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"Defying Gravity"A Romance in Three PartsWritten By: Kaeru Shisho Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Gundam Wing
or its characters, nor do I make any monetary profit off this story. Rating: NC 17 Warnings: AU, yaoi, some language Summary: A multi part story of romance starting
with a turning point vacation, developing throughout a dangerous UC
mission, and moving ahead through the unexpected challenges of a summer
vacation. "Part Three: It's Another Vacation"
Chapter 1
"He looks afraid. I never thought I'd see Wufei Chang's face wearing that terrified expression." Quatre said, his expression winsome as wisps of pale bangs fell into his eyes. "Quatre can charm the scales off a snake," his eldest sister had once told their father. But what a strange thing to remember now, he thought to himself. He watched the corner of Trowa's mouth stretch into the barest of smiles. "He's not yet even nineteen, he's getting married, and is only months away from becoming a father," Trowa said. "I'm surprised he's standing. I wouldn't be, but then you couldn't catch me in that kinda jam." "Most of my sisters were married before they were our ages, at least five before they were sixteen." Quatre couldn't ignore the implied meaning beneath his boyfriend's words. For a marriage to endure, love should be constant and eternal, but Trowa's love had boundaries. They were running up against them everyday. "And were they expected to be the primary wage earner and head of the family?" Trowa asked. "Sobering." "Well, no, and I hope the men they married weren't there for just their money. They were very pretty, too, from their pictures," Quatre added quickly. "You never saw them as girls then?" "No, even the youngest was years older than me, although she alone has never married. All my sisters were incubated babies with their births spread over time. The oldest was twenty years my senior, the next were six months later and the sextuplets, a year later." Quatre smiled. "The next ones were a few years delayed." "I'd think so. That was a houseful to take care of." "There were nannies, of course," Quatre assured his lover. "I had a lovely nanny." His eyes grew wistful as he thought back to his pleasant youthful upbringing. He'd been thinking a lot about his past, his family, and his home of late. "I'm glad, but sorry you never had a chance to know your mother. I bet she was an awful lot like you." "Father always told me I was." He reached over and straightened Trowa's silk tie, one he had chosen for his lover in a green to match his eyes. "There, now you look perfect," he said with a gentle pat to the knot. He looked up to find Trowa's eyes searching his. "Perfect?" Trowa asked. "Yes, even if you break out in more freckles from the sun." "Freckles? Damn, I thought the hair would cover them." Trowa ruffled his long bangs over his face for cover. "No! Don't do that! I was enjoying the sight of your face." Trowa swept the hair to the side, but without holding gel it flopped back into its customary place over one eye. Quatre looked past the fall of hair, past the chairs set out in front of an altar, to the red silk fabric flapping in the breeze from the overhanging arbor. The invited guests continued to collect, find seats, and chat in small clumps, avoiding Quatre and Trowa. It was as if a barrier sealed them apart from the festivities. Quatre felt it was real. "Here comes Heckle and Jeckle to report in," Trowa said. "Who?" Heero and Duo sauntered up, hip bouncing off hip, and braid swinging as the pair joined Trowa and Quatre. They wove awkwardly around the folding chairs clustered on the beach Heero's arm was loosely wrapped across Duo's back, fingers tucked into a back pocket, dragging the pants dangerously low on that side. It was hardly noticeable until Duo started waving with both arms as if he were directing the liftoff of a 747, revealing his bare midriff and below. "Caterers have it all under control," Duo chirped. "Like I said before, relax, Quat." Duo's effervescence was completely lacking in the other boys, like champagne gone flat. "That's not what you said," Heero reminded him. "You told Trowa to take Quatre inside, screw his brains out, and—" Quatre felt Trowa step backwards, giving him more space he didn't need. He looked down at the chair his hands gripped for support, anywhere but his friend's faces. As much as he wanted to run, Quatre's feet sank further into the sand, sucked in. Heero cleared his throat. "Never mind." Quatre looked askance through his sun-kissed bangs, narrowing his eyes at Heero, who was staring into the distance, and then back to Duo, who was grinning inanely. "Hey, you were all wound up, Quat-buddy." "Duo, there are times I'm sorry you discovered sex. I really am," Quatre shook his head seriously and studied his disappearing toes. No need for shoes in the sand, he'd discovered, even with a suit. When he looked up, he saw Relena accompanying Sally Po from one of the beach houses to the edge of the sand. Heero continued with his observations. "I see Milliardo is keeping Wufei on a short leash." "Yep." Trowa was watching the women's progress, too. "Everyone's here." "No one wanted to miss this wedding," Heero said. "I'm just glad it all worked out," Quatre said with a sigh. "Just getting them to settle on a date was a trial." "To traditional Chinese, choosing a wedding date is much more complicated than consulting your file-o-fax," Trowa said coldly. When Heero's sharp gaze cut to Trowa, Quatre realized with a wince that even he could sense that Trowa was being harsher on him than necessary. When an insensitive ass like Heero Yuy noticed the tension, Quatre knew it must be bad. Quatre had hoped it was temporary, part of the UC job they'd all come out of, and not a sign of trouble in paradise, but it was worsening. They had been on vacation nearly a week already and none of them had begun to unwind from the intense mission. Milliardo had sent in a request for additional leave for them all, including himself. Whatever he had said to Commander Une, he had convinced her to give them two additional weeks off. Quatre didn't know if that was enough. Scratch the surface and he didn't like what was revealed, seething just below the surface of any of them. Maybe they could heal with a little more time. But he hadn't been given the luxury of time. Quatre had a new job, college, and other preparations to concern him— and to draw him further from his friends. This special event, the first wedding of the five friends, however, was not going to be marred by his particular problems. Quatre vowed to take it all in stride, or at least appear to. In as cheerful a voice as he could muster, Quatre said, "Don't you know it! Wufei and Sally skipped the family negotiations, since neither had families to consult, and had me confer with an astrological expert to verify their horoscopes were favorable. I really have to thank you again, Duo for explaining Wufei's 'lucky numbers' thing. That solved the date and the menu problem with the caterers." "His what?" Heero asked. "Lucky numbers. Apparently, the number of courses is also significant. At a Chinese wedding banquet, eight dishes are usually served - not including the dessert—because in Chinese, the word 'eight' sounds like 'good luck'." Quatre told him. Heero looked at Quatre as if he were speaking in tongues. "How long have you been out here in the sun, Winner?" "Heero, talk to Duo. He knows all about Wufei's superstitions. No, wait. I think the ceremony is about to begin." "Not yet. Relena's still fussing with something in Sally's hair," Trowa corrected. "Duo, so?" Heero asked. "Okay," Duo began,"Red is symbolic of joy..." his voice trailed off and his faced darkened, troubled by his loss of concentration. Quatre hopped in to complete what Duo was trying to say. "And, as you can see, the color red is featured all over, like in the clothing and ritual objects. Relena is acting as Sally's 'good luck woman' by attending the bridal preparations. She's supposed to only speak optimistic thoughts while dressing the bride's hair. Sally isn't real familiar with this stuff and mostly, without a family or clan, it's pretty meaningless." "So, us being here and doing all this for them is very important to Chang," Heero stated. He rested an arm over Duo's shoulders and pulled him close. "I see." Duo nodded and leaned into the other man's warmth. Heero bent his head close to his ear for a private word. "Winner is trying too hard to seem 'normal'. His eyes show the strain." "Yeah? Well, he has pulled off a 'traditional Chinese wedding' theme party in a damned short amount of time." "I hope he rests now that his obligations are over, because Winner's frenetic activity is getting Barton down." Duo shrugged. "Trowa will survive, 'Ro. He could lift a finger and help, too, if he cared." "Watch Relena. It's like she knows what she's doing," Trowa said. Quatre wondered if he had overheard Heero and Duo's whispered conversation, too. He had not wanted to eavesdrop on Heero and Duo's private talk, but he had, and as much as he loved his friends, he wished they'd mind their own business. He wanted to treasure this last gathering of his friends. "It's beginning," Quatre announced so that the remaining guests assembled on the beach would take their seats and be quiet. The boys stood around in a knot and frisked the wedding girls and boys with their eyes. Relena finished helping affix a red silk veil so that it hung from the bridal phoenix crown and covered Sally's face. The bride was wearing a beautiful, ornately ornamented jacket and long skirt, but kicked off the red shoes before stepping into the sand. Dressed in a long gown, red shoes and a red silk sash, the groom knelt at the family altar, while Milliardo placed a cap decorated with cypress leaves on his head. Relena accompanied Sally on her stroll to the altar. Wufei rose to his feet, turned and watched their progress. When Sally stood beneath the bower of silk, she and her groom bowed to each other. Milliardo offered Wufei a goblet of wine, and he took a sip then passed it to Sally. After the new couple both drank wine from the same goblet, Relena passed first Sally, then Wufei a sweet. They both broke off pieces of sugar molded in the form of a rooster and ate them. Milliardo stepped forward and announced, "This completes the marriage ceremony. Please join the new husband and wife for the wedding feast." The legal papers joining the pair had been signed and filed that morning. This part was for tradition and show. "Kiss the bride!" Duo shouted. And maybe just to "show him", Wufei gathered Sally in a graceful sweep and placed a romantic kiss on his bride's lips to the cries and cheers of the rapt audience. (o) "Oh, man," Duo said for the second time. "You are drooling on my plate. Move," Heero urged him. "Roasted suckling pig, shark's fin soup, deep fried crab claws, squab, Peking duck, lobster, vegetables with sea cucumber, and fish. Quatre, you really outdid yourself. How do I choose?" "Here, I'll fix you a plate. Go sit down." Heero marched down the line of dishes scooping potions of each item on both his and Duo's plates in record time. Since the last mission, Duo was more scatty than usual. His concentration was shot and his attention span shorter than ever. Sally had assured Heero that it was a result of the excessive drugging and that as soon as everything was flushed from his body he would recover. Not to worry. So Heero worried for both of them since Duo seemed to live in a worry-free dream world, except when it came to making a decision. Sometimes, decisions confounded him. "For dessert, should I have hot sweet red bean soup and two dumpling-like things that I don't have names for?" Duo asked, hovering over the treat table. "Sit down and take this plate. Eat." "I need something to drink." "Fine. I'll bring you something," Heero said, resigned to playing servant or lose Duo to another food line. He chose tea for himself and a soda for Duo. "Here. The only soda was 7-Up." "That's because tea, alcohol, and 7-Up are almost always supplied at a Chinese wedding banquet," Wufei told him. "Offering tea is a sign of respect. Alcohol is served to celebrate the special occasion." Wufei adroitly sank onto a stretch of blanket nearby a plate of food, which Heero guessed was Sally's. She was explaining dishes to a few of the less experimental guests. Wufei had already taken a turn, and now his missed breakfast had caught up with him, and together the delicious smells, made him ravenous. "In Chinese, 'going to a dinner banquet' is synonymous to 'going to drink alcohol;' and in Cantonese, 'to go drinking' literally means 'go to a bar.' Just FYO." Wufei downed a glass of amber drink in two chugs. "And 7-Up sounds like 'seven happiness,' since the words for 'up' and 'happiness' are homophones," he finished. "I suppose all the food here has special symbolism then," Heero said. "Mostly wishes of happiness, longevity, or fertility," Wufei answered. "That last one being very unnecessary." Trowa plopped onto a blanket, food in hand. "What was that, Trowa?" Sally asked as she settled alongside Wufei. Her pregnancy was not yet noticeable unless you knew her well and could tell her thickening waist wasn't from overeating. "Just ignore him," Quatre said as he found a blanket to fall onto. "How is the soup? The caterers spilled the first batch. I was afraid they'd throw something awful together." "Stop with the... just stop," Trowa moaned, falling backwards and sprawling out. "Stop." Quatre flushed with embarrassment, stood, and excused himself to "go check on the other guests," leaving his plate of food untouched. "What the fuck's up your ass tonight?" Duo asked Trowa. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing, or last night or the night before." Trowa sat up and rose to his feet in a single, graceful movement. "Need a drink." Yes, Heero thought, paradise was plagued with joy-killers. As he watched two of his friends leave sand trails along separate paths, he considered taking up drinking to kill the pain. No, dull the pain. He wasn't killing anything tonight.
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