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"Meditations on the Colour Blue"Written By: Waterliliylf Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing. All rights
remain with Bandai, Sotsu and associated parties. No profit being
made here. Rating: NC 17 Warnings: Sap, angst, fluff Pairings: Wufei/Zechs get together. Background
1x2, 3x4 Summary: When Wufei takes a sabbatical to finish
his new book, his aim to write loses focus due to noisy neighbours...but
is that such a bad thing when one of them happens to be a handsome
prince? "Meditations on the Colour Blue"
Chapter 9: Much to Wufei's surprise, Duo didn't mention the incident once as they drove off. He apparently preferred music to conversation in a car; not the style of music that Wufei would have chosen, but he was so grateful not to be teased that he was quite willing to put up with Duo's taste. That had possibly been of the more mortifying experiences of his whole life; even more so than the time when he'd confused two emperors of the Ming dynasty in front of a whole class. Only the fact that Zechs had obviously been just as embarrassed, and that Duo had been fairly blasé about it all, had kept him from running away as fast as he could. It had been awful though; he'd been behaving in that distressingly uninhibited fashion, sprawled all over Zechs and more wanton than he'd probably ever been in his life - certain episodes in the moon garden excepted - and he'd had an audience. How shaming, to be caught comporting himself like that. He caught a glimpse of himself in the wing mirror as Duo slowed down, entering the city limits of Marbella. Oh dear. He didn't look remotely shamed or chastened. There was actually a faint smile picking up one corner of his mouth, which was itself more swollen than usual, and the unmistakable beginnings of a love-bite blooming on his throat. Duo had taken an inordinately long time in the shower, long enough to wash his hair three times over, and he and Zechs hadn't wasted a minute. He looked like someone who'd very recently had sex. He looked happy. And he and Zechs were planning to spend the evening together; perhaps the night also. Perhaps they'd make love properly this time, once he'd bolted every door in the house, and made sure that Zechs had plenty of lubricant to hand. On his hands. Oh, this had got to stop. Wrenching his mind brutally away from those appealing fantasies, Wufei forced himself to take notice of the outside world. 'Dunnes Stores?' He asked as Duo pulled into the car park of a large department store. 'That doesn't sound very Spanish.' 'It's Irish, actually, but they have a few branches in the south of Spain. The quality's good, but still cheap. It's a great place to get casual stuff if you need anything. Heero shops here a lot; it's all pretty conservative.' He hadn't planned on buying clothes, but maybe another couple of pairs of shorts would come in useful. And a couple of loose t-shirts, if he planned to help Duo on the boat. He had collected a few garments by the time he met up with Duo at the changing rooms. The other man, who was obviously some sort of shopaholic, had a pair of dark trousers slung over one shoulder, and an armful of other, brightly coloured clothes. 'I thought you said you only needed one thing.' 'I do.' Duo dumped the tangle of garments into his arms. 'This is stuff I picked out for you.' 'That wasn't necessary. I don't need that many things and in any case I'm more than capable of choosing my own clothes.' Duo rolled his eyes. 'Actually, I'm not so sure about that. All those things you picked up are at least one size too big, and most of them are the colour of regurgitated porridge. Seriously, it wouldn't kill you to wear something bright for a change.' 'I do, sometimes,' Wufei retorted. Well, he had worn that red shirt. 'Duo, I don't need help with how to dress.' The braided man just grinned at him. 'Tell you what? I'll make a deal with you. You try on a couple of the things I picked out and if you totally hate them, we'll forget about the whole thing. OK?' 'If it stops you nagging me, fine.' Wufei made a great effort to sound exasperated with his new friend, which he wasn't, really, being just a little tempted by the colourful offerings Duo had produced. Since he was changing so many things about his life, perhaps it was time to change his wardrobe. The clothes he possessed roughly fell into two categories. The loose, Chinese style tunics and trousers that he wore for exercise or when he was at home, or the sober, conservative outfits he chose for work, and which were designed to make him look older than he really was. It might be fun to wear something bright and casual for once. Fun. That word again. He was turning into one of those hedonistic people who seemed to live for pleasure alone. But surely it couldn't hurt to indulge himself for a couple of days? Just for a week? By Monday, he would be refreshed after his little holiday and more than willing to throw himself back into his work. The shorts were surprisingly modest, given the sort of things that Duo wore. They were a little too close-fitting, but the next size up would be perfect and he rather liked all the zips and pockets. The red t-shirt hadn't looked fitted on the hanger, but it was made of cotton blended with some clingy synthetic material that hugged his body. It wasn't particularly indecent, just more immodest than he really liked. Zechs has said that red suited him, though, and perhaps it was more acceptable to wear these sort of clothes in such a hot climate. Duo, who was lounging against a full-length mirror and talking to the assistant, whistled as Wufei walked out. 'Whee! So that's what you were hiding under all that baggy stuff? Very nice! Now, tell me you don't like the way you look.' Wufei gave his reflection in the glass a half smile. 'I do like it. But I need a larger size in the shorts.' 'No way. You have a seriously great ass, and it deserves to be shown off.' He grinned at the shop assistant and said something in Spanish, something the Chinese man was rather glad he couldn't understand. 'Duo!' Wufei felt himself go as red as his shirt, as the rather good-looking assistant gave him an openly appraising smile. 'Yeah? What? I swear, it's crime against humanity; the gay, male part of it anyway, not to show that body off a little bit. You look amazing. And Zechsy loves red. He'll be all over you.' Wufei sniffed. 'I'm not buying clothes for the express purpose of pleasing him.' The prospect of Zechs being all over him was rather pleasing though. No. He quashed the beginnings of that thought. He was not going to be that superficial. ''Course you're not. If you were, you'd be going to Armani or somewhere.' He passed Wufei a pair of cropped linen pants and a dark purple shirt. 'Try these. But what's wrong with wearing something your boyfriend is going to like?' 'It's something women do.' 'Pretty sexist, aren't you? Seriously, Wufei, you look great. Very classy and sexy at the same time. Zechs is going to love the new look.' 'He does like red,' Wufei murmured, remembering the warmly admiring look in those blue eyes when he'd turned up in the red silk shirt. He'd liked that. And Zechs would probably like this outfit too. 'It's OK,' Duo said softly. 'There's nothing wrong with wanting to look good for someone, you know. And it's nice to get a buzz out of them looking at you.' 'I suppose.' He'd never thought of it like that before. Maybe Duo was right? 'Is that why you dress the way you do? For Heero?' 'Are you kidding? If Heero had his way, I'd never go out in public unless I was wearing a chastity belt and a burka or something.' He grinned, striking a pose against the mirror he was leaning on. 'Doesn't stop him looking, though. And I prefer his eyes to be on my ass when we're out than ogling some other guy. Now, are you going to try the rest of this stuff or am I going to have to come in with you and help you undress?' 'I've never bought so many clothes in my life,' Wufei said, almost an hour later, as they walked out, both swinging full carrier bags. He'd kept on the first outfit he'd tried, and was feeling just a little self-conscious about it. Out of the air-conditioned shop, the t-shirt was moulding itself to his chest even more, and he was uncomfortably of his nipples against the soft fabric. 'They all really suit you, and you didn't spend that much. Now, you want to get something to eat? There's a nice Italian place down by the harbour; it's a bit pricy but the scenery's great.' 'The scenery is beautiful everywhere here, I think,' Wufei commented as they headed down to the port. 'I still can't believe how blue the sea is.' 'Oh, yeah,' Duo glanced at him, eyes brimming with mischief. 'That wasn't exactly what I meant, though it is pretty. This is where all the rich guys who tie their yachts up at the dock hang out and try to pick up the local talent. I bet we could score a couple of billionaires in ten seconds if we wanted.' 'I don't want to do anything of the sort!' 'Well, duh. Neither do I. But there's no point putting on all that snazzy new stuff if no one gets to admire it. Come on,' he gave Wufei a nudge with one elbow. 'It'll be fun. Listen, how's this for a plan? Whichever of us gets hit on first buys the other one lunch.' 'Oh, all right,' Wufei said resignedly. He already had a fair idea that his new friend was used to getting his own way, and he certainly wasn't going to stand arguing in the middle of the street. It was a safe bet anyway; no one was going to look at him in Duo's company. He lost the bet. On the plus side, he was the recipient of a bottle of vintage champagne, some very fulsome compliments from a rather attractive German, and the offer of a trip to Antigua by yacht. 'Told you you'd have no problem picking up guys!' Duo crowed cheerfully. 'Now, look me in the eye and tell me that wasn't a nice little ego boost.' Wufei took a sip of champagne; he didn't really like the stuff, but it was a shame not to taste it at least. 'All right,' he said frankly. 'It was. Duo, I never do things like this. Never. I've never had a total stranger buy me drinks, and, well, proposition me like that.' 'Seriously?' Duo stared at him. 'Sorry, but are the all the guys where you live blind or something? You've got a great body; you've got this whole exotic Asian thing going on for you. I swear, you could have any guy in this restaurant if you just flicked your hair back and batted your eyelashes at him.' 'Duo, stop.' Wufei was suddenly, scorchingly crimson. 'You can't say things like that!' 'Why not?' His friend looked honestly bemused, violet eyes wide. 'It's true. Listen, you do actually know that you're gorgeous, right?' 'I'm nothing of the sort!' 'Oh boy.' Duo leant back, tilting his chair at what looked like a dangerous angle, with a smile slowly spreading over his face. 'Where exactly am I going to start? Don't they have mirrors where you come from? Or do you have some religious objection to looking at yourself in them?' 'No,' Wufei muttered, taking a gulp of champagne in the hope that it would cool him down a bit. It didn't work. All those ridiculous bubbles went zinging straight to his brain, flooding the carefully cultivated, logical part, and letting all his carefully hoarded insecurities surge free. 'I'm not gorgeous, as you put it. I'm too short; my mouth is too big for my face and I've got eyelashes like a girl. ' Duo just lay there, laughing at him. 'God, you actually mean that, don't you? If you've got all these physical defects, why don't you tell me just how come you've had no less than five men zooming in on you the minute we walked in this door? How come you've got Zechs literally panting at your feet for a little attention?' 'It's not just physical with Zechs,' Wufei said doggedly. 'Yeah, I know.' Duo reached out and patted his arm. 'I know it's not. But I swear, he likes the way you look. He really likes it.' He frowned suddenly. 'Did Trowa never tell you that you were madly attractive?' 'Oh!' The blush had almost faded; that comment made it surge back to his cheeks. 'Maybe, when we first got together, but I used to get embarrassed and he stopped eventually.' He stared down at his plate, surprised by a little sting of guilt; he'd never told Trowa he was attractive either. He'd tried to show it, though, and anyway Trowa was well aware of how handsome he was. Or maybe he wasn't. The last time he'd had dinner with Trowa and Quatre, a week before he'd flown to Spain, the blond had enthused over a new jacket that Trowa was wearing, over the fact that he'd had his hair trimmed a little. At the time, Wufei had thought it ridiculous, but looking back, Trowa had been quietly pleased by the attention. Gods, what a fool he'd been. No wonder Trowa had left. 'Hey.' Duo's voice was very quiet, very serious. 'Wufei. I didn't mean to upset you. Whatever I said, I'm really sorry. My mouth just runs away with me sometimes.' 'It wasn't you.' Their food arrived, and they were both silent while the waiters offered black pepper and parmesan and filled up their glasses. 'I was just thinking about Trowa. I was such a fool.' 'Don't talk like that. Maybe you made mistakes, but he was the one who left, right? His choice; he could've stayed and tried to sort out whatever he wasn't happy with. He didn't have to run off with the first blond he took a shine to.' 'I suppose,' Wufei admitted, poking at his chicken. He hadn't thought of that before; he was almost sure that Trowa had been happy enough with him. They'd never had arguments, the way some couples did; they'd allowed each other plenty of personal space and been careful not to make too many demands on the other. Ugh. Of course they'd broken up. 'Everyone makes mistakes in relationships, you know,' Duo commented. 'You just have to move on and try not to make the same ones the second time 'round. I'm going to give you one little piece of advice; when Zechsy tells you how hot you're looking in those shorts, don't just brush him off, OK? Give him a nice big smooch and wiggle your ass a bit for him. And it wouldn't hurt for you to bend over in front of him a couple of times either, just to give him a whole other angle to drool over.' 'Have you appointed yourself as my relationships counsellor or something?' Wufei asked sourly. He certainly wasn't going to be bending over; well, maybe he was, later, but he could probably wiggle a little bit. He was not going to repeat all the mistakes he'd made with Trowa. 'Not exactly. I just think it's high time you started to live a little bit,' Duo told him. 'I don't mean hooking up with strangers; just going and letting your hair down sometimes. Speaking of which, why don't you? It was loose this morning when I walked in on you guys.' Wufei grunted. 'Don't you believe in knocking when you go into other people's houses?' 'Oh, yeah.' Duo tossed him a sheepish little grin. 'I should apologise for that, right? It's just Heero and I spend a lot of time there; it never occurred to me that I should knock. I will in future though. I'm really sorry if I embarrassed you.' 'You didn't seem particularly sorry at the time.' 'Nah. It was so cute! I don't think I've ever seen anybody move so fast as when you got off his lap. So, I'm guessing the date last night went well? Where did you go?' Wufei nodded. 'It went very well. We actually stayed at home and had a picnic in Zechs' garden. The moon garden.' Duo shivered slightly. 'I always think that place is kind of creepy. It's like the flowers are radioactive or something, the way they glow in the dark. It's Zechsy's special place though, pretty much. Did you like it?' 'I thought it was very romantic.' He stumbled a little bit over the last word, but Duo didn't even look from winding pasta around his fork, and that encouraged him to continue. 'I can see why he feels it's so special.' 'Yeah?' Duo glanced up, grinning. 'I don't actually get it myself, but if he brought you there, at the full moon and all, he must be really, really into you. Not that it was ever in question or anything.' He took a sip of his drink. 'So, next question. D'you feel the same way about him?' 'I've only just met him,' Wufei hedged. He knew; well, he thought he was starting to acknowledge how he felt about Zechs, and he thought he knew how much the prince liked him, but it was rather nice to hear someone else confirm it. 'Don't give me that. I knew how I felt about Heero after less than five minutes. And, sorry, but I walked in on you guys this morning, remember? It was pretty obvious there was chemistry if nothing else between you. Hell, I was there when you first saw each other. I've practically had a ringside seat so far.' 'Why bother asking me then?' Wufei muttered. 'If you know so much already.' 'Just wondering if it was purely physical for you. Look, tell me to mind my own business if you like, but he's a really good friend of mine. He's serious about you and I just wondered if you felt the same or if this is just a holiday fling for you with the cute guy next door before you get back to your real life?' 'I don't do flings!' Wufei snapped at him. 'Of course I'm serious about him and of course it's more than physical.' 'Cool.' Duo mopped up some of his sauce with a piece of bread. 'I guessed you felt like that, but I just wanted to check.' He threw Wufei one of those impossibly charming smiles. 'I thought we could either sit here all afternoon with me being all subtle about asking you, or I could just jump straight in. Now we've got it over with so we can move on and talk about something else. You don't mind too much, do you?' 'I suppose not.' It was true, surprisingly enough. He'd only known Duo a few days, but it was utterly impossible not to warm to him. And it was rather nice that Zechs had such a concerned friend. 'Thing is, he was really hurt by some ex a few years ago. When I first met him, he was still getting over it, and there hasn't really been anyone serious since then. Not 'til you.' 'We have talked, a little, about this.' Wufei broke off a piece of bread, giving his hands something to do. 'We agreed that we both want more than just a quick fling and that we wanted to get to know each other, as friends, before, well, before anything physical.' 'Hum. You do realise you used the past tense there, both times.' Wufei nodded, concentrating very hard on cutting up a piece of chicken. How had he ever got into this conversation? He was starting to suspect Duo of injecting his food with some sort of truth serum. 'We may have changed the rules fractionally.' 'Yeah, I sort of got that today.' Duo crowed with laughter. 'So did you sleep together the other night?' 'No!' Damnation, he was going to have to get better at anticipating these sort of questions. 'Why not?' Duo asked bluntly. 'Moonlight, a gorgeous blond guy, the sound of the sea and all that jazz…I'd have jumped him before he knew what was going on!' At this point, Chang Wufei, who had been surprising himself almost non-stop ever since he had arrived in this country, gave himself another shock. Grinning over at Duo, he said, 'Actually, there was a certain amount of jumping.' 'Cool!' Before he could start to ask any more personal questions, or before Wufei could provide answers, Duo's 'phone providentially rang. 'Just a sec. Oh, hey Heero. Everything OK? Yes, fine, having lunch with Wufei right now. We're thinking of running off to the Caribbean with this German millionaire guy. Yeah, I'll be home for dinner. A couple of hours, probably; Wufei needs to buy some stuff. Yes, I did get them; they're horribly boring. Black with turn-ups and a crease and everything. He's definitely coming to the party; looking forward to it. I'm not so sure about the actual presentation; I'll ask him and call you back. 'Kay, see you about six. Love you.' He slid the 'phone back into his pocket. 'That was Heero, in case you didn't guess. He wants to know if you'd be interested in attending the actual presentation on Friday; apparently a couple of people pulled out so there're a few tickets going spare.' 'I'd like to, very much. You know, you still haven't told me what his paper is about?' 'Seaweed in the Southern Mediterranean.' 'Seaweed?' Wufei asked blankly. He'd imagined Heero working with sharks or killer whales or giant Octopus. Not seaweed. 'There are people who study that?' 'More than you'd imagine.' Duo groaned slightly. 'Actually, it's kind of important. Seaweed is one of the best ways to gauge the condition of any marine environment.' He sounded like he was quoting something. 'Heero's been working on this project for the last year or so. I warn you, it'll be pretty boring if you're not into that sort of thing, but you're probably used to sitting through those sort of lectures, right? You'll get to see where he works, and meet a few more of our friends. And the party after should be fun.' More fun, Wufei reflected. It did sound enjoyable, especially since Duo had promised they could take Peacemillion out for a sail if weather conditions were right. It just wasn't all that easy to get enthusiastic about something that wasn't going to happen another couple of days. Not when he had an entire evening with Zechs to look forward to first. 'That reminds me,' Duo muttered, laying down his knife and fork. 'I need to stop at the supermarket on the way home. I've got a list somewhere of stuff we need to get for the party. What did you have to buy?' 'Not a lot really. I do need to visit the post office and I need to find somewhere that sells printer cartridges. Oh, and I have to get credit for my 'phone.' 'No problemo. We should be home in a couple of hours,
tops.' He grinned wickedly. 'Don't want Zechsy getting lonely all
on his own now, do we?' ~ * ~ |
