|
"Paranormal"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: Humor, crack, ghost hunters, AU Pairings: 1x2, 3x4, 5x6, 13xUne, RxD Summary: The gang gets together to investigate
a haunted house. The ghosts are ready to scare them silly. Too bad
they don't know who they're dealing with. "Paranormal "
Quatre kept his eyes closed as Trowa parked their van behind Relena and Dorothy's along the shoulder of the road. The back of their vehicle housed monitoring equipment and computers and served as a base of operations. It was important to keep the central observation area outside the investigation perimeters so as not to contaminate the footage, or worry about any interference, whether it be natural, or paranormal influence. The cameras and audio equipment that was set up in and around the house would be recorded on the computers inside the van via a secure, wireless feed. The blond medium didn't even need to see the house to know that this was going to be a doozy. He could feel the restless spirits of the estate from inside the van and he opened his eyes with a gasp as a particularly strong blast of emotion struck him like a solar flare. He stared through the window, probing with his mind to locate the source of the burst. After a moment, he recognized the signature energies of Duo and Dorothy and realized it was excitement. "You alright, love?" Trowa rested his hand on top of his lover's forearm. Quatre felt the waves of concern and smiled reassuringly. "Yes, I'm fine. I can already tell you, though, that this place is full of spirits. Very active ones. The energy is strong. I can feel it from here." "Well, let's go see what we're dealing with then." They exited the vehicle just as a marked Preventer's car pulled up behind them. Every investigation required the presence of law enforcement not only for safety, but also for the record. Their go-to people were Agent Chang Wufei and Agent Zechs Merquise. Both men were extremely well-vetted agents of the organization and were also good friends of the investigation team. The only ones they were waiting on now were Treize and his wife. Trowa nodded a greeting at the agents as he grabbed the metal cases from the back of the van while Quatre made small talk. Flashlights, night vision cameras, microphones, and a first aid kit were essential ghost hunting tools. He chuckled to himself as he listened to Quatre give Wufei and Zechs his preliminary psychic evaluation and could easily picture the matching dubious expressions on both their faces. Neither of them were particularly receptive to paranormal activity, though they often humored the blond when he saw fit to share his readings. Quatre was oblivious to the skepticism, or if he was aware of it, he never showed it. He reiterated that he believed some of Treize's ancestors were the ones occupying the house and terrorizing anyone who stepped foot inside. He surmised that they were likely trapped, either by choice, or through no fault of their own. He couldn't be sure, but he explained to an amused Wufei that they would probably need to cleanse/exorcise the house and convince the spirits to "go to the light". Wufei, to his credit, just raised an eyebrow, not yet convinced, but not willing to crush the blond man by outright dismissing him. Zechs rounded the car to assist Trowa, lifting two of the cases. He turned to his black-haired lover, smiling at Wufei's slightly exasperated expression. Quatre was on a roll now, waving his arms to and fro, talking rapidly. Trowa came to the rescue, gently grasping Quatre's elbow and leading him away. "Let's hold off on the conclusion until we get a better look, okay, love?" Quatre glanced at him as if he were a stranger. "Hm? Oh." He flushed deeply, looking back at Wufei. "Oh! God, I'm so sorry, Agent Chang! I'm just talking your ear off, aren't I? Sometimes, I don't know when to shut up..." He trailed off, looking utterly mortified. Wufei placed a reassuring hand on the fretting man's shoulder. "It's okay, really. Don't worry about it. I'd imagine it can get pretty overwhelming for you." He glanced at Trowa who shot him a grateful look for his amicability. "It's still no excuse for me to go on and on like that. I'm sorry. You must think I'm crazy." Well..."No, of course I don't. And no need to apologize. I understand. But, let's get this stuff inside and get set up. Sound good?" Quatre nodded. "Of course, of course. Thank you, Agent Chang." Wufei leveled a firm gaze on him. "And stop with the "Agent Chang", got it?" Another blush. "Yes, of course. Thank you, Wufei." Trowa led him away, a warm smile aimed at the Preventer. Quatre picked up a case of microphones and the first aid kit and together, the couple stepped through the gate, Trowa warning Quatre to watch his step. Zechs handed Wufei a case and grinned wryly at Wufei's shaking head. His long, platinum blond hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, making his icy blue eyes seem all the more striking in the gray, bleak light of the morning. "I don't know how he hasn't driven Trowa crazy by now," he said, voice laced with amusement. Wufei snorted. "Trowa possesses the patience of a saint." Zechs chuckled, "That he does." Duo was in the foyer as the four men stepped inside the house, attaching a camcorder onto a tripod. Behind him, scattered along the dirty marble, was a pile of EMF detectors, EVP recorders, and spirit boxes that were yet to be distributed to the other rooms of the house. He shot them a wide grin and stood up, brushing dust from his black jeans. "Gentlemen!" He greeted cheerfully, a mischievous gleam in his eyes as his gaze settled on Wufei. "Chang." "Maxwell," the Agent said, curtly. There was a long-standing rivalry between the two men. Rivalry in the sense that Duo never failed to close an investigation without an elaborate prank targeted towards the Preventer. Their last case ended with Wufei nearly murdering the braided investigator after Duo had hung an effigy from the rafters of the cellar Wufei had been sent to explore. The hanging "body" had nearly given him a stroke. He sniffed, "I trust that you will no doubt display your childishness and unprofessionalism again during this investigation?" Duo winked one jovial, blue eye. "You know it." The Agent turned his nose up and stalked out of the foyer. "Very well. Just know that it says much more about you than it does about me." His voice faded as he walked further into the house, but increased a few decibels a moment later. "For Christ's sake, why is this God-forsaken place so filthy?" Zechs followed him after shooting Duo a mild glare. Duo turned his thousand-watt grin back on the other two. He extended his arm to shake Trowa's hand and wrapped Quatre in a warm embrace. "How you guys doin'? Good trip?" He took the cases out of Quatre's hands and set them by the door. "It was alright. Quatre slept through most of the drive." Trowa grinned warmly at his lover as Quatre closed his eyes and turned in a slow circle, deep in concentration. "Lucky you. Yeah, me and Hee-chan took the bike." "I noticed." A carefree shrug. "Eh, it was a little chilly, but invigorating. Even though I had to listen to Heero bitch about the cold all the way here..." Duo trailed off as he watched Quatre sidle along the length of the wall, eyes still closed, his pale hand dragging across the crumbling plaster in his wake. His other hand rested against his chest, over his heart. Duo's gaze flickered to Trowa who was staring at his lover as if he were an angel descended from Heaven to save them all from eternal damnation. He suppressed his gag reflex and cleared his throat instead. It had the desired effect as the spell broke and Trowa focused his attention on Duo. The braided man rolled his eyes. "You two are hopeless." Trowa's lip curled, ever so slightly. "Speak for yourself." Duo nudged his chin in the direction of the still-entranced blond who was slowly making his way deeper into the house. "He doing his..." He made a swirling gesture next his head with one finger. "Thing?" Trowa huffed and deposited the case of night vision cameras onto its side. "Do you have to make the "crazy" gesture with your hand every time you ask me that?" "I mean no offense. I love Quat like a little bro, but you gotta admit, he's got a few screws loose -" "I'd advise you not to finish that thought if you value your life." Duo held his hands up, palms outward. "Okay, okay. Sorry." He tightened the bolts of the tripod to secure the camera. "Just sayin', your boy's a little flaky." "Look who's talking." "That wounds me, Barton." Duo turned the tripod and pushed it into the corner to aim the camera where it would cover most of the foyer and reached for a spirit box. He placed the small device at the bottom of the stairs, just beneath the overhanging lip of the step where it wouldn't be tripped over, or stepped on in the dark. "I think that covers this room. You can take those cameras upstairs and start setting them up in the bedrooms. Heero's up there with Relena doing some EMF readings. Are those the DATS?" He pointed to a long rectangular case that held three long microphones. Next to it was a smaller box containing headsets. "Yeah." "Sweet. I'll get Dorothy to come grab these and get them ready." Trowa nodded and headed up the stairs, night vision cameras in hand. Halfway up, there was an odd vibration that began in the floor and spread up through the walls. Trowa paused and placed his hand on the railing, feeling the hum reverberate through his skin, leaving a slight tickling sensation in the bones of his fingers. Duo stood frozen on the ground floor and the two shared a look, silently communicating that they'd both felt it. There was a flash of white as Duo's lips curled back in a grin and he clapped his hands together. "I think we've hit the mother load."
~ * ~ |
