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"Puppy Love"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, Alternating Trowa/Quatre
POV, AU Pairings: 3x4 get together, Background 1x2, 5x6
Summary: quatre gets a new puppy and has ot take
it to the vet. "Puppy Love"
Quatre's POV: Chapter 12: 'You have absolutely no idea how much I hate to say this,' Trowa groans, lifting his mouth from mine, 'but we should probably go back out, before my sister bursts in to check on us. Or before Wufei comes in to check that we're not corrupting his innocent futon.' 'Are we?' I stroke those long bangs back from his forehead, the way I've wanted to do ever since we first met, loving the feel of the hair slipping through my fingers. 'I think this counts as … corruption, yes.' After one last, lingering kiss, Trowa gets to his feet and pulls me up. 'Come on. I'll try to get rid of them as soon as possible. I should warn you, Cathy's probably going to try to interrogate the hell out of you.' 'That's all right. I've got sisters of my own; I'm very good at deflecting enquiries.' That particular skill comes in very useful over the next hour or so, as I neatly dodge Catherine's queries and ask her questions about puppy-rearing instead. She's passionate about animals and I think it also helps to remind her that I'm a customer at the veterinary practice, as well as her brother's - boyfriend? If that's what I am. It's still something of a relief when she gets up to leave, kissing my cheek as she walks out, and telling me we have to meet up sometime for a 'nice, long chat'. As she makes that comment, she casts a significant look in Trowa's direction, leaving no doubt whatsoever about what the subject of this chat… The next couple of hours are rather pleasant; we carry in boxes from Trowa's and Wufei's cars, and arrange Trowa's massive book collection in piles against one of the walls. It's obvious that those two have been friends for years, teasing and providing the perfect foil for each other's sense of humour. 'There are wonderful inventions called bookshelves, you know,' Wufei remarks, dumping a pile of veterinary texts in the middle of the floor. 'I have heard of them,' Trowa muses. 'I don't really get the point, though. It's just as easy to stack the books like this.' I laugh, although I'm not entirely sure if he's joking or not. 'The scary thing, believe it or not, is that he's being serious,' Wufei tells me. 'In case you haven't noticed, Trowa is the most anti-materialistic person in the universe. If it can't be read or used to take photographs, he isn't interested. In first year at university, he lived out of a rucksack for the first two semesters.' 'I was only eighteen then!' Trowa defends himself. 'And anyway, it made perfect sense. Why bother wasting time putting stuff away when it was perfectly accessible in the bag?' I start to laugh. 'You and Duo are going to get along perfectly. He has exactly the same attitude.' 'Honestly, I have improved a bit since then. You saw my bedroom; everything nicely put away.' He grins at Wufei. 'And you should see his apartment, Quatre. I swear, even his cereal packets are filed away alphabetically and cross-referenced.' Wufei snorts at that. 'Honestly, Quatre, I hope you'll be a good influence on him.' He gives an approving glance to the books I've been arranging neatly. 'You should have seen where he was living a couple of months ago; he had a sleeping bag and a camping stove and that was pretty much it.' 'Well, I was only there for a short time,' Trowa defends himself. 'There wasn't any point in getting too comfortable. And Quatre's a very good influence. I've known him less than a week and I have my own place with actual furniture and I'm already contemplating DIY projects to improve things.' Wufei is starting to tease him about watching house makeover shows on TV, when my 'phone rings. 'Oh, hey Quat,' Duo chirps. 'I just wanted to check that you're at home. Heero and I are on our way back from the Pet Providers Store, and we got that stuff you wanted for Maggie. We can drop it off on our way home, if you want.' 'I'm at Trowa's,' I mutter into the 'phone, walking into the hallway. 'You knew I was going to see his new apartment. I told you at least three times yesterday.' 'Did you?' he enquires, all innocence. 'I must have forgotten. Still, we can drop the things off to you there; we just need to put them in your car.' 'Or I can save you a trip out of your way,' I suggest helpfully. 'I'll be seeing you tomorrow morning anyway; can't you just give me the things then?' 'Oh, come on! You know we're both dying to check out the new guy. Pleeeease! Come on, Kitty-Quat. Either you let us call by, or Heero's probably going to set up surveillance outside the house.' 'Fine!' I huff, giving in. 'It's number 3, Sycamore Lane. Call me when you're outside. And you needn't think you going to be coming in because you're not.' He bursts out laughing. 'I hope you don't say things like that to Trowa. See you in a bit, OK?' 'Everything all right?' Trowa asks from the doorway as I put my 'phone away. 'I suppose. That was Duo; he and Heero are going to drop by to give me some things they've bought for Maggie. Basically, it's a pathetic excuse to meet you.' 'They're your friends,' Trowa says easily. 'I can understand that they'd want to meet your new boyfriend. Besides, you had to put up with Cathy trying to give you the third degree when you got here.' I think he says something else after that, but none of it remotely registers. 'Are you?' I ask, not quite meeting those green eyes and glancing around to make sure that Wufei is still in the living room, out of earshot. 'My new boyfriend?' 'Oh!' Trowa looks slightly discomfited for once. 'Shit! Sorry, Quatre. That sort of slipped out; I was going to ask you properly this evening. I'd really like to keep seeing you, if you're remotely interested.' 'I'd love to go out with you.' I say in a rush, before he starts to convince himself I'm not. 'And stay in with me sometimes as well?' He teases. 'Good. I was hoping you weren't the sort of guy to lie on just anyone's futon.' 'Absolutely not,' I laugh back at him. 'I'm very picky about whose futons I lie on.' Poor Wufei is totally forgotten for the next few minutes - although the possibility of lying on his futon is admittedly lurking in the back of my mind - and we only pull apart when the doorbell rings. The next hour is spent helping to sort out telephone cables and extensions, and when the man from the telephone company leaves, Duo and Heero arrive. Of course, Trowa politely asks them in, and Duo immediately accepts, winking at me as he enters. After we introduce our respective friends, Trowa offers to make coffee. 'Oh, that would be great,' Duo accepts happily, ignoring the Heero-standard glare that I'm directing at him. Honestly. Am I never going to have a chance to be alone with my boyfriend? Wufei had just been saying that he needs to leave and now he's apparently ensconced for another hour. Life would be so much simpler if neither of us had any friends. 'Actually,' my so-called best friend chips in, 'why don't you come out with me for a minute, Quat? We can get the stuff moved to your car while the kettle's boiling.' 'Very subtle,' I comment, following down the garden path. 'You could just have stuck a sign over your head, saying you needed to talk to me.' 'I don't do subtle,' Duo shrugs, opening their car and handing me a huge bag of dog biscuits. 'Well, how's it going?' 'Well. Really well, actually.' Yes, it would be quite perfect if we could maybe have some time alone together.. 'Cool! And he's crazy about you!' Duo grins. . 'Come on! I saw the way he was looking at you. And he's really hot in those jeans! He works out, right?' He takes out another bag of rawhide chew toys, and a couple of rubber bones. 'It's nice to see what he's been hiding under that baggy white coat he wears at the surgery, right?' 'He is gorgeous, isn't he?' Especially in those faded jeans that cling just a little too tightly in certain places, and that black vest… 'Oh yeah!' His grin stretches wider as I blush. 'Wow! You really fancy him, don't you?' 'Yes, of course, I do! It's just….' 'Yeah?' 'I really like him,' I say haltingly. 'And that's a problem why exactly?' 'It's not a … problem. It's just….. I've told him a couple of times that I want to take things slowly at the start, and he's said that he's fine with that.' 'So what's the problem if you're both on the same wavelength?' Duo looks puzzled, for a second, and then his expression clears suddenly. 'Ah! You're not so sure if you want to keep going slowly anymore, is that it?' I nod, scuffing the pavement with my heel. 'I think so. We were …on the futon in his bedroom earlier and oh, Duo! You'll never guess the stupid thing I said when I saw it! I actually said I'd never slept on one before!' 'Oh, that's hilarious,' my best friend informs me when he's slightly recovered from his hysterics. 'The poor guy! I mean, you tell him you're not ready for anything serious and then you go around diving under tables and making suggestive remarks all over the place.' 'I know! Anyway, we were on the futon, and kissing, and I just…I wanted to do more than that.' 'Well, you could, you know, just tell him how you feel,' he suggests. 'Come on, Quat, it's not like he's going to be offended if the really hot blond he's dating says he's ready for a bit more action?' I sigh. 'I know he likes me, and I know I should just be honest but.. . Maybe he'll think I've just been teasing him, or playing hard to get or something. And there's another thing; I haven't been with anyone for over a year at this stage.' Duo gives me an odd glance. 'What, you think you've maybe forgotten what to do?' 'No!' Oh dear, I hadn't even thought of that. 'I'm just scared that maybe it's, well, just a physical thing.' He shakes his head firmly. 'Don't be stupid. You've been single for a while, but it's not like there haven't been plenty of guys trying to pick you up. Some of them were really fit, too. Have you been remotely interested in any of them?' 'I suppose not.' 'I think you like this guy. I think you like him a lot, and I think that scares you, because you've been hurt before and you don't want that to happen again. That's normal, Quat. After Solo died, I didn't think I'd ever let myself fall for anyone again.' He shrugs. 'Life goes on, you know? I still miss Solo, but I know he'd want me to be happy, and I know you can get past all the shit Simon pulled on you.' 'I'm trying,' I say quietly. 'It's just - it's difficult, isn't it? I do like Trowa but I've known him less than a week, and I've been telling him ever since first day that I don't want to rush into anything, and now….' I let my voice trail off. 'now I'm not sure if maybe I do, after all.' 'So…let's get this straight. You've been falling all over yourself since you met, telling him you want to take things all nice and slow. He's probably terrified to pounce on you in case you take off and he never sees you again. If you want more, you'll either have to tell him, or else make it very, very clear in some other way. You got me?' He gives me a huge, shit-eating grin. 'And another thing. There's nothing wrong with a little bit of teasing, you know. Seriously, I don't think you realise just how much you've got going for you, Quat. It's not just that you're cute; you come across as being all pure and innocent and I swear, no guy on the planet's going to be able to resist you if you suddenly start coming on to him.' You did. Drat. That's not something I want to think about right now. 'Come on; we'd better go and rescue your cute vet. Heero was talking about getting a DNA sample earlier.' 'What?' Oh, dear. Now I have a vision of Heero pulling out clumps of poor Trowa's hair, or trying to get a blood sample. 'Please, Duo, tell me he was only joking.' Duo shrugs, perfectly comfortable with his partner's little idiosyncrasies. 'You know Heero. He takes these things seriously. Maybe we should go inside. We don't want that coffee to get cold, do we?' 'Ten minutes,' I say firmly. 'You have ten minutes and then I want you to leave.' Then I'll just have Wufei to get rid of, and he was planning to leave soon anyway. Before he witnesses any scenes of debauchery taking
place on his futon….. ~ * ~ |
