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"When Love Bites Back "Written By: Hemlock Inyx Disclaimer: This chick does not own any of the
Gundam Wing characters because they belong to Bandai and Sunrise.
I am borrowing them for this fict and will return them in good (if
somewhat sticky) condition.This fict is written out of love and not
for profit, don't sue. Thanks and enjoy! Rating: NC 17 Warnings: yaoi, lemon, alternate universe, vampires,
violence, suicide, mild-ooc Pairings: 2x5, past: 1x5, 2xH, 2x3 Summary: He wanted one taste of passion…
Duo Maxwell’s sexy voice seduced him every night
with his late-night radio talk show. So Chang Wufei couldn’t
pass up the chance to be his personal assistant—despite Duo’s
insistence that he was a vampire. Vampires didn’t
wear faded jeans. And they were dark and brooding, not vibrant and
fun. Yet…with one glance of his silver violet eyes, Duo could
hypnotize him. With one nibble of his passionate lips, he could bend
him to his will. Duo insisted Wufei had nothing to fear from him.
But why then was Wufei so conscious of his exposed neck? " When Love Bites Back "
To be on the safe side, they completed the journey to
Paris in two stages, stopping over in New York City where Wufei stayed
at the Plaza and Duo stayed at a friend's lair. They met at JFK Airport
the next night and soared off on the Concorde for Paris and Orly Field. "Do you think the bank knows the files are missing?"
Rolling his eyes, Wufei shifted one earplug and looked
away from the movie he was trying to watch. "You've asked me
that one a hundred times. I don't know." "The instant they discover the files are gone,
they'll freeze, the safety-deposit box." Duo fidgeted in a plush
armchair, then gave him an apologetic glance. "It's been so long
since I've felt any time urgency… This is nerve-racking." Wufei abandoned the movie, curled on the seat of a sofa
secured to the bulkhead and faced him. "How did you get to the
United States before jet travel?" Discomfort pinched Duo's handsome face. "By ship.
I spent the days in the hold, and went up on deck at night." Wufei's imagination sketched in furtive details, anxious
moments. "You know," he commented thoughtfully, "the
more I learn about vampire life, the less appealing it becomes." Duo instantly rejected the pity softening his eyes.
"But I can see, Renfield. I can read." He tapped the book
in his lap. "Believe me, I'll accept a lot of inconvenience for
the blessing of sight." His vibrant gaze travelled slowly over
his face. "What a tragedy it would be if I couldn't compare your
black eyes to onyx or a night sky or watch your expression change,
or if I had to rely on others to describe the shape of your face or
the curve of your lips. The indignities that occasionally occur are
far outweighed by the miracle of sight." "We'll never be able to kiss, will we?" Wufei
whispered, the blurted question coming out of nowhere. A fiery blush
scalded his cheeks and he ducked his head. A pause developed before Duo looked away from the heat
in his cheeks and answered. "No," he said softly. The emotion leading to a kiss would cause his fangs
to emerge, and fangs were not conducive to passion, not from a mortal's
point of view. And Duo was sensitive to that fact. Blindly, Wufei
turned his face toward the movie screen flickering at the front of
the cabin. "I'm not suggesting anything, but…aside from
kissing… do vampires make love the same way mortals do?" "We've got the same equipment and the same desires,
if that's what you're asking," Duo answered with a tight smile.
Slowly his smile faded and he turned his face toward a window. "But
the need to puncture, the need to drink is as strong as the sexual
desire. The instinct is almost overwhelming." A long pause ensued
before he resumed speaking in a low voice. "Sometimes terrible
accidents have happened. Sometimes the vampire loses himself or herself
in the throes of passion and tears the mortal's throat. The mortal
dies." "Sometimes? Or always?" Wufei asked in a choked
whisper. "Frequently," Duo said finally, not looking
at him. The man he loved could not kiss him. Duo could not make
love to him without endangering his life. His passion could kill him.
Hopeless tears glistened in Wufei's eyes. Duo moved to the sofa and took his hand, his palm cool
against his. He drew a breath. "We're lucky you had a passport." Grateful for the change of subject, Wufei nodded, blinking
furiously at the tears clinging to his lashes. "When I was sick,
I used to dream of flying off to exotic, romantic places. I applied
for a passport when I was twenty. I never really expected to use it,
but it was nice to look at and think about. I've renewed it ever since.
Now, here we are, winging off to Paris. Paris!" Wufei was quiet
a minute. "You've changed my life, Duo. You've opened the world
and given me new experiences I never thought I'd encounter. I've tried
so many new things that I wouldn't have tried without you." Unconsciously
he ran a hand through his bouncy hair. "I'll always be grateful
to you. I like the changes. I like what's happened to me." "I can't wait to show you the City of Lights,"
he said in a husky voice. "Ah, Wufei. There are so many things
I want to show you. Great art, great architecture-so many things.
The world is full of wonderful things to see and do." Wufei gazed down at their laced fingers, then back at
Duo's face. "Will it upset you to return to Paris?" he asked
quietly. "The people I cared about as a young man are gone.
By now, even their tombstones have begun to crumble." He looked
past him, frowning out the window. The weight of time and immortality
lay heavy in his eyes. "So many of us refuse to become attached
to mortals. Perhaps that's wise. The only possible outcome is pain
and loss." He looked at him with sadness. "But sometimes..." "I know." There seemed to be nothing to say after that. Wufei returned to the movie, his thoughts a million miles from the images on screen. Duo read a Grisham thriller with vampire speed, then
withdrew another book from the satchel at their feet. After the movie, Wufei dozed, woke for a snack, dozed
and awoke when the captain's voice boomed over the loudspeakers. Yawning, Wufei stretched and blinked. "What did
he say?" Duo frowned at the sturdy Timex watch he had chosen
for travelling. "We're in a holding pattern. We'll be almost
an hour late." "Oh." Then Wufei jerked fully awake and his
throat clogged with panic. "What time is it!" Whirling on
the sofa, he pushed up the window shade and peered at the darkness
outside. The lack of light calmed him somewhat, but he turned back
to Duo and anxiously gripped his arm. "How close is it going
to be?" "Close," he answered tersely. A furrow appeared
between his eyes. "I'd planned to stay with a friend in St. Germain
but this delay makes safe arrival risky. I think I'd better go with
you directly to La Tremoille. It's a shorter taxi ride." The extra hour in the air turned into a nerve-straining
hour and a half. Both of them sighed heavily when the plane finally
touched down, and they fidgeted with frustration at another delay
while waiting to clear customs. Finally, they burst outside and ran
to flag a taxi, casting worried glances at the sky. A faint line of pale blue widened along the eastern
horizon. Duo flung their baggage into the back seat before the
driver could budge, and they jumped inside. After giving the driver
an address in the Rue la Tremoille, he fell against the back seat
cushion and closed his eyes. Noticing that his fists were clenched, Wufei leaned
forward to the driver. "Do you speak English?" he asked
between his teeth, his frantic gaze fixed on the horizon. "Oui,
Monsieur." "I'll pay a hundred dollars extra if you get us
to the hotel before sunup." The driver peered at him in the rear-view mirror, then
muttered something that probably translated to "Crazy Americans."
But he stepped on the gas and the Renault shot forward, zipping through
traffic at a perilous speed. Neither Wufei nor Duo spoke during the hair-raising
ride. Wufei ignored the Luxembourg Palace and the Tuileries, romantic
places he had yearned to see, and he hardly noticed when the taxi
shot across the Champs Elysees. Wufei alternated between wringing
his hands and staring at the brightening sky, worrying over Duo's
tight expression and urging the driver to hurry. When they skidded to a halt before La Tremoille and
a liveried doorman started toward them, he shoved Duo outside the
taxi. "You get us registered, I'll pay the driver. Leave the
baggage for a bellman." Duo glanced quickly at the sky, a blaze of pink and
gold now, then strode rapidly inside, away from the pale glow that
stung his skin. By the time Wufei ran inside the luxurious lobby, Duo
was waiting impatiently before the elevators, his face pale, his lips
pressed in a hard thin line. He joined him, feeling a nervous and
terrified dampness, beneath his arms, moistening his palms. When the elevator doors hissed shut behind them, Wufei
almost wept with relief. Inside, sealed off from any dawn sunlight,
he gripped Duo's shaking hand. "Will you be safe in the room?"
he asked anxiously. "I hope so." Duo was pallid and trembling like a man with a severe
case of flu, shaking too badly to get the room key in the door. Wufei
snatched it from his hand and finally managed to fling open the door.
Immediately, he rushed to the windows of the suite's sitting room
and jerked the curtains shut before he ran to the bedroom and closed
the curtains there. The sun burst over the horizon and a golden glow suffused
the room. Despairing, wringing his hands, Wufei whirled toward Duo
who had bent away, grimacing as if in pain. "I don't know what
else to do! The curtains are too thin to completely block the light!"
Panicked tears choked him. Horrified, Wufei half expected to see Duo
shrivel and turn to ash before his eyes. But Duo had not survived for one hundred and eighty
years without suffering a few close calls and learning a few tricks.
Dropping to the floor, he rolled into the darkness beneath the bed.
Hands shaking, Wufei jerked down the heavy satin coverlet until it
swept the floor. Running, he dashed into the bathroom and returned
with thick towels, which he used to drape the other side of the bed. When he had done all he could to make him a safe dark
nest, he fell into a satin striped chair and dropped his head into
his hands, waiting to speak until his heart had ceased to beat like
a jackhammer. "Duo? Are you okay? Will it be all right?" "I can't tell you how ridiculous I feel. It's very
undignified to lay on the floor under a bed, looking at bed springs." Wufei burst into tension-relieving laughter. "Like
you're usually so dignified, right?" He was trembling and teary
with relief, desperately thankful their mad dash had ended in laughter
instead of tragedy. If anything terrible had happened to Duo, he wouldn't
have been able to bear it. "Wufei?" His voice was muffled and thick with
the onset of sleep. "I'm sorry the burden of retrieving the crystals
falls on you. But I don't see any other way to do it." "I'll be fine," Wufei assured him, trying
to sound more confident than he felt. Since Duo could not move about
during banking hours, the plan called for him to discover a way to
get into the elder's safety deposit box. "Duo?" But he didn't answer. The disease that enhanced his
immune system and made him a vampire put him to sleep like clockwork.
He had no choice. The rising sun triggered his sleep mechanism. Minutes later a knock at the door roused Wufei from
a jet-lagged contemplation of having a man under his bed. It was weird
and sort of funny and chokingly sad. He let the bellman in and instructed
him to leave their baggage in the suite's living room; then he ordered
breakfast, filling the claw-footed bathtub while he waited for room
service. After eating, he treated himself to a long soak, leaving
the bathroom door ajar so he could hear if Duo stirred. He noticed
he didn't snore. If he hadn't known better, if the bedclothes hadn't
been disarranged, he could have believed he was completely alone. But Duo was sleeping under the bed, hiding from the
sun after a very anxious close call. The idea no longer impressed Wufei as amusing, but seemed
frightening and terribly sad. Leaning back in the soothing, scented
water, he closed his eyes. Early on, he had envied the vampires their youthful
good looks, their perfect health and eternal lives. Their enhanced
sensory powers had awed and appealed to him. During idle moments, Wufei had toyed with the thought
of becoming a vampire himself, especially after the wild and ultimately
frustrating scene of passion in the swimming pool. Now, in Paris where it had begun for Duo, he reconsidered
the possibility. On the plus side, if he were a vampire he would never
again have to fear becoming seriously ill. There would be no more
winter colds or achy summer flus. Time would cease to be an enemy.
He would have time to learn skiing and golf and riding and all the
leisure pleasures he had put off. He could read everything he had
always wanted to read. He could watch history unfold and live far,
far into the future. He could be with Duo forever. Wufei rubbed his forehead. Could love withstand the
demands and tedium of eternity? Or was love treasured and precious
because it was designed to last but one fleeting lifetime? Disturbed, he turned his thoughts to the down side.
First and most distasteful, he would be forced to live on human blood,
a repulsive thought no matter how it was obtained. His life would
shrink to half-day increments, lived in darkness or artificial light.
There would never again be sunlight in his world. Or real warmth. Far worse, he would never have children, never experience
the joys of parenthood. And Duo? Perhaps in a century or two they would have
said everything possible to say. Perhaps in a century or two they
would be bored out of their minds with each other. What a terrible
end to a grand passion, indifference and silence. Such an end would
trivialize all that had gone before. Hot tears slipped down his cheeks and dropped into the
bath water. Wufei's heart ached as if it were breaking. He could never become a vampire. He didn't want to deaden his emotions out of fear that
fangs would emerge at an inconvenient moment. He didn't want to deal
with fangs-period. And he loathed the idea of fearing the sun or sleeping
in dark windowless places. As for drinking blood, that was a horror
that Wufei utterly rejected, along with eavesdropping on private conversations
a block away. Finally, he could not betray his unborn children by
dooming them to oblivion. Covering his face with soapy hands, Wufei surrendered
to racking sobs, crying until no more tears would come. Love wasn't
supposed to be this impossible or hurt this much. Love wasn't supposed
to give you agonizing choices or tear you into little pieces. Love
was supposed to be joyful and filled with the promise of a happy future.
Love was sharing, and parenting, and growing old together. Love was
laughter and sunshine and building a life based on common values.
Love was two lives unfolding in tandem, united by respect and admiration
and joy. "Oh, Duo," he whispered, turning wet eyes toward the darkened bedroom. "I'll stay with you for the rest of my life, my love, but every day the pain grows deeper .... " * * * * * * * Wufei napped on the sofa until nine in the morning,
then finished the coffee in the room service pot, gradually coming
awake. When he was dressed to leave and had hung out the Do Not Disturb
sign, he located his address book, drew a deep, steadying breath,
then dialled the Renfield who worked for Treize Khushrenada, senior
elder on the Council of Six. A male voice answered in a cautious tone. "Oui?" Wufei drew another deep breath. "This is Mr. Wheeler
at the Blanc et Cie." He imagined the Renfield snapping to attention
on the other end of the phone. "Please inform Mr. Khushrenada
that we deeply regret this, but our security has been breached. His
file and that of Mr. Merquise have been perused by outsiders." "What?" The Renfield's shock was so great
that he didn't notice the exchange was conducted in English. "I was instructed to inform Mr. Khushrenada at
once." "Yes, yes. Of course." In his agitation, the
Renfield knocked something over. Wufei would have bet all he owned
that his mind was racing like an engine, trying to decide what he
should do. "The safety-deposit box," he said suddenly, urgency
cracking his voice. "Has anyone tried to get into the box?" Wufei's shoulders sagged with relief. His question meant
the bank had not yet discovered the missing vampire files or notified
anyone. Plus, Khushrenada's Renfield knew about the safety-deposit
box, and he had taken the bait "Ah, we don't think so,"
he said, trying to sound falsely cheerful, as if he might be lying,
"but we've, ah, experienced a bit of difficulty with our sign-in
process..." "Merde!" Wufei grinned at the wallpaper, then quickly ended the
conversation and hung up. Unless he missed his guess, Khushrenada's
Renfield was even now rushing for the door. There was little danger
that he would beat him to the Blanc et Cie as Treize Khushrenada's
estate was in Montmarte while Wufei was staying in the eighth arrondissement
only a few blocks from the bank. Hurrying, he rode the elevator to the lobby, then stepped outside into the soft morning light glowing on the noisy streets of Paris. * * * * * * * The Blanc et Cie was situated on a bustling avenue crammed
with boutiques and expensive shops. A discreet brass placard announced
the name; a carved door opened to the street. Nerves rising, Wufei gripped his briefcase and stepped
inside. The interior was quieter and smaller than most American banks,
elegantly appointed in brass and polished dark woods. His footsteps
sounded like explosive little gunshots as he crossed the tiled lobby
to a desk facing the teller cages. "I'd like to arrange for a safety-deposit box,"
he said to the woman who glanced up at his approach. "Could you
direct me to the proper place?" "Of course, Monsieur. Take the staircase to the
lower level, then follow the corridor to the vaults. A guard will
assist you." Feeling as if he were descending into a dungeon, Wufei
followed the instructions, then filled out the forms he was presented,
paid a fee and accepted the key he was given. So far, so good. "This way, Monsieur," a uniformed guard said
in a heavy accent. Pushing back the sleeve of his gray business suit, Wufei
pretended to consult his wristwatch. "Actually, I was to meet
my wife here," he explained. "I'll wait until she arrives."
He chose a seat near the sign-in desk and crossed his legs. "Of course. May I bring you anything? Perhaps an
espresso?" Sipping the coffee from a tiny cup and saucer, he waited,
his nerves winding tighter by the minute. A chic Frenchwoman appeared,
signed in and entered the vault with the guard. Then a man carrying
a fat briefcase came in. The man with the briefcase was a false alarm. When Wufei's
heart stopped slamming around his chest, he gritted his teeth and
told himself that he would not run out of here as he wanted to do.
He would see this craziness through to the end. He knew at once when Khushrenada's Renfield appeared.
He rushed into the room as if the devil nipped his heels, slightly
out of breath, his thin face flushed with anger and anxiety. "Once I've checked Mr. Khushrenada's box, I'll
want to speak to Mr. Marchalt," he snapped. After fumbling a
key out of his pocket, he signed the register with an impatient flourish.
Wufei recognized Marchalt as the name of the family
who had founded the bank in the 1600s. By the time Renfield spoke
to the latest Marchalt descendant, Wufei would be long gone. Please,
Gods. He had a moment to take note of his shoes and sense
his menace. Then the guard escorted him inside the vault. The instant the guard returned, Wufei stood and gave
him a sigh and a smile. "It appears my wife has overlooked our
appointment. I may as well go inside." The guard led him into a silent maze. They passed a
curtained alcove behind which Wufei sniffed the Frenchwoman's perfume;
then they continued down a corridor faced by shiny metal locked boxes.
The guard stopped before one of the drawers and inserted the bank's
key then waited while Wufei inserted his key. He removed the box for
him and carried it to a vacant alcove. He thanked him and impatiently
waited for him to leave. The instant his footsteps receded, he darted out of
his alcove and hurried through the maze on tiptoe, his heart hammering
in his chest. Bending, he peeked beneath any closed curtains, looking
for a pair of polished brown oxfords, and frantically trying to think
of a plan. When he found the shoes he was searching for, Wufei
paused in the steely silence, drew a deep breath and whispered a hasty
prayer. He had no idea how he was going to steal the crystals from
Khushrenada's Renfield, only that he was going to do it or die trying. He threw back the curtain and bumped hard into the man
standing before a shelf. Papers fluttered from his fingers. "Excuse me, I'm so sorry," he apologized,
his eyes flying to the open box on the shelf. It was empty. "I
didn't realize anyone was in here. Let me help you pick up your papers."
A second glance told him it was one document. Beading, he managed
to again knock the Renfield off balance, which gave his another minute
to scan the document he was trying to retrieve from the floor. The
wording was in old French and Wufei couldn't read it. But he did recognize
that he was looking at an old deed. "Get out, you clumsy idiot!" the Renfield
snarled, a dark plum, color rising from his collar. Wufei didn't have
to be told twice. Babbling apologies, he backed out of the alcove,
then fled, thanking the gods that he hadn't had to fight him for the
crystals. Not that he could imagine himself actually fighting. He
didn't know what he would have done if the crystals had been in the
box. But he did know that Khushrenada's Renfield scared the hell out
of him. At the moment, he was a half step ahead of him, but none of
the Renfields were dummies. In about one minute he would identify
his voice as the voice on the telephone, and he would realize he had
not blundered into his alcove by accident. Wufei flew up the staircase
and past the startled faces of the lobby employees, then out the door.
Gasping, shaking like a leaf, he ducked into the nearest boutique,
snatched a hat from a mannequin and jammed it down over his hair and
eyes. A second later Khushrenada's Renfield burst out of the bank's
door and skidded to a halt on the sidewalk, turning his head this
way and that to scan the crowds. Wufei fled to the back of the boutique
and blindly rifled a rack of men's jackets. He pulled out a trench
coat and thrust it into the hands of a shop girl who was staring at
the hat he had snatched. "I'll take the hat, too," he said breathlessly.
"And that silk tie. I'll wear the jacket and the hat." Thirty
minutes later, he left the boutique feeling somewhat disguised, but
positive that hidden eyes scrutinized his every move. When the plan
was still in the talking stages and he was feeling brave enough to
envision success, he had imagined himself leaving the scene of his
triumph to explore the Champs-Elysees. The actuality was different.
With his nerves in shreds, Wufei fled back to the hotel, not feeling
safe until he had locked the door behind him and jammed a chair beneath
the handle. Collapsing on the sofa, Wufei clasped his hands together
and decided he had had enough adventure to last a lifetime. At the
moment he could not remember why he had ever thought a dull life was
something to apologize for. He'd been crazy to think he was missing
something. When Duo finally awoke and emerged from under the bed,
he appeared paler than usual and in a less than cheerful mood. "They weren't in the box. But I--" "Damn!" He raised a hand, his eyes intent
and hungry on Wufei's throat. "Since the crystals weren't there,
the rest of the story can wait." He watched him snap off the
television. "The indignities continue," he said after a
moment, his voice stiff. "I beg your pardon?" "Renfield, I need to arrange... certain things.
May I have a moment of privacy to use the phone?" His gaze was
dark and riveted to his throat. "It might be wise if you went
for a walk or something. I need about an hour alone." Blood. He was going to phone a vampire friend and ask
him to deliver some take-out. Faintly revolted, Wufei rose and entered the bedroom,
closing the door behind him. Because he didn't want to hear the delivery
knock at the door or the silence that would follow, he lay on the
bed and pulled the pillow around his ears. Almost immediately he fell
asleep. When he awoke, Duo was sitting on the bed beside him,
studying his face. "I missed you," he said softly, smoothing
back his hair. Wufei threw himself into his arms, pressing his forehead
against his neck. "You won't believe the day I've had!"
Almost instantly he pulled back and pushed his hands away. "If
a hug is going to get you worked up, then don't touch me. Please.
I just can't take fangs right now." Looking embarrassed, Duo moved to stand beside the windows,
lifting his hand to his mouth, indicating he'd guessed correctly.
Opening the curtain, he gazed down at the traffic zipping along the
brightly lit street below. "Tell me what happened." Wufei straightened his shirt and leaned against the
pillows mounded on the bed. "I think, …I'm pretty sure the
deed was for a place called the Mineral Museum. In Budapest." "That makes sense," Duo remarked after a moment's thought. "There's a castle outside Budapest that once belonged to Marshal Noventa. The Council of Six often uses the castle as a meeting place." When he saw the question in Wufei's eyes, he added. "Noventa is dead." "Oh, no. Another suicidal vampire?" "No," Duo said, looking away from him. "Marshal
Noventa died in the days when vampire hunting was a respectable profession." "Oh." Wufei swung his legs out of bed, not
wanting to think about how Noventa had died. "Well," he
said with false brightness, "Budapest, here we come." "Wufei, I want you to return to Denver." Wufei stared. "Stay in Paris for a few days, see the sights,
then go home." "Duo, what are you saying?" "I'm saying it's going to get dangerous from here
on. By now both the bank and the elders know someone has stolen the
vampire files. Both groups will be very anxious to discover who has
the information and how they can retrieve it. They aren't going to
play nice." Soberly, Wufei nodded, working it through. It would
take a while, but eventually the theft would be tracked to Duo's office
computer. He'd made two backups, one of which was in a safety-deposit
box in a Denver bank; the other was buried in his mother's backyard.
The Blanc et Cie or the elders might retrieve the files from Duo's
computer, but IV would still have a copy. That was good for IV; bad
for the elders. It might be bad for him, too. "Khushrenada's Renfield has never seen me before
today. He won't know who I am .... " "You don't understand the power or the reach of
the Council of Six. Before dawn they'll know you're my Renfield-you
can count on it." He sat on the edge of the bed, looking at him. "Surely
they wouldn't--" "The council will know you acted on my instructions.
You'll be safe if you and I separate." "No," Wufei said quietly but firmly. Before
Duo could argue, he said, "What if the Mineral Museum is only
open during the day? Without me, how would you check it out?" A long sigh lifted his chest and he watched him strive
for patience. "I'll break into it after-hours, of course." "But what if the museum is a dead end or a false
lead?" "The council owns the castle in Budapest and other
properties around the world, but the only deed you saw was for the
Mineral Museum. Minerals, as in crystals. This property is more important
than all the others put together. No, Renfield. It isn't a false lead."
He considered him. "Do you think Khushrenada's man knows you
saw the title of the deed?" "Everything happened so fast... I don't know." He thought about it. "It doesn't matter. They'll
know the minute I show up in Budapest." "The minute we show up in Budapest," Wufei
corrected. "I'm going with you, Duo. I made a promise to you
and to myself the morning Quatre died." His chin came up in a
stubborn gesture. "I'm going to see this through to the end." "Think about Zechs Merquise. Remember him. Not
all vampires are charming and pledged to IV's rules. Merquise could
tear your throat out and never give it a second thought. The Council
of Six is not going to let a mere mortal stand in the way of preserving
their power. They'll chew you up, Renfield." Wufei's face turned as white as the sheets, but he didn't
change his mind. "I'm part of this. Quatre was my friend." "Damn it! I'm trying to tell you that I love you
and I don't want to place you in danger!" "Well, damn it, yourself! I'm trying to tell you
that I love you and I'm not going to let you face this alone!" They stared at each other. Then suddenly Wufei burst
into laughter. "Is this some kind of mortal humour that I don't
understand?" Duo asked, glaring at him. "For weeks I've dreamed and hoped that you would
love me. I imagined you telling me in a hundred different ways. But
I never dreamed you'd shout the words or tell me you loved me in the
middle of trying to send me away." Crossing to him, he wrapped
his arms around Duo's waist and smiled up at him with soft eyes. "I'm
not going." He raised a hand to his lips, feeling his canines
growing beneath his fingers. "As soon as I saw the property deed,
I knew Budapest would be the next step. Our tickets are waiting at
the airport." "I can go alone," Duo whispered, trailing
his fingertips down Wufei's cheek and throat. "You don't have to be alone ever again." With a groan, Duo buried his face in his hair, holding
him so tightly, Wufei thought he would crush him. "Duo?" he whispered, his voice raw. "Our
plane doesn't leave until midnight. Take me to bed." "You don't know what you're--" He covered his mouth with his hand, neither repulsed
nor frightened by his teeth. He never would be again. "I love
you and I trust you," he said simply, his eyes telling Duo that
he spoke the truth. "I know you won't hurt me." Raising his hands, gazing deeply into Duo's smouldering
eyes, he slowly unbuttoned his shirt. ~ * ~ |
