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"Breathless"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: R Warnings: sap, angst, fluff Pairings: 3x4, 13x2 Summary: Quatre finds himself introduced to an
annoying young man, one he can't seem to get out of his head. "Breathless"
Chapter 20: In which Duo and Treize discuss wedding plans… Duo blinked as Treize swung the car into a halt. 'We're here already?' Stupid question, because they so obviously were. Sophie Khushrenada's manor house, built of the same honey-gold stone as Romfeller, but several centuries later, at a time when houses no longer needed to be fortresses, gleamed before in the early afternoon soon. 'So we are.' Treize gave him a questioning look. 'Are you ready to talk to me now, darling? Or do I have to drag you into those bushes and molest you?' Duo grinned. 'If that's supposed to be a threat, it's not a very effective one. Treize, seriously, I'm just being stupid about something. Nothing to worry about.' 'Anything that actually keeps you silent for almost two hours is most certainly something to worry about. You do realise you've hardly said a word since we left the city?' Duo nibbled at his bottom lip. 'It's stupid. Honest. Just - I called Tro yesterday, when you'd gone to meet Zechs. I thought he'd like to come over and watch a movie or something.' He shrugged, flipping his braid over one shoulder. 'Anyway, Quat was at his place, so it didn't happen.' Another shrug. 'Told you it was dumb; it's just the first time he's ever not been around for me.' 'You wanted them to get together,' Treize reminded him gently. 'I know. And I'm glad they're happy. Really. But….' 'But for the first time since you've known him, he's put someone ahead of you.' Duo ducked his head, nodding. 'Yeah. That's awful, right? I mean, I love Quat to bits. I think he'll be great for Tro. But last night, I just felt really jealous of him. I guess I know now how Trowa feels about us.' 'Oh, love.' Treize pulled him close. 'Stop this. You know how Trowa feels about you. You know that if you really needed him, he would be there for you in one heartbeat, and that nothing or no one in the universe could stop him.' 'I know.' Duo drew a shaky little breath, tucking his head into the taller man's shoulder. 'I know. Sorry. I'm being an idiot, right? It's just – he wasn't too pleased when we got engaged, and I think he's sort of OK now, but it's still…it's like I'm moving further away from him.' It was always so hard to explain. Treize really, really made an effort to understand, to accept that Trowa was an integral part of his lover's life, but he didn't really get it. He couldn't. He'd grown up in safety, with a loving family to take care of him. Duo and Trowa had only had each other, for so many years. 'I guess I don't want to lose him. You know?' 'You won't,' Treize said firmly, tilting Duo's head back and kissing him. 'You're both far, far too stubborn ever to let that happen. Things may change a little between you, but that's life, sweetheart. You'll always be there for each other, and that's something that will never change.' 'Yeah.' Duo firmed his shoulders, flipping his braid back, feeling the world slowly right itself. 'Thanks.' 'My pleasure.' Treize said it very formally, making him laugh. 'So are you ready to talk now? I'm not the only one who was quiet on the drive here. Are you going to tell me what's wrong or do I have to drag you under a rosebush and ravish you?' 'As delightful as that sounds, I think my aunt's butler might be rather shocked.' He nodded towards the open door of the house. 'Let's go and get this over with? We can talk afterwards.' He frowned slightly as he surveyed the other parked cars. 'What a wonderful day this is going to be. May I apologise in advance, Duo, for just how bored you're going to be?' 'Oh, I'll let you make it up to me when we get home.' Duo winked at him. 'Or possibly later tonight. Maybe we could shock everyone at the dinner table?' Treize was laughing as they got out of the car. Score one to Duo. To stupid Duo for being so wrapped up in his own problems he hadn't noticed his boyfriend was also brooding about something. Lady Sophonisba Khushrenada beamed as they were shown into her drawing room. 'How lovely to see you both! Treize, darling, I'm sorry but your cousin Freddie desperately wants to talk to you about something. He's been going on about it all morning. Would you mind terribly just going and getting it over with?' 'Must I? Treize bent and kissed his great-aunt's cheek. 'What did you even invite him for? He's a bore, and that wife of his is a nightmare.' 'I know, I know. But he is your first cousin, and I wanted to see the girls and I could hardly invite them without their parents, could I?' She smiled winningly up at him. Duo had seen photos of Sophie as a girl. She'd been a knockout. You could still see traces of it sometimes, when she smiled; a woman who'd floated through life on beauty and charm. 'Besides I want to talk to Duo. Now run along.' Trieze made a face and did as he was told. It always made Duo laugh, the way she treated his boyfriend like a little kid. 'Now, Duo, what are you going to have to drink?' As always, there was a crystal glass of his favourite soda among the delicate porcelain tea cups, and a plate of chocolate and macadamia cookies to go with the finicky little scones and finger sandwiches. 'He's looking well,' Sophie commented, filling a plate for him. 'You've made him very happy, you know.' Duo nodded. 'Yeah. He's been asking me for a while now. He's pretty persuasive when he wants to be.' Treize's great aunt smiled at him. 'Of course. But that wasn't what I meant. Ever since you two met, he's been happy. I don't know if I ever thanked you for that.' She hesitated, slender fingers toying with the handle of her cup. 'Does he still have nightmares? About Africa?' 'Sometimes.' Duo put his own glass down and looked directly at the woman who was the closest thing he'd ever known to a grandmother. He'd fantasised about having a granny when he was a kid, like the picture books they'd read at the orphanage. A little white-haired old lady who baked apple pies and knitted sweaters and had a cat and a rocking chair. Instead, he'd got Sophie Khushrenada who probably didn't know where the kitchen in her own house was, and terrorised her entire extended family, which included royalty and aristocracy all over Europe, and would probably shoot any cat stupid enough to go near her exquisite clothes. She loved Treize as much as he did. She was one of the few people in the world who knew what had happened the first night they'd met. What had almost happened. 'You don't just forget stuff like that. He probably won't, ever. But he talks about it sometimes. We sort of have an arrangement; if one of us has a nightmare, he wakes the other one. I think maybe that helps.' Well, he thought it helped Treize, anyway, because sometimes he just needed reassurance. Duo didn't much like talking about his past. It was the past, it was over and done with, and most of the time he just wanted to forget a lot of it had ever happened. And it was different for both of them. Treize would probably never really get over losing so many men, just because he'd been the commanding officer and in his noble, honourable mind, that made him responsible. Duo had blood on his own hands, and he'd never regretted any of it. It had meant that he and Trowa had got to go on living. Sharing was the deal though, and the only way he could convince Treize to open up. 'I'm sure it does.' Her blue eyes, watching him, were very soft and she gave a quiet laugh. 'I have something for you.' She dipped into her handbag and produced a small box. It seemed to be the fashion, lately, for people to give him these little velvet was another ring. A ruby this time. He'd never seen anyone wearing it in real life, but it appeared in some of the family portraits at Romfeller. 'I never had a daughter,' Sophie said quietly. 'I've always expected to give it to the girl Treize married. But I'm just as glad to give it to you.' 'I can't take this,' Duo whispered. 'It's beautiful, Soph, but it's part of your family history.' 'Silly boy.' She reached out and closed his fingers around the little box. 'It's your family too now. Heaven help you. When Treize came to see me last week, I offered it to him, to use as your engagement ring, and he said he wanted to give you something special, something that was just for you.' She gave his hand a little squeeze. 'Your ring is beautiful, but I want you to have this too. Just wear it sometimes, please. It's wrong for such a lovely thing to be shut up in a box all the time, and I can't wear rings with my arthritis.' Duo shook his head. 'But it's not like I'm ever going to have a daughter to leave it too.' 'You never know. There's always adoption.' 'I don't think so,' Duo said wryly. 'We have talked about it and it's not really something we want. Not now anyway. I'm not sure if either of us is cut out to be a parent.' 'I think you'd both be wonderful. Now, tell me all about the wedding plans.' 'OK.' Duo swallowed a mouthful of sponge cake. 'We've set the date; June the 30th, so we have nearly three months to go.' 'Duo! You can't plan a wedding in three months.' 'Yes, we can. The actual ceremony is going to be in the rose garden at home, just us and a few really close friends. We both want you to be there for that. Then there'll be a big shindig in the evening. I'd kind of like the whole thing to be small, but he wants to invite half of Sanque so…' 'So you are graciously indulging him?' 'Yeah. Something like that,' he grinned at her. 'Where is the reception to be?' 'We haven't figured that out yet. Treize went to look at a couple of places yesterday afternoon; I'm not sure if he was keen on any of them. I guess we'll figure it out as we go along.' Ooops. He'd forgotten all about that, forgotten to ask how it had gone. But he'd come in late, and Duo had been half-asleep on the couch with a movie and the dog and a glass of wine and the inevitable had happened. Anyway Treize was good at stuff like this, and Duo hadn't a clue. Sophie shook her head. 'Men! You can't just 'figure out' a large wedding, dear. Especially not in June. Everything's probably been booked up months in advance; florists, tailors, bakers…' 'Really? I didn't think of that. We haven't really talked much about the actual wedding. The gallery's really busy right now and we're trying to stop our new dog from eating her way through the whole house.' Sophie bubbled with laughter. 'Oh dear. Is she really as destructive as Treize tells me?' 'I'm afraid so. She's getting a bit better, though. My friend Trowa is helping us with her.' 'Trowa? The tall one with green eyes?' She took a delicate sip of tea. 'I only wish I'd met him thirty years ago. Or even twenty.' 'You're still a babe, Soph. I bet Tro would totally go for you if he was into girls.' That made her laugh again; a nice sound. Duo always felt a little bit sorry for her, living alone in this perfect house, since her husband had died. Most of the Khushrenadas were too intimidated to tease her the way he did; too worried she might cut them out of the will, probably. He gulped the last drops of his drink and carefully placed the glass back on the table. 'Sorry, would you mind if I go and find Treize? Make sure he doesn't kill any of his family?' He blew her a kiss as he walked out the door and almost fell over Suzanne Khushrenada. Treize's cousin's wife turned to face him with a moderately well done show of surprise; after all, she'd obviously been waiting for him. 'Duo!' She air-kissed him on both cheeks, careful not to touch actual skin. 'It's lovely to see you again. And I believe I must congratulate you.' She gave him a tight little smile. 'You managed to get him to propose! You must be so proud of yourself.' 'Yep. I'm this month's pin up for the toy-boy union. It's cool!' Duo's smile was bland as a blank sheet of paper and her own smile wavered slightly. 'How sweet. I was wondering, could you and I have a little chat for a moment? There's something I want to say to you.' 'Sure.' Not like he could actually refuse, with those long talons resting on his skin, like a bird of prey. 'Freddie was planning to have a little talk with Treize before dinner, and I thought I'd just have a little word with you. After all, I married into this family too, so I'm the perfect person to discuss this with.' 'Um, OK. What do you want?' 'I hope you're going to be sensible about this, but we assume you are going to sign some sort of pre-nuptial agreement. It's nothing personal; I signed a contract before I married Freddie. It's just a practical precaution, you know, to benefit both parties. ' 'Oh, right.' Right. That was it; he'd planned to play nice, but if that cow was taking off the gloves, then so be it. 'Yeah. We've talked about it. Treize is of the opinion that if I was a cold-hearted, mercenary, avaricious little bitch, then he'd get me to sign something but since he happens to trust me implicitly it's not necessary.' He beamed at her. 'But every couple is different, right? I'm sure dear Freddie had his own reasons. OK, see you at dinner.' Treize was in their room, sunk deep into the sofa and thought. He glanced up at Duo's entrance and smiled. 'You're looking positively gleeful about something. What have you been up to?' Duo took a flying leap across the room and flopped down in his lap. 'I've just been hideously rude to that harpy Freddie married.' Treize kissed the top of his head. 'I knew there was a reason why I fell in love with you.' 'And you're pissed. What's wrong? Or do I need to ask? Suzanne said her husband was going to have a little chat with you.' He swivelled around to look at the other man. 'Just how badly did you eviscerate the poor guy?' 'Badly enough that neither he, nor any member of this family, will ever bring up the subject again. Duo, love, I'm sorry. You shouldn't have had to put up with that.' Duo shrugged. 'It's OK. I kind of had fun. God, she's such a bitch, Treize.' 'How did you get on with Sophie?' 'Good. Look.' He delved into his pocket for the ring. 'I got a present!' Treize laughed. 'The ring? I'd expected that. She wanted me to give it you as your engagement ring, did she tell you?' 'Yep. I wouldn't have minded, you know. It's a beautiful thing.' Treize shook his head. 'No. I wanted you to have something special that I chose for you; not just something that happened to be in my family.' 'I do, really, like the family stuff, you know. Even the bitchy in-laws and the arguing. It's what normal families do. I'd never had any of that before you.' 'Well, if it's bitchy in-laws you want, you've come to the right place.' 'It's lovely, isn't it?' Duo held his hand up to the window, sparking rays of crimson fire. 'Treize, are you sure I should be taking this from her? She was really insistent but I feel sort of like I'm not entitled to it. I mean, it's been in your family for how many centuries?' 'Seraph, you're the one person in the universe who is entitled to it. And Sophie would far prefer you to have it than some of my female cousins.' 'I guess. Maybe I should wear it at dinner, just to give Suzanne heart failure. I should have brought my diamond as well. Then I'd have the whole set. Does this mean I'm, like, triple engaged to you? ' Treize smiled at him, with a slight shadow of hesitation in his eyes. 'If you like. A question, love. Are you sure?' 'Of course I'm sure. This is something Freddy said, right? Treize, I've said yes multiple times, I've proposed to you, I'm going around with no less than three engagement rings, and counting, and I've never been happier. What part of that makes you think I'm not totally sure?' 'You're very young.' Duo frowned. 'I'm not that young.' 'Younger than me.' 'Oh, piffle.' Duo retorted, borrowing a favourite expression of Quatre's. 'Don't start going on like you're ancient and I'm just a kid. You're not even ten years older than me. And it's cool for me marrying an older man. When you're ninety and can't see properly, I'll be a sprightly eighty year old, chasing the pool boy around.' 'Ah. We're going to have a pool, have we? You don't even like swimming.' 'Not in this country where it's freezing for most of the year. When we were in Thailand I swam all the time. But a pool boy would be kind of nice, just to brighten up the scenery a bit,' Duo teased, reaching up one hand to smooth the creases between his lover's winged brows. 'Tell me what's wrong, Treize. I couldn't care less about the stupid age difference.' 'It's not just that. Sweetheart, I'm the only man you've ever been with. What if you end up resenting me for that, wishing you'd been with other people?' 'Now, that's ridiculous. I thought you liked being my first lover.' He grinned. 'My one and only, right?' Treize didn't smile, didn't react at all. Shit, it was serious then, whatever dark thoughts he had floating about in his brain. Always a mistake leaving him alone; it just gave him time to brood. Two years after they'd met, Treize certainly wasn't suicidal any more, but still prone to the occasional bout of depression, and sometimes the best way to get him out of it was pure shock therapy. 'So what's the deal? You want me to go out and screw someone else? What am I supposed to do? Pick up some stranger in a club and bring him home? Or pounce on Quat or Zechs or H –whoever?' Aha, that damn well worked. The shadows in his eyes shifted suddenly, replaced by pure possession. 'I'd kill anyone who touched you,' Treize's arms tightened around him. 'Then stop with the bullshit. For God's sake, you're being an idiot. I've never wanted to be with anyone else,' Duo burrowed down deeper into Treize's embrace, always the safest place in the universe. 'Never wanted to do it with anyone at all, really, 'til I met you.' That was all too true. The way he and Trowa had grown up, sex wasn't about pleasure or love or sharing. It was something to be taken by force, or used as a bargaining tool. 'I saw Tro too many times, afterwards, when we were kids.' He'd been so fucking lucky. Unfucking lucky, really. Tro had kept him safe until he'd been old enough to look after himself. 'Oh, love,' Treize breathed, a mingled sound of love and pain and pity and compassion. 'It was a long time ago,' Duo said shortly. 'But I wanted you from the first ever minute I saw you.' 'Really?' Treize shook his head. 'That was hardly the most romantic setting.' 'Oh, that night in the gallery? When you looked up from the gun, and gave me the worst pick up line in the universe. If you're a burglar, you've come at a rather awkward time.' He mimicked Treize's accent and actually made him laugh. 'Well, that wasn't the first time I saw you. We professional art thieves believe in research; we'd been scoping out the place for weeks. Though I have to say I fell in love with your car first, when I saw it pull up outside the gallery.' He reached up and pressed a gentle kiss to Treize's lips. Odd, in a way, that they'd never talked about this before. Then again, maybe it wasn't. They almost never referred to that first night they'd met and that was sort of a shame because it meant they never discussed their first time. 'Then I saw this really hot guy getting out, and you turned back to get something out of the passenger seat and I got this great view of your legs and your ass.' He chuckled. 'Tro used to think I was drooling over the car, whenever you drove up. Now, I want you to tell me something. What brought all this on? It wasn't just something Freddie said, was it? Is this why you've been quiet this morning?' Treize sighed, cradling Duo's face gently in both hands. 'My heart, listen. We've been engaged for over two weeks. You haven't once mentioned anything about the wedding. Yesterday, you didn't want to come and look at hotels with me; you never asked how I got on.' Oh. Shit. 'I'm sorry. Really. I just – I've never been to a wedding. I haven't a clue what it's supposed to be like, what we're supposed to do or have or anything. 'It's our wedding. We do exactly what we like. Tell me, how do you want it to be?' 'I did tell you. I want us to have the ceremony in the rose garden, under one of the arches, and I only want our best friends there, and then we can have lunch on the terrace, nothing too formal, and then I'm hoping you'll drag me upstairs for a couple of hours.' 'Oh, very definitely,' Treize agreed. 'That all sounds wonderful. And for the evening reception? I wasn't keen on any of the hotels I saw yesterday; they were all rather impersonal.' 'So? What are the alternatives?' Treize gave him a rather smug little smile. 'How would you think about us having the party in the Palace?' 'The Royal Palace? Can we? I thought it was just for state functions and stuff.' 'And the occasional private ceremony, such as a wedding, if one knows the right people.' Treize gave him a smug little smile. 'Well?' 'Hell, yeah. That'd be amazing!' Duo felt a delighted smile curve his mouth. It was perfect. Utterly perfect. If Treize wanted a push-the-boat-out extravaganza, they might as well do it in style. 'How'd you think of it?' 'I didn't. Zechs suggested it last night.' Treize laughed at him. 'All fairytales should have a wedding in a palace. That's the venue sorted. Colour scheme? Flowers?' 'Duh. Roses. Red.' 'Duh indeed. Menu?' 'We can pick anything we like, right?' Duo licked his lips, thinking about it. 'That part's going to be fun!' 'Eclectic, certainly. Caviar on pizza.' 'Lobster burgers,' Duo countered. And I want to have a chocolate wedding cake. A really squishy, gooey, squelchy one that I can smear all over you?' 'Two cakes. One for you and one for our guests. You see? It's not so difficult.' 'Nah, it's sort of fun. What else do we need to decide?' 'Well, the honeymoon is already sorted. One last question; where are we going to spend the wedding night?' 'Ooh, decisions, decisions,' Duo laughed. 'That's a tough one. Maybe a quickie in one of the state bedrooms at the palace? Then we could drive straight to the cabin? That'd be sort of cool, driving there at night again. Like the very first night.' 'You,' Trieze told him, 'are developing an unexpectedly sentimental streak.' 'Must be contagious, then.' Duo laughed and then sobered. 'Treize, why didn't you tell me any of this before? If you were worried about me not being sure, you should've said something.' Treize nodded. 'It only occurred to me last night, and then you were so quiet on the drive here this morning, that I thought maybe you were … having second thoughts.' 'No.' Duo shook his head. 'Never. Only first thoughts. And listen, I don't want to keep having this conversation with you. I want to be with you. Always. Yeah, I was a bit freaked out at first, when you asked me but I'm OK now. I love you. Making love with you is the most perfect thing in the whole universe; hell, just being with you is the most perfect thing. There's no way I'd ever want anyone else. And I'm not some dumb kid; I am younger than you, but I didn't exactly have a normal life growing up. I was on the streets when I was seven looking after myself. I was winning knife fights on L2 when most kids are playing video games. I killed my first guy when I was only twelve and I loved every fucking minute of it 'cause he'd been hurting Tro. So don't tell me I'm too young or inexperienced or any of that crap, because I know what I want, and that's you, and always will be.' 'Message received and understood.' Treize took his mouth in a long, very thorough kiss. 'You want me, do you? Now?' 'Always, like I said.' Treize was already slipping his lover's shirt buttons undone, nuzzling his way along Duo's collarbone, then further down. Moving so slowly it was an unbearable, exquisite agony. 'Treize, stop.' The other man froze instantly; stop wasn't a word that got much use between them. 'What's wrong?' 'Nothing.' Duo flipped backwards to sprawl over the couch, legs open, hands behind his neck. Surely the most vulnerable position in the world. 'I was sort of thinking I'd like you just to pound into me 'til I'm screaming for mercy.' They didn't, actually, have that sort of sex very often. Treize, in certain moods, liked the edges lovemaking to be a little raw, although he was always supremely careful with Duo. But every so often he could be teased or seduced or goaded into losing control and sometimes he needed just to let go. 'Think you could do that?' 'God, yes.' ~ * ~ |
