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"Halfway to Sublimity"Written 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, male/male pairings, language Pairings: 1x2x1 Summary: When Duo moves to a new town on the river,
he meets a young man running the river and a rich boy who seems nice.
Maybe he'll settle down for awhile, or maybe not. "Halfway to Sublimity" Chapter Twelve Duo, Wufei (POV)
The house was not as bad as it appeared at first. Clothes were strewn, the kitchen cupboards ransacked, but nothing was damaged beyond redemption. Since they owned so few things, even when it was spread out littering the floor it didn't amount to much cleanup. Still, someone had been inside and touched their stuff, and that left Duo feeling pretty pissed off. If it bothered Duo, it nearly traumatized Heero. Duo kept his distance from him, circling carefully the friend whose body language emanated shock waves of hatred. Quatre, who hadn't even taken a look inside, looked stricken. Duo guessed the poor guy must have been awash in Heero's bad vibes, until he stepped past the door. The sensitive young man gagged at the sight of the walls then rushed to bar Trowa from entering and seeing for himself the threatening words. Quatre needed have dashed off so fast; the last Duo had seen of Trowa, he was stuck at the porch stairs, unable to climb. "He was here." "Heero, we don't know who was here, but I'll bet it wasn't Dekim Barton. One of his lackeys, no doubt, though." Duo tried to be restore Heero's confidence, but there was no way to gloss over the fact that once again, Dekim Barton had attacked Heero's home. He knew Heero hated feeling vulnerable. Hell, he didn't either. Who did? When asked if they could help, Duo assured his friends that he and Heero would be all right. The door was fixable, the clothes replaceable or washable, and the walls paintable. The mattress hadn't been harmed, so they could sleep there that night. "It's over and done. 'Nuff said." Heero's news had been less good, but, still, not tragic. After checking out the condition of the boats, he was seething, but able to report. Trowa's boat was gone-- set adrift, stolen, or sunk-- and the flat boat would take a few hours to repair and delay the next day's trip to Winner's Sunday dinner. Nothing they couldn't handle. Seeing the inside of his ransacked home was something else. Duo guessed he was re-living his past, and since Heero's resolutions to a problem involved shooting at it, Duo kept a wary eye on that trigger finger. "Quat, we'll be fine, peachy even, in no time. Thanks. Go home." Now would be good. Duo turned down Quatre's earnest offers to go back to the estate until "everything was safe," an indeterminable state. "No, thank you. Not necessary. NO!" Winner gave up. "Okay, I surrender. I understand, really. But I'll sleep better knowing Ruggles is here to bark at intruders, so I'm sending Todd around with the dog immediately." Duo watched Heero glare at Quatre, ready to tackle either man if Heero touched his gun. Duo wasn't sure that he wouldn't obliterate any trespasser coming one step closer. Quatre carried both of their knapsacks to the steps of the house, aware of Heero's mood and moving cautiously. He arranged the bags by the front door, leaning them together side by side-- rather like the two occupants of the house-- worn, rugged, and a little bent out of shape. "This injustice will not go unpunished." Wufei handed over a package with a muttered "your medical supplies" and wished them well. Trowa and Quatre said their farewells, returned to the carriage with Wufei, and, finally, left. "Well, damn." "I will kill him." "We'll get through this," Duo said. He gave Heero an opening to vent and hoped he'd take it. "He will not get away with this. Not again." "Yeah, we'll get even, 'Ro, but we'll do it smart. No goin' half-cocked, guns blasting. We want Dekim ,and my guess is he's no place within a hundred miles from here, not if he's got his gang to do dirty work like this. Coulda been that Middie girl Trowa spotted." "Hn." "Like I said, could have. Which means we get her outta the way, somehow first." "I'll clean and make dinner, if you paint," Heero said. That was as close to agreement as he would get for the time being. Yeah. And the interior wall had to be painted over right away. For sure. Damn. "Deal." Not that Duo had a hankering for painting, but Heero could cook well. And while painting Duo's mind could wander. That afternoon he let it wander past his defenses, high and low, far and wide, to wind up at a familiar dead-end. He and Heero needed to Talk Things Out about their relationship. All the "Dekim Barton encroachment into their lives" was nothing compared to what sexus interuptus (as Duo guessed Wufei might put it) was going to do to them. The air was rampant with that tension. Bad feelings could fester and turn the tiniest nick in a friendship into a relationship-threatening wound. He had nearly lost Hilde by not admitting he was gay and avoiding her advances until she had already committed her feelings. He was not going to lose Heero, his one in a million, for Gods'sakes! No. his wasn't going to lose his chance at love over an imagined slight, some misunderstanding, and a lot of over-sensitivity on his part. Live and learn. He could do that. Open his soul to Heero. Now. He heard Heero growl and rip an old shirt into rags for cleaning. The rumble started low in his throat and sounded animalistic. Heero needed to get his aggression out by cleaning with minimal conversation, Duo decided. The Talk could wait a bit more. Not now, but soon. Like when he's cooking. But not as soon as he thought. As promised, Todd ran Ruggles over and dumped Lucifer on the porch. That provided Duo an excuse take a break and think about something else for a few minutes. "Thanks for bringing the mutt." As Duo bounced over to greet the frisky dog, Heero joined them. Duo moved around to give his friend equal access. He scratched behind the doggy ears and Heero accepted the enthusiastic doggy licks that came with the territory. Nothing pleased Duo more than to see Heero's anger wash away with the doggy kisses. "No problem. I brought yer mail, too. Just the one thing." Todd waited for Heero to read the note before forking over his weekly wages. He could be patient because Heero never forgot to tip, too. "Just a request for me to stop at the mill on the way," Heero explained, sort of, to Duo and counted out Todd's pay. "Well, gotta go. Thanks for the dough. I wanna hear more about the pirates, but my ole man says I gotta be back before dark to finish my chores." "I'll be here by myself next week, so come on by then," Duo told the boy. "Quat's got work dudes coming, too, so maybe you can earn some more of the hard stuff doin' odd jobs for them." "That would be great! See ya later!" It was good to be home, but it was time to get back to work. Ruggles barked once, and then found a cool spot on the hardwood floor to take a nap. Lucifer had already draped himself over the porch banister, where he could catch a breeze that stirred his whiskers, the only part of him that was animated. Duo and Heero looked them over, longing to nap away the rest of the day, but instead, returned to their drudgery. Before it became dark outside, Heero and Duo had to address the fate of their outhouse. They stood shoulder to shoulder and scanned the back for a path along partially submerged lumber to the leaning building. It listed to the left more than ever. "I gotta take a leak, but that's the scariest thing I've ever had to face," Duo said. "I can't hold it any longer without damaging myself," Heero said. Sharing a rueful "good luck" and a smile helped set their resolve, along with their pressing needs to relieve themselves. With a war cry, both young men ventured outside, leaping over the first mud pit and skidding along one board until it ran out. Heero jumped left to land on a tottering box and turned to watch Duo sail to the right onto an empty beer drum. Duo signaled him with a "thumbs up" and a grin. Being nimble, well-balanced, and agile enabled them to avoid a messy spill into the muck. Nothing, however, made the laborious and treacherous trip to the bathroom a pleasant affair. "Using the facilities has become an athletic event," Heero observed, when they had each had a turn. "No shit!" Heero stalled. "That is not a solution." Duo did a double take, and then laughed as a smile crept across Heero's face. "Funny." Heero's eyes swept over the landscape landing on a high spot where the grass had been cleared and a stand of young plants was just visible. "I hope the garden is all right." "Maybe we can chart a trail to that in the morning." "Or use stilts?" "Not me, man, but circus-boy-Trowa might give it a go. Well, maybe not with that bum leg." Immediately, Duo regretted spoiling the good mood by bringing up the name of anyone associated with Bartons, but he couldn't take it back. "Hn," Heero grunted then ran the gauntlet back into the house. After washing up as best they could in the kitchen, Heero set out the food without a word. Duo brushed a hand over his bangs and joined Heero at the table, avoiding his eyes. He bet Heero wanted to avoid The Talk as well. "Smells great, 'Ro." "Hn." Yep. Yessirree. Eat and no talk. They finished the simple meal in silence. Duo cleared and washed the dishes with Heero hovering at his elbow and drying. When the last dish was resting in the cupboard, Duo turned and seized Heero by the wrist and drew him closer. "Hey." Heero wrapped him in his strong embrace and they kissed. Heero poured his heart into it-- a soul kiss to his knees, deep and passionate. Duo was sure he was no longer standing; that his feet were floating off the ground. Oh, yeah, Heero supported his weight with one arm. He felt insubstantial in Heero's embrace. There was Heero, Heero's mouth, Heero's tongue on a quest for prime palate real estate. Duo felt his braid brush the door jam to their bedroom. When the mattress slapped him on his back, Duo broke their kiss. "Oh!" Duo caught his breath in a loud gasp as Heero's nose touched his nose. Those deep blue eyes brimming with desire locked with his eyes. Their connection was nearly complete. "Wanna get undressed?" Duo asked. "Yes, go ahead. I'm going to secure the door for the night then be right back." Duo took that to mean "strip and await further instructions." He wondered if he could look forward to another nice back massage. Maybe he should give Heero one this time? He twisted around, checking the floor for Heero's knapsack and wondered where Heero had stowed the oil he'd used at Winner's place. He decided not to invade his friend's personal property and didn't search inside the bag. He leaned back on the pillows and straightened out his braid. He ran a hand over his chest and covered himself with a thin sheet. "I can't do much anyway. I can't do a very good job of anything with only one good arm." "What are you complaining about?" "I thought I might give you one of those rub downs like you gave me, but-" "Unnecessary," Heero said as he tore off his clothes and piled them by the bed. His eyes never left Duo's torso, even as he dragged his bag to the bedside and settled on the mattress next to Duo. Duo blew a stream of air, ruffling his bangs. "Yeah, well..." "You know what you can do for me? You, ah, suggested it before, though you didn't mean it. And... it won't require both hands." Duo watched Heero's cheeks turn pink and his eyes glitter before lowering his eyelashes to screen the contact, safeguarding his obvious neediness from him. It was such a coy gesture, that Duo nearly laughed. "You want a blowjob!" "Yeah." Heero nodded with some enthusiasm, while blushing darker. "I don't know about you, but I meant what I said... about not knowing. Odin protected me from the others and I had few friends and after he died I've been alone." Okay, Maxwell, he started it now you spill your story or forever hold your peas, no, peace! "Okay, well, I did some hand jobs and a few blowjobs for food, to eat, ya know? But that's it. Nothing else. Not even with Solo. Not with strangers either, got that?" He leveled an intense stare at Heero to make him accept the truth. "I believe you." Duo nodded and let out the breath he hadn't known he was holding. "When I saw Howard, I was at my lowest. I hadn't eaten in a couple days and I was sick. I might have offered him just about anything at that point. I actually don't remember what I said, but he, well, he wasn't into guys, lucky me. So, things turned out okay. I told him later that I wasn't a... you know...in the business, and I thought he understood. He didn't have the right to tell you anything." "I know. It didn't matter to me; except, I was hoping you might be better at...this... than me." Duo smiled, feeling his cockiness return with his relief and shrugged off the last of his angst. That wasn't so hard after all! "It's pretty simple to start, and then nature takes over." Heero nodded, his face a picture of serious intent. Duo bit back a laugh. It was funny, but no guy wants to be thought inadequate in that department. And he loved Heero and wanted to make him feel good. "So, lay on your back." Heero swiftly positioned himself as instructed and waited. Duo crawled to his side, leaned on one elbow, and ran his free hand over the silky, golden skin pulled taut over rippling muscles. "God, you have one unobtanium body." "Is that good?" "The perfect substance." Heero opened his mouth to object just as Duo lowered his open mouth to his groin, and "perfection' took on an entirely different meaning. Oh, sure, Duo had serviced men a few times before, but those had been different. Oh, so different. Fast, dark, and dirty characterized his past sexual experiences. But as he took a deep breath, he smelled Heero's unique scent, all masculine and clean, and wanted to taste him like mad. Duo outlined Heero's flaccid member with the tip of his tongue, waking it instantly. He pushed in further with a hand, and fondled the soft balls, partially tucked between his strained legs. He kneaded them, gently at first, and then more forcefully, closely mimicking the way he would masturbate himself. "Mmmmnnnn..." Heero groaned. Duo knew the contact didn't really hurt, but that it was disturbingly stimulating since Heero's manhood stiffened. "That feels good, doesn't it?" Heero stubbornly shook his head, which Duo found hilarious. He laughed and stroked more vigorously, one hand still massaging his scrotum. "Yeah, it does," he replied for him. Duo kissed his toned belly with big, wet, sucking kisses that tickled more than anything else. Heero curled away to escape and barked a few strained, breathy laughs, but was too worked up now to think about anything else except getting relief. That reaction excited Duo nearly as much as direct contact. "This'll be even better," Duo croaked in a husky voice. Heero cried out wordlessly, as much out of shock as out of sexual passion, when Duo's tongue licked his member from base to head. One hand pressed against Heero's jerking hip, holding him steady. With the injured arm free, he held the bottom of his lover's shaft with his thumb and forefinger and guided the shield into his wet mouth. His lips curled over his teeth, protecting the delicate skin from injury. Oh, he knew what he was doing. He'd been shown the ropes before. Heero was gonna love this. (o) Without more rain to drench the already sopping soil, the puddles drained further over night, allowing Duo to reset the make-shift walkway to the outhouse while Heero prepared coffee and toast. He rubbed at his tender jaw and smiled. What a night! He felt great. Relaxed and ready to take on all the Barton's and Khushrenada's in the kingdom. Two blowjobs in one night! Sex with Heero had been better than terrific. "Fuckalicious!" "You talking to yourself again?" "I was thinking about you," Duo said, and turned around to greet his lover. "And coffee!" "I hope in that order." "Yeah." Duo allowed the return of his dopy, satiated grin; the one that made Heero want to mold him into a wad of pond muck. Heero crushed him up against the wall and kissed him fully on the lips, instead. He levered off, lifting his weight away, freeing Duo to move again, and leaving Duo breathless. "There, now drink your coffee and get back to work." Birds broke into song, frogs chirped in the grass, and all was well with the world. Home was where the heart was, and Duo's heart was with Heero. Yeah, he could tackle anything today, Duo was sure. His arm felt good. He could move it freely and his ribs were practically pain-free. "I'll help you with the boat." "You sure?" "Yeah, I can hold a hammer or whatever. I may not be ready to pole it to Serendipity tomorrow, but I can help you fix your boat today." "Good." Heero stared at him with critical eyes a moment. "You are gorgeous." "Man..." Duo couldn't stop grinning and felt like he deserved the compliment for a change. "You are. You have the best eyes. I love your lips; your tongue should be preserved-" It was Duo's turn to wrap himself around Heero, dragging him to the floor, and stifle further conversation for several minutes. (o) The letter was gone. Wufei checked and all the mail had gone out either late last night or very early this morning. It was too late to change things now. He sighed in a combination of relief and despair, and then seized the handle of his packed bag. "Winner? I am on my way. I'll return for dinner and hopefully with news to share." "You're going to the library, today? Why don't you relax after-?" "No need. I can't relax knowing..." he paused. He was unwilling to reveal his insecurities concerning Hilde to Quatre Winner and had caught himself from unintentionally unloading them. Instead, he changed the course of his response. "I mean, I must learn the history of 'the bridge that is no longer'." Wufei would use his bonus morning off to research information on Lucrezia Noin, Zechs Merquise, and Dorothy Catalonia. He owned a key to the library, because he was the school teacher. Who else used the place on a regular basis? This would distract him from his other concern-that woman, Hilde. Nothing else seemed to work. Her face, her voice, her lips had invaded his mind like a virulent disease. Not that he wanted a cure... He pictured her reading his letter as he strode to the stalls to get his horse. Before he could turn her smile into a frown after reading the contents of the note, he turned his attention on his horse, feeding it a couple lumps of sugar from the breakfast table. "Ready for some exercise, Dragon?" It was generous of Winner to lend him the stall, otherwise he would have had to spend nearly as much housing his horse in town as himself. Dragon was all he came with from L5, that and a bag of clothes and a bag of books and writing materials. He saddled up and led the gleaming dark horse out into the morning sun. "Winner's groom takes good care of you, doesn't he?" It was a good day for a ride. He took it slow, circling the park-like estate, breathing deeply of the floral scents that blended with the firs in a perfume finer than any exotic mix the ladies wore. Well, Hilde smelled nice. Meeting Hilde had been a thing of chance. He had seen Hilde for the first time the day aboard the pirate boat-- axe chopping the limbs off one assailant. They hadn't been introduced yet, but that didn't mean they weren't, in some abstract way, already in love. He certainly was. Not that he considered himself in love at the time. He was just totally spellbound from that moment on. Once it was established that she and Howard were Duo's former colleagues-not more pirates-- and that he was going to be living under the same roof as the ax-wielding vision of strength and beauty, he made an important decision. His next move was to ingratiate himself into her subculture. Now, this was something he considered himself proficient at doing. He could fit in anywhere, being such an accomplished covert operative with a keen eye for details and being so flexible in temperament. Both, he'd say. What a load of malarkey! Who was he kidding? That was not him at all! The Cajun, yes, but not him. Wufei couldn't lie to himself for long, even in a daydream. He was stubborn and stuck out like a sore thumb wherever he went outside of his L5 clan. He could hardly rearrange the structure of his life to make room for himself, much less fit into the world of the Sweepers! But then, after settling in the two invalids and helping Hilde prepare a meal, he had made a graceful, manly, and timely entrance. In the same breath that he praised her accommodations and fighting style, he had planned to tell her he was an honorable scholar. He waited just that extra second before he did in order to make sure he had enchanted her. And... he couldn't recall how anything turned out. He was much better at imagining a courtship than actually executing one, he decided, so he "imagined on." After moving into Hilde's living room with Duo, Trowa, and Heero, he had, in fact, just been himself, while at the same time not given himself away. A tricky maneuver, to be sure, but Wufei believed he was a multi-talented individual, and as such was untroubled by the challenge. The larger issue was the idea of acting like himself. Because frankly, around women, Wufei simply fell apart or drew a blank or became down right insulting if he perceived the woman in question to be weak in anyway. Having Trowa and Duo to care for and Heero as a further but non-competitive distraction, relieved from his shoulders some of the burden of being himself. Hilde just had too much to do to notice Wufei's every mistake; at least, he hoped so. And, if her enthusiastic responses where any indication, he had drawn her attention. She kissed him, and more than once. She might think she had a crush on him, but he was certain that they shared true love. Dear Buddha! How had he arrived at that conclusion? What was he thinking about! It was more raving of a madman than a cool-headed scholar-swordsman! Wufei liked the romantic conclusion so much, though, that he retraced his mental steps to get to the beginning and deduce the same happy ending one more time. This time, however, his thought processes took a tangent and carried him all the way up memory lane to the events of last evening. The time had come. It was time to arrange a formal meeting with Hilde on his home turf. The night spent at Winner's had been a productive one for him. After seeing to the care of the injured and ensuring everyone would be occupied and not be bothering him in his room later, he began with a proper letter of introduction. He would write to Hilde about himself. The problem had been how to present himself as an average, non-threatening human being while simultaneously informing her of his abolished status from the clan and making himself likeable without going overboard. Moreover, how could he convince her to trust his motives enough to come and stay for a visit, lengthy or not? He considered himself pretty appealing on first meeting, and he believed she thought so, too. But trust takes time and more than a single piece of paper to achieve. Even he knew his personality needed to grow on people, often requiring a few years and a ream or two of paper to get someone to truly trust him. He could appear stern and overbearing, a necessary characteristic to have around his doltish students. Oh, sure, he knew how to flatter, overdo, and lay it on thick in order to speed up his likeability time frame, but none of those techniques would resolve the trust issue. For someone to trust him, he had to provide them honest answers, and consciousness-raising-- when it came to his personal issues-- was not his forte. He was a tight-lipped fellow exiled to this outback town, consigned to educate the miserable offspring of the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker, and with rather dim prospects to ever get back to his former elevated position in his clan. Head of his clan. He was a prince in exile. This thought made him morose. To be truthful, he would have to reveal his soul to gain Hilde's trust. With that in mind, he had tried to compact how he felt, part with a few underlying truths about himself, regale her with flattery, and wrap it up in an air of mystery-all on paper. In the end, he did not like the sniveling, romantic Chang Wufei who wrote his single page letter of introduction, but he hoped she would. He wrote and re-wrote, but was still unsatisfied until he tore it to shreds and started over from scratch again. "My introductory letter could have waited for a more opportune time," he said to himself. And he sighed, because that was not what he had done; instead, some part of his mind had folded the paper into thirds, stuffed it into an envelope, and left it on the silver palaver reserved expressly for the outgoing mail at the Winner estate. That had been last night. By now, or soon, depending on the speed of the mail traffic, it was, or would be in, in her hands. His letter, his heart, his future. Tomorrow, he would see her and learn her answer. Which was why he hadn't slept well at all. He trotted his steed to the back of a small inn near the library, where he could leave his horse for the day. Everyone at the stable was familiar with the school teacher's penchant for visiting the book building. He was easily recognized as the only man of Chinese distraction in town, so the stable boy hardly did more than take the leather straps and tip his hat. Wufei yawned, pressed a few coins into the grubby hand along with the reins, and then strode the short distance to the library. He walked around to the building's rear entrance, used his key to let himself in, light a lantern, and toddle downstairs. It was time to think about something else for a change. Dwell on the past, where it was safe. He thought he'd begin with the backlog of old local newspapers. He knew the basement storage like the back of his hand, having spent many hours learning every square inch of the only building which housed books, until he met Quatre Winner and toured his impressive library. One hundred years or more of weekly papers were stored on floor-to-ceiling enclosed shelves lining the walls and intruding into the inner basement forming lines and lines of free-standing walls. Inside each cabinet, the crisp, yellowed papers were stacked open and flat with thin sheets of wood separating the issues by month. Each palate was labeled clearly with the month and year, so, in spite of the poor lamplight, Wufei expected to locate the issues of interest swiftly. It took longer than he thought. He wanted to find out who built the bridge over the Rogue River and why. It had to have cost a fortune. What he discovered was that the entire debacle happened only about twenty years ago. Before he and his friends were born, but not so long ago as Winner had made it sound. He thought that was odd, but then Winner was odd. A little flaky at times. He located the reports covering the initial building, the mixed community support and opposition. He followed the tortuous bridge erection, grand opening, and short life. When only weeks later a storm ripped it down, including, strangely, the foundation supports. Someone lost a fortune, too. After learning all he could from the small town news, Wufei continued his investigation in the records room. At least this room had natural light, he thought blinking as he left the dim underground vault. Having been born into an ancient L5 clan that could trace its lineage back to the beginning of time (or so it seemed to him when as a young boy he had to study the names and titles that led to his most notable family and, eventually to him in particular,) he understood how complex and convoluted family ties and relationships could become. The sun was high over head, even beginning its descent, when he found the most remarkable information. He dashed off his final observations, stored his notes in a file, tucked the records away where he had found them, and raced from the building to collect his horse. He might be late for dinner at Winner's, but they'd all forgive him once they learned what he had found. Late as he was, he still arrived before Heero and Duo. While the news in the folder grew whiskers, he sat with Quatre and Trowa. A brilliant green stone glittered on Quatre's earlobe. It hadn't been there before. He nearly always wore a diamond. Now, it was green. On careful observation, Wufei noted that Trowa was wearing a bright blue stone on his left ear, where none had been before. Not an aquamarine. Sapphire, probably. Costly baubles. Wufei fingered his own earring, a simple sphere of jade. His great-grandfather's and of little value. Except to him. "Oh, you noticed!" Quatre said. He didn't sound the least bit embarrassed at having given Trowa a stone worth more than Heero or Duo earned in a year-possibly even a lifetime! "You changed your earring." Wufei didn't bother hiding his discontent. "Pretty thing, isn't it?" Quatre didn't bother to wait for an answer. "You can put that face away. Don't judge me, Wufei." "Why shouldn't I? I guide children for a living, such as it is, and if you are acting like one I'll advise you of that." "You should not confuse your career with your life." "You are flaky." Quatre pulled a pout, while Wufei made a face and folded his arms over his chest. Trowa ambled to within listening distance and appeared to gauge the level of animosity before participating. "Dere be a problem?" "No matter what happens," Quatre said, sighing dramatically, "Wufei always finds a way to take it too seriously." "Me? It's you who has the problem with becoming too serious. Giving him...that." Wufei directed his gaze at Trowa's nearest ear, sparkling with the glitzy, sapphire adornment. "Don't you know that it's too soon for such...demonstrations of... attraction." Wufei snapped at them both, although his criticism was directed at Quatre. If Trowa insisted on standing that close, then he could be included.What was Quatre thinking? He couldn't be that desperate for lovers! Quatre was foolhardy to lavish him with jewels, but Wufei didn't blame Trowa for accepting the extravagant gift. The Cajun was a trader, a gambler, a man used to making the most of any good fortune. A man of little honor. "Excuse me?" Quatre said, confused. Trowa stepped between them. "You tink he gave me de earring, Chang?" "What would you have me believe? Do you think I'm blind and don't notice you're both wearing gemstones that match the other man's eye color? It's improper and foolish." "Chang, dis is mine." "Not that I blame you-" Wufei muttered. "I've had it for years. Took it out 'round de pirates and just foun' it in de bottom of my bag. 'Fraid I'd lost it." "A fool and his money are soon parted," Wufei recited in a world of his own. He was actually hoping Heero and Duo would walk in. Heero would support him. Duo might. He seemed a thrifty fellow. Yes, both Duo and Heero were used to living on the margin; they would understand. "Wufei! This is new." Quatre pointed to his earring. "It's an excellent investment, but mostly I believe I can get Treize to bid higher for it. He has a thing for emeralds, I hear, and I may need a reason for meeting with him." "If you have money you can make the ghosts and devils turn your grind stone." "Wufei, you're ranting now." "Man who drive like hell, bound to get there." "Wufei, stop it! You are acting like a frog in a well shaft seeing the sky." Wufei felt the fog in his brain lift. "That actually IS a Chinese proverb. How do you know that?" "I read a lot." "What's it mean?" Trowa asked, patting his pockets for a smoke. "There's an argument between a bird, which stopped to drink at a well, and a frog, which is in the well. Deep down inside. They're arguing about what the sky looks like, and considering where they are, they each have a different view. The frog's vision was of course very limited. Therefore, this proverb refers to somebody who has a very narrow-minded and insulated view of what they see or what they think." Quatre turned to face Wufei. "Like you." "Me!" Trowa put a hand on Wufei's chest. "If you find yourself inna hole, de first ting to do is stop diggin'. Dat be a Cajun proverb." Wufei blinked. "So you didn't exchange treasured heirlooms or buy expensive gifts?" "I ain't no parvenu (translation: an ill-bred, social-climbing man), Chang, and dat's a fact." "We're HEEE-ERE!" Duo's voice rattled the windows, and Wufei smiled. He was saved by the charming loud-mouthed fellow with a braid. Braid to his ass. "Maxwell! Yuy! I have news!" Quatre and Trowa said nothing more to Wufei. He knew he had jumped to conclusions, and knew they that they knew how repentant he was (not much.) Once they heard what he had discovered, though, they would understand why he was a little unbalanced this evening. The earring thing was a cruel joke anyway. He was positive, now that he understood the setup, that they planned this just to see his reaction, and he had fallen for it. He sure showed them a reaction. Knee-jerk. That was the kind of behavior that set him back, that had driven him from his homeland to do penance in Sublimity. At that moment he had an epiphany. Penance in Sublimity. Atoning for his shortcomings in the most utterly complete and beautiful place in the entire kingdom? How was this torture? What was this teaching him? Why..., this was the place he belonged! Perhaps it was presumptive of him, second-guessing his clan's purposes. It wasn't that he failed in his L5 clan, but that he had outgrown the place. At this rate, he wondered, how much longer would it be before the kingdom was too small for him? He was broken out of his pleasant reflections by a hardy slap on the back and more of Duo's voice, much closer this time. "What news?" Before he could begin, however, Quatre took charge and moved them all to the dining room. He and Quatre were both strong-willed and would forever be at odds, Wufei mused. He waited until Winner had a mouthful of food, and then revealed what he had unearthed that day. "Dorothy Catalonia's family built the bridge." "The laundry woman?" Duo asked, unconvinced. "She wasn't always a laundress. Once she was Relena's best friend. In fact, from my gleanings off the society pages, Dorothy was a childhood friend of both Treize Khushrenada and Milliardo Peacecraft (as Zechs Merquise was known as as a child) in Sanc Royal, and then met Relena when visiting the summer home of Milliardo here. I assume this is how it went from the party announcements. Dorothy's family moved here, but her uncle remained in the big city, where she could visit her old friends frequently." "And her father built a bridge?" Duo said. "Yes, which was strange because overland trade was his business." "And...?" Quatre prompted him. "General Catalonia's name ring a bell to you?" he asked Quatre. "Treize and Zechs' commanding officer was a General Catalonia," Quatre said. "You don't mean--! Are you implying General Catalonia is Dorothy's father? It isn't an uncommon name in Sanc." "Not her father, but her much older uncle. Her father was ruined when the bridge was destroyed and died the next year in ill health. Her mother followed shortly thereafter. Dorothy was sent to live with her uncle, with whom she spent a great deal of time anyway. And that's just a start! Our lowly laundress' family tree has more interesting branches. Her grandfather is Duke Dermail." "No!" "Oh, yes. What's more, Duke Dermail's youngest sister was Treize's mother. So, it makes sense now that the three children Zechs, Treize, and Dorothy played together in the Sanc Kingdom." "But this all happened long ago!" Quatre insisted. "Not so. The bridge was built over a five year period and destroyed in an afternoon about twenty years ago." "But the only time I heard it mentioned, it sounded like ancient history," Quatre said. "I understood it to be in the far past also," Heero said. "I guess to little kids every story we hear sounds like the events happened in the olden times," Quatre said. "Like when I-" "What's more," Wufei interrupted, "I believe Noin's family helped destroy the bridge and ruined the Catalonia family. Not just for the reasons stated for hating what it did to their inn's business, but in ruining the Catalonia family financially it also spoiled their rise to power. Notice that it's Lucrezia that's on Zechs' arm now and not Dorothy." Quatre paled. "That's monstrous!" "You can't be sure though?" Duo asked Wufei. "I trust the rumors that were later stifled by the powers that be." Wufei smiled slyly. "Because we all know that the most powerful force in the universe is gossip." "So, why did a famous general's brother build a bridge in the first place?" Duo asked. "That," Wufei said, "Is the family-fortune-busting question." "We may never know," Quatre admitted. "Had it been successful," Heero said, "he would have re-written the history of the area. River business would have been unnecessary because roadways would have been built and developed to carry more freight." "And the Barton's were in the river business." "So was Odin Lowe," Heero remarked. "If the Noin family needed a bridge torn out, they hadn't far to look for folks to do the job." "Any of dem would have benefited," Trowa agreed. "I wish we could follow the money trail on this," Wufei said. "I'll bet in the end that Treize ended up richer than the general and in a better position to rise to power." "Oh, certainly," Quatre agreed. "General Catalonia would most certainly have been better positioned than a young Khushrenada to be Duke Dermail's second-hand man." "And with his brother ruined and his family shamed, the General resigned his commission a few years later and retired." "He's dead now," Quatre said. "Treize was the only on remaining who could take his place in the Duke's heart and mind." "So now Treize wants to buy a Dukedom and take over? I don't know," Duo said. Quatre shrugged his agreement. "Not that any of this has much to do with what's going on today, except that it explains the players a bit more." That said, Heero dove into his desert with relish. Quatre smiled apologetically to Wufei, before tasting his lemon soufflé. Duo and Trowa were already halfway into their second servings. "There is always some danger lurking; that's what it comes down to." Wufei refused to touch his delicate sweet until he'd said everything on his mind. Well, not the "Hilde" issues, but everything else. "The longer Trowa Barton is here, the closer Dekim is to catching him and the more dangerous our day-to-day living becomes." "I should leave," Trowa said. Quatre's crystal goblet rang discordantly when he dropped his spoon. "Nonsense," Quatre said, with a Duo echo behind him. "I'm glad you have that injury," Quatre declared. "Otherwise I'd worry even more about you slipping away in the night." Heat rose to Trowa's face, the most emotional response Wufei had seen from him yet. "I wouldn't do that, not without warning you first." "Good!" Quatre said. He made no attempt to hide the delight in his voice. "Because I have an idea that will throw the Dekim gang off your tail. So, don't look so glum!" "Glum isn't the word, Quat. 'Sorry-assed' and 'fucked-up's' more like it." Quatre smiled at Duo then went on. "Trowa accompanies Heero and Wufei to Serendipity and makes it look like he's gone there to stay. Of course, he hides and makes it back onto the boat for the return trip. I think if you send a note and extend Miss Hilde an invitation to visit, Duo, she'd accept. Then, you could find a way to sneak Trowa on board with her-both at the same time, you understand? She can stay here at my estate and join us for Zech's party. I'll invite her in any case." Wufei froze in place, his fork pose at the entry to his mouth. He just invited Hilde himself. Had Quatre read his note? His mind? Of course, if she accepted the invitation, Winner's estate would be a better place for her to stay than his own humble abode, and more morally appropriate. So, this was a good thing, perhaps? He snapped at the tempting morsel and swallowed it down. It wasn't so hard to swallow a bite, when it was so sweet. Heero apparently didn't mind the extra company and Trowa liked the idea of being able to look for signs of Middie and his missing skiff, neither of which he could do holed up in Winner's idyllic guest bedroom. "I'll invite her personally, if I can go along, too," Duo said. "Feeling left out?" Heero asked. Heero might have insisted that he come, had Quatre not remarked faster with, "Oh, I have all kinds of appointments lined up for you." Duo looked dubious. "For what?" "Well, all this talk about Zechs' summer home got me to thinking. I really should think of your fishing cabin as investment property. So, to that effect, I'm bringing in workers to do the rest of the upgrade. No, no... I insist! What I need is an on-site construction manager. That's you." Duo baulked at suggestion and the costs, but Quatre persisted. "We are running out of summer. I have the funding for plumbers, foundation men, and roofers galore. The local economy could use the influx of money anyway. It puts men to work." How could anyone argue with that, Wufei wondered? Even Duo gave up.Wufei decided Winner had the sharpest mind in all Sanc. Soon he'd have Duo and Heero's little cabin overlooking the Rogue River doubled in size. They would be able to enjoy the only indoor soaking tub in town and he'd have a nice little investment cottage when they left-if they left. "After all," Wufei drawled, "your current temporary living accommodations-- sharing your house with Yuy-- isn't a simple modus vivendi arrangement. "I'd call it more of a pro boner - in favor of erections." Duo grinned. "You made that up, didn't you? It certainly is not real Latin," Wufei told him with a professorial frown. "Huh? You mean you were speaking a real language?" "Well, it's a dead language, but real, naturally--" Quatre chuckled. "I got one!" "One what?" Wufei asked like the perfect straight man. "My own made-up word. 'Bureaucat.' That's a kitty who sleeps with your undies." Wufei did his gaping carp impression. He knew it was unbecoming and tried to clamp shut his jaw, but failed. "We should go," Heero said. "Early start and all." "Especially the 'and all' part," Duo crowed. "Whooooweee! Night, y'all!" End Chapter 12 Out of context interlude, with my apologies: "What was with the stupid 'Bureaucat.' joke?" "Yuy, be nice." "Butt out, Barton." "I almost goofed that up, didn't I?" Quatre asked. "Yep. You got the wrong story, bud. Let me get rid of that page of your script. See? That was a page out of 'Band of Steel' - deleted scene, remember?" "Oh, sorry! Heh, heh...thanks, Duo. I was using it as a page marker and sigh this story is filled with cats, too." "It was a stupid joke then and stupider now." "I agree with Yuy. That's why it was deleted in the first place. Of course, the entire kitten crap had no place in a band story. Cheap joke." "'Fei, you always agree with 'Ro." "The joke, such as it was, was badly told, too." "'Nuff said, Yuy. Leave off Quatre now. And Chang, keep your nose outta this." "Ooooh, Trowa's getting all macho on us. How about a fight? Mano y mano." "Maxwell, shutup." "Okay, 'Ro." "I say Winner buys us all a round." "Thanks, Heero! Drinks are all on me!"
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