of the safe haven that Duo’s arms offered him. “It’s alright,” Duo breathed soothingly against his hair. “Shh. You’re safe, Wu. You’re safe.” Two new shadows passed in front of his bedroom door. “Oh Allah, not again!” A patter of footsteps, then another weight on the bed. Wufei barely registered another person’s arms folding around his back. Quatre…the Arabian always felt it when he had a nightmare. He felt it when anyone had a nightmare. Considering how often that happened, Wufei had sometimes wondered how he got enough sleep. Blinking open red eyes he saw out of his peripheral vision that Trowa was hovering just over the side of the bed, staring at him in worry. Team mates… “Wufei,” Quatre whispered pleadingly, “will you *please* tell us what’s going on?!” Their concern broke his control as no amount of cold and brutal interrogation could. Closing his eyes again he fought against a hitching sob that tried to lodge in his throat. “Gone…” “What’s gone?” Duo prodded softly. “Everyone. My clan, my home—gone. I watched it explode.” There was a chorus of sharp gasps. “Oh *shit*!” Duo’s embrace tightened, and Quatre’s. “Hell, Wufei, why didn’t you say something?! We wouldn’t have let you suffer through this alone if we had known!” “Wufei, I’m so sorry—” Quatre breathed into his shoulder, hugging him tightly. “I’m so sorry.” A tear slipped past his guard as he relaxed into their arms, comforted despite his resolve to not be comforted. He couldn’t be cold and arrogant and ruthless anymore. It took too much strength and energy, both of which he simply did not have. His clan had taught him to be strong—but they had not taught him how to move past grief. They had not taught him what he should do when even they could not live with their mistakes. Two more tears fell, and it heralded his loss of control. Shuddering, gasping for breath, he started crying in earnest. Two months he had not allowed himself to grieve—but the dam was broken now, and he could not deny himself any longer. And through it all, they held him close and whispered that it was alright to weep, and grieve, and acknowledge what was lost. + There was light in the room when he woke up. Blinking open sore eyes he took a moment to check his surroundings. The warmth at his back was gone. Quatre must have woken up already. Duo was still holding him, however, a warm and very reassuringly solid presence. He didn’t detect anyone else’s breathing in the room—apparently Trowa was gone as well. He wasn’t sure if he was grateful for this or not, since it meant he would only have to deal with Duo right at that moment.
Wufei took a moment to regret the comfort he was about to lose then stirred and lifted himself out of Duo’s embrace. “Yes. I—” swallowing, he tried to moisten his dry mouth “—I apologize for falling apart last night,” and for clinging to you like a broken child. Duo growled irritably, sitting up as well. “I should have known you would see it like that! Aw hell, ‘Fei, how do you think I reacted when I lost my home and family to the Alliance?” …actually, he had never really considered that. “But you were a child, it is understandable if you wept.” “What on earth has age got to do with anything?” Duo demanded with an expressive roll of the eyes. “I would have reacted the exact same way if I had been eighty instead of eight.” Wufei wondered if Duo ever really appreciated how he had been raised and taught. The American’s ability to express what he felt, to understand and embrace emotion was so valuable. Duo could change, and evolve, and grow—Wufei was so bound by the teachings of the past that he couldn’t do much more than rage against the inevitable. Duo’s eyes narrowed. “Okay, its obvious to me that whoever taught you all about that ‘strength’ crap has seriously screwed you up. Let me straighten something out, ‘Fei: none of us, individually, could handle the loss you’re trying to deal with. Ain’t no freakin’ way. We are a team, but more than that we’re a *family*. Outside of the Maguanacs, we are the only people we can count on and you are damn well going to *start* counting on us or I’m going to ream you!” Family? Wufei blinked slowly as he thought this through.
Is that how family was supposed to act? Supportive instead of bound
by duty and tasks that had to be accomplished? He turned the idea
over in his mind. Did family include Quatre burning breakfast Was being comforted after having a serious nightmare part of being in a family? “Earth to Wufei…Earth to Wufei…am I getting through? Hello? Testing, testing, one, two, three…” Abruptly he decided something—there was absolutely nothing to lose by learning on how to be a part of this unique ‘family’. Anger at what he had lost wasn’t helping him, in fact it was only hurting him. What he had been taught was wrong—even his clan had not been able to live well in such rigid standards. He needed to break away from the traditional behavior of his forefathers and forge his own pattern. “Duo.” Duo nearly fell over in shock when Wufei actually used his *first* name. “Y-yeah?” “Sally Po would be miffed if you didn’t include her as well.” What was it, that slight ease of tension in Wufei’s shoulders and posture? Duo had no idea, but it only spelled good things to his mind. Slowly he smiled. “Ah, so you *do* know how to say her name.” Wufei gave him a dry look. “I am capable of many things I don’t choose to do.” “Yeah, but you always called her ‘woman’, so I had to wonder.” With that same dry _expression Wufei mimicked perfectly “But I can’t say Sylvester, George.” Duo’s eyes flared wide, then he did fall over, laughing so hard he could barely breathe. “Don’t tell me you watch cartoons!” “Only at one in the morning when there is nothing else on,” Wufei admitted, absurdly pleased that he managed to get Duo in stitches. He had known that the cartoon he quoted was a favorite of Duo’s, he’d seen the boy watching it often enough, so it was a safe bet that he would recognize the line. Still, it was a delight to see the jokester of the lot laughing at a joke *he* had made. The door creaked open and a blond head popped through. “Ah, you are up! How is everything this morning?” Wufei translated this as ‘are you okay’? Turning a little he nodded in thanks to the Arabian. “I am fine.” Quatre absorbed this with a dubious smile. “My kind of fine or your kind of fine?” “Better than fine!” Duo protested, finally getting control of himself. A chuckle or two still escaped, but he managed to keep his face mostly straight. “Quatre, are you ready for this? Wufei has a sense of humor!” Quatre’s brows shot up. “Really?” Wufei rolled his eyes. “Is breakfast cooking or do I need to start it?” “Yeah, really! It’s really dry, but it’s really funny too. We need to hang out with him more often.” “Duo.” Wufei blew out an exasperated breath. “I am not going to be your entertainer.” “Yeah you are!” “No, I am not.” “Yeah you are!” Duo caroled. Wufei contemplated tying Duo’s braid to the bedpost. Would he be able to manage it before the other pilot wriggled free? …probably not. Darnit. Quatre cleared his throat—it sounded suspiciously like a laugh—and finally answered Wufei’s question. “Yes, Trowa’s cooking breakfast.” Duo’s eyes lit up. “No way. How’d you manage to get him in the kitchen?” Trowa was an amazing cook, but a lazy one. He only cooked if had to. “Lots of sexual favors, and I will not be concerned at all if you two don’t show up in time and I have to eat your share too.” With a last wave, Quatre disappeared.
Wufei sighed, and shook his head a little bemusedly. Odd, the usual heaviness in his chest was lighter, somehow. Maybe Duo had a point with this whole ‘family’ thing after all. Five minutes later, after a much needed shower, he headed
downstairs. The other three, in various states of half-dress, were
sitting around the table and devouring the omelets Trowa had made
down whole. Wufei was rather glad Heero was on a mission at that moment,
otherwise he probably wouldn’t have gotten breakfast. Sitting
down, he quickly grabbed the remaining two Everyone finished before he did, of course. While Duo and Quatre raced upstairs, fighting on who would get into the shower first (Wufei was laying silent bets on Quatre, the blond could be downright devious when he wanted to be) Trowa started to put everything away. “Wufei?” Looking up from his plate, he was a little disconcerted to see that Trowa was studying him with somber intensity. “Yes?” “Are you alright?” Wufei let out a pent up breath. “…no. But I will be.”
Footnote: For those of you who don’t recognize this obscure quote from cartoon land, I will attempt to explain. There is a black cat named Sylvester, and another dufus cartoon character that follows him around, always calling him George. Every time Sylvester is called George he says something like, “My name is not George, it’s Sylvester.” And the response is “But I can’t say Sylvester, George.” To which Sylvester responds, “Fine, then call me George.” Obscure, I know. My brothers and I quote it to each other all the time, though.
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