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"Agglomeration"Written By: The Plotting Housewife Disclaimer: Gundam Wing belongs to Bandai, Sotsu
and associated Parties. This work is written for pleasure not profit. Rating: R Warnings: Romance, Fluff, Humor Pairings: 3x4 Summary: Quatre experiences his very first Autumn. "First Equinox " “Trowa, are you going to tell me where you’re taking me?” “Nope.” “Why not? This blindfold is itchy.” “Oh, relax. We’ll be there very soon.” “Where’s “there”?” There was a pause and Quatre’s ears picked up his boyfriend’s heavy sigh. “Haven’t you ever heard of a surprise?” Quatre clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and shook his head. “I hate surprises. Nothing good ever comes from them. It’s always some problem with the resource satellites, or an issue with the workers’ union, or a lawsuit…” “Well, I promise you this is a good one.” “Can’t you give me a hint?” “Nope.” Quatre huffed and tipped his head back onto the headrest of the transport’s copilot seat. He reached out cautiously with his empathy, brushing against the other man’s mind as gently as he could, trying not to give himself away. If he could just find a teeny tiny - “And stop that! You’re not going to cheat and pick my brain.” “Damn it.” He pulled back and stuck a finger beneath his blindfold to scratch an itchy spot next to his left eye. “Is the blindfold really necessary?” “Don’t you trust me? Why do you have to be so difficult?” “I’m not! And of course I trust you. I just - oh, never mind. Fine. I’ll be good.” “Thank you.” “You’d just better have a damned good reason for abducting me in the middle of a very important business meeting.” “Your meeting can wait.” Quatre rolled his eyes beneath the blindfold and absently picked at the vinyl padding that covered the seat’s arms. “And quit sulking.” “I’m not sulking! I’m - ugh…fine.” Quatre wasn’t exaggerating when he’d said he was abducted from his meeting. That was exactly what Trowa did. He figured his lover was probably missing their war days and needed a little excitement in his life because he’d gone about the whole thing rather dramatically. “Don’t you think throwing sleeping gas through the window was a little…oh, I don’t know. Over the top?” Trowa didn’t answer. Quatre turned his head to face the other man even though he couldn’t see him and smirked. “If you’re bored, you could have just said something.” “I’m not bored.” “Then why did you feel the need to gas my boardroom and carry me off like some Neanderthal?” “Because I knew you wouldn’t leave any other way and I miss you.” Quatre felt a rush of guilt at that and fumbled blindly for his boyfriend. He rested his hand on a jean-covered thigh and squeezed. “I’m sorry, baby. I know I’ve been really busy lately.” Trowa grabbed his hand and brought it to his mouth, pressing soft kisses over his knuckles. “S’okay,” he murmured, his breath stirring the fine hairs on the back of Quatre’s hand. “I know you can’t help it. But you need to remember to stop and enjoy life once and a while. What’s the point if you’re just going to work yourself into the ground?” Quatre smiled and tightened his fingers around Trowa’s. “You’re right. I need to carve out more time for us.” “Not just for us…for you. I hate seeing you so tired and stressed all the time.” “I’m sorry I worry you.” “Don’t be sorry. Just take care of yourself, okay?” “I will. I promise.” They drifted through space for a little while in companionable silence which relaxed him, even causing him to be a little groggy as the long hours of work finally caught up to him. He wound up nodding off and didn’t realize he’d fallen asleep until the turbulence of earth’s atmosphere jolted him awake. Disoriented, his hands flew up to the blindfold over his eyes, momentarily forgetting why it was there and thinking he’d been abducted for real. Trowa pulled a hand away from the controls to grab Quatre’s and soothe his panic. “It’s okay, baby. It’s just me. Remember? I’m taking you on a trip.” “Oh.” He calmed down as the memories resurfaced and the fight or flight surge of adrenaline eased. He blew out a deep breath in relief and laughed softly. “Sorry, I guess I fell asleep. I forgot where I was for a minute.” “It’s alright. We just crossed through the atmosphere. It won’t be long now till we’re there. Did you have a good nap?” “Yeah, actually. Short, but nice.” “You needed it. I know you’ve been neglecting sleep.” “Yeah, but I’m going to try not to do that from now on. I know it worries you.” “Only because your health matters to me and I love you.” Quatre’s mouth curled up in a giddy smile. No matter how many times Trowa said that, it still felt as magical as his first intimately whispered confession. “I love you, too, you worry wart.” “Look who’s talking.” It took what Quatre estimated as half of an hour to reach their destination and his stomach did a little somersault as Trowa dropped altitude in preparation for landing. A few minutes later, the thump of solid ground traveled up Quatre’s body like a mild shock wave. He raised his hands to remove the blindfold, but hesitated before taking it off. “Are we there?” “We are.” “Can I take this off now?” He asked, dying to know where they were. “Not yet. Hang on.” He could hear the click of Trowa releasing his harness, the shuffle of his movements as he got up and came closer. He felt his lover’s hands fumble with the buckle of his harness and waited patiently for him to unlock it. Trowa pushed the straps aside and grabbed his hands, pulling him to his feet. “Trowa, I can’t see where I’m going. I don’t want to trip.” “You’re not going to trip. I’m right here.” Quatre sighed and shook his head fondly. Trowa was nothing if not the perfect gentleman. Had been for as long as he’d known him and while his chivalry was exasperating at times, Quatre would be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy it. He clung to his boyfriend like a helpless damsel and allowed Trowa to perform his knight in shining armor act. Though he was grateful he was there to guide him out of the transport, otherwise he would have probably gotten his foot caught on some wires and flattened his face on the metal floor. “Easy. Take it slow. There you go, baby. Okay, we’ve reached the steps.” He tightened his grip on Trowa’s arms, his knuckles turning white as he felt around for the first step down. Thankfully, Trowa was strong enough to hold his weight and keep him from falling if he lost his footing. They carefully navigated the steps until Quatre registered the distinct texture of earth beneath his feet. Trowa held him close as they walked several paces away from the transport. Quatre’s senses were heightened due to his inability to see and his ears picked up the sound of people nearby as well as a distant choppy motor. The air was crisp and cool with a slight breeze that permeated through his clothes. There was a plethora of smells and he breathed in deeply through his nose in an attempt to identify them. He caught the scent of sugar and apples underlined with a deep, organic, earthy scent. “Okay, here we are.” Trowa finally came to a stop and fumbled with the knot at the back of Quatre’s head until the blindfold fell away. Quatre blinked as the light hit his eyes, watering a little as they adjusted. After a few minutes, they focused and he was met with the most breathtaking sight he’d ever seen. “Oh my God,” he whispered, awe in his voice as he looked around. The trees were like nothing he’d ever seen before with the exception of videos and photographs. Somehow, the real thing was a thousand times more brilliant. A bright, vibrant spectrum of fiery reds, oranges, and yellows, accompanied with the occasional descent of leaves as they separated from their hosts and drifted to the ground. The grass was barely visible, almost covered with an abundance of colored and browning foliage. Off to his right was a large, rustic barn with people going in and out. In their hands, they carried paper bags with grease spots, little wooden barrels filled to the brim with red and green apples, and cups of steaming coffee, cocoa, and cider. Rows of apple trees stood on the other side of the barn and Quatre could see a bright red tractor pulling a long wagon behind it as it slowly chugged between the rows. He could barely make out the squeal of children’s laughter as they jumped down from the wagon and ran towards a large pumpkin patch. It was one of the most beautiful things Quatre had ever seen. The simple rustic charm of life on earth and the incredible magic of the seasons that did not exist on the colonies. “Oh, Trowa! It’s - it’s beautiful!” He forced his gaze away from his riveting surroundings and faced his boyfriend, his mouth curled up in a wide smile. “I’ve never seen a real Autumn aside from movies and pictures.” “I know,” Trowa said, pulling him close and pressing his face against soft blond hair. “That’s why I did this. I wanted you to see it.” Quatre wrapped his arms around him and rested his head against the powerful chest as he tried to keep his emotions in check. “Thank you. This is so…I don’t even have words. This is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me.” “So…it’s a good surprise?” “The best! I can’t believe how much thought you put into this. This is so wonderful, I don’t know how to thank you.” “No need to thank me. Just have fun. Enjoy yourself. That’s what we came here to do.” He stared down into his love’s eyes, elated to see true joy on his face. “It’s because of you that I was able to learn to love life and everything about it I should be thanking you.” Quatre cupped his face and lifted up to kiss his lips. “You are the best and I love you so much. I’m so happy you abducted me for this.” “I might be in some legal hot water, but it was worth it.” Quatre grinned up at him, his expression decidedly smug. “You forget who your boyfriend is.” He tipped his button nose in the air and waved his hand dismissively. “I don’t mean to brag, but…I do have friends in high places.” Trowa chuckled and shook his head. “I knew I fell in love with you for a reason.” “There are many reasons you fell in love with me.” “Shall I count the ways?” “Mmm…maybe later. Right now I believe you owe me a hay ride and a bag of those delicious smelling doughnuts in all their greasy fried glory.” Trowa smiled and wrapped an arm around him as they headed towards the orchard. “Okay, I’ll give you that. But you’re buying the pumpkin.”
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