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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 40: 'That's all right with you, Quatre, isn't it?' I glance up from the 'phone I have hidden under the table and realise everyone is watching me. 'Quatre? That's OK? ' Lisa asks - who's in charge of co-ordinating volunteers at the Youth Centre prompts. Oh no. I can't admit I haven't been paying attention. Well, not to the meeting. It's been like this all day; I couldn't concentrate in class, and now I've promised to come to this fund-raising committee meeting at the youth club. I've been paying a lot of attention to the texts Trowa's been sending me. Far too much really; I've absolutely no idea what's going on. 'Ah, yes. That's fine.' 'Good. So that's Quatre and Wufei assigned.' Lisa ticks something off her notepad. 'Now, I think that's everything. I'll see you all next week, and thanks for all your wonderful suggestions.' I've agreed to do something with Wufei? I hope it's nothing too crazy; some of the other volunteers had rather wild suggestions for fund raising. Still, Wufei seems fairly conservative. It's probably something very harmless. 'Thanks for offering to help me out,' Wufei says as we walk to our cars. He sounds all innocently polite, but there's a definite gleam in his eye. 'That's no problem.' 'I was a little worried that no one else would volunteer, actually. I thought it was a good idea to raise money, but no one else seemed to be overly keen on getting sponsored to shave their heads.' 'I agreed to shave my head?' I gape at him. Oh, no. Please don't let this be happening. Wufei nods solemnly. 'And your eyebrows, of course. I think it's a wonderful idea. We should collect a fortune in sponsorship. Especially as we're going to wax as well and…' 'What? You're joking! Please tell me you're joking.' He starts to laugh and I sag against my car in relief. 'I don't think Trowa would be too keen if you shaved your head,' he says, grinning at me. 'What exactly are we doing?' 'Just a table quiz. It's scheduled for three weeks' time. We should probably try to meet up this week, and get started, don't you think?' 'I suppose; this week's a bit hectic for me, though.' I quickly run through my schedule. Cinema with Duo; bed shopping with Trowa; Relena's party. I can't do anything on Friday; I have to get ready for Nova. 'I don't suppose you'd be free for an hour now, by any chance? I've actually helped out at a table quiz last year at school; I still have a lot of information at home on my computer.' Wufei considers; I get the feeling he isn't used to making sudden plans like this. Then he nods. 'I need to go home first to feed my dog. Is that all right?' 'That's fine.' I give him my address, and he says he should be over in about an hour. This is actually a better plan than him coming home with me; at least now I'll have a chance to tidy up whatever mess Dorothy's managed to make since this morning. And I can have a little time to myself if she isn't home. Her car is missing, but Heero's is parked outside my house. He is standing just inside my hall, fiddling with the alarm system. 'Hi Heero!' I scoop Maggie up for her to lick my face. 'What are you doing here?' 'Modifying your alarm.' He gives me a curious glance. 'I told you this morning, remember?' Oh, right. So he did. It's just become very difficult to concentrate on things that aren't Trowa-related. One of my students played a whole piece this morning in the wrong key and I didn't even notice. One of the other pupils had to point it out. I think I managed to cover by saying it was a test of the class's listening skills. I hope so, anyway. 'I wanted to talk to you actually.' 'This isn't more about Trowa, is it?' I ask sceptically. 'Well, no.' He has the grace to look slightly abashed. 'I'm sorry about all that yesterday.' Yes, so am I. 'But it's better to be safe than sorry, don't you think?' he continues. Wow. I can't believe he's actually looking for me to agree with him; he normally doesn't need that sort of support or approval. He's turning into me! 'I couldn't have known he was using a false name. Not that I blame him. At least, now you know he's legit. And Odin actually checked out the DNA sample I took against the name Triton Bloom,' he snickers for some reason; it's not that funny. 'It matches perfectly.' 'You couldn't have done that yesterday?' I wonder. I'd never even thought of that; stupid me. It would have been so much easier; after all, we had a sample of Trowa's DNA. We could just have run it through Odin's computers and found a match - and Trowa's identity. Heero shrugs. 'It's hard to do these things on a Sunday. Plus it was much more entertaining the way we did it. I've been dying to try out those new listening devices.' 'Well, I'm glad I provided you with some entertainment,' I mutter. 'And you can tell your boyfriend that all his smart little comments didn't help. I wasn't planning to order dessert and let Trowa feed it to me naked. And I have no intention of tying Trowa up and covering him with ice-cream.' 'He was only trying to lighten the atmosphere,' Heero defends his partner loyally. 'You were stressed; he wanted to help. And I'm sure Trowa wouldn't have objected to dessert.' Aaargh! That's it. He's been officially corrupted by his partner. He never used to say things like that. Well, not to me anyway. He said them to Duo all the time. 'He didn't help,' I huff. 'Trowa probably thinks I'm insane after the conversation we had. I was trying to be serious and Duo kept saying the most inappropriate things.' 'I wanted to talk to you about him.' Heero says, suddenly serious. 'Duo? He's all right, isn't he?' 'I don't know, to be honest. He just.. he hasn't been himself over the past few weeks. I know there's something wrong, but he won't say anything about it. I know how close you two are. I thought he might have confided in you. I'm not saying you should betray a confidence, but I think I have a right to know what's wrong.' 'He's just a bit stressed from work, at the moment,' I say carefully. 'I think they're under pressure to finish this job as soon as possible. I'm sure he'll be more relaxed when it's over.' Heero grunts. 'He never gets pressured from work! He's always complaining that I'm the workaholic, and I need to slow down a bit. Then, last week, he worked late every night. It's like he's avoiding me.' He stares at me. 'Quatre, have I done anything wrong?' Heero may have rather unique social skills, but he is perceptive, especially when it concerns Duo. And now I'm feeling terrible. Duo's told me what's going on, but I've sworn not to tell anyone. Also, I never noticed he was having problems until he told me. I've just been far too wrapped up in Trowa. I'll call him this evening, I resolve, and see if there's anything I can do. It isn't fair to leave poor Heero thinking he's at fault somehow. 'No!' I reassure him quickly. 'I swear, he would have told me if there was anything like that. Remember when I helped him out last weekend? He was all excited that he was getting to spend the rest of the weekend with you, and that you were planning a holiday.' 'Hn.' He doesn't look terribly convinced. 'You're positive there's nothing I should know about? Oh, I hate this; I've never been any good at lying. I'm saved, thankfully, by Heero's 'phone, which suddenly starts to ring. Judging by the way his face lights up, like he's been handed a precious, unexpected gift, the caller has to be Duo. 'Yes, I'm still at Quatre's. Yes, I'll tell him. All right, my love. I'll be home in ten minutes. I think you should be still in the shower by then. I hope so anyway.' 'I have to go,' he announces abruptly, extending his free hand into the air and closing it about something. 'Duo says he'll call you later.' Catching my eyes on his closed fist, he explains. 'Duo blew me a kiss. He's told me this is how you catch them.' Oh, God. He says this without the slightest trace of self-consciousness. No wonder Duo loves him so much. I could fall in love with him myself, at moments like these. Wufei arrives just as I'm waving Heero off. Maggie scampers up to greet him, tail wagging madly. 'This must be Maggie,' he smiles down at her. 'Trowa's always talking about her. She's adorable.' 'Isn't she?' I smile at him, pleased that he likes my pet. 'Can I get you a drink? Or would you like something to eat?' 'Just some tea, please.' It's lucky he didn't want any food, I reflect a minute later. I don't think it's occurred to Dorothy that the refrigerator isn't capable of filling itself; there's hardly anything to eat and I didn't get a chance to shop over the weekend. Too busy checking that my partner isn't a crazed stalker/abductor. Which of course he isn't. Wufei, rather surprisingly, is sitting at the piano when I carry the tea try back to the living room. 'Do you play?' 'Not really. I used to have lessons, when I was a boy in China, but then we moved to Sanque.' He runs his fingers over the keys. 'I hadn't realised you played the piano as well as the violin. It's a beautiful instrument.' 'It was my grandfather's.' Wufei stands up and I take his place on the stool, fingers unconsciously picking out a scale. I'd learned to play on this piano, sitting on my grandfather's lap. He's been dead for almost five years now, and I still miss him. He taught me to play the piano, he took me to my first concert and he bought me my first violin the next day. I think he'd approve of what I'm doing with my life. 'Can you play something else?' my guest asks, and I realise I've moved from scales into the Bach piece my students are learning in class. 'Of course. What would you like?' 'Oh, anything.' Ugh, I hate when people say that, especially if I have no idea of their musical tastes. Still thinking of my grandfather, I play a little selection of his favourite pieces. Bach, a couple of old Sanque ballads, some jazz to finish up. 'You're very good,' Wufei tells me, sounding slightly surprised. 'Haven't you ever thought of playing professionally?' 'I can't play in front of large audiences,' I say simply, standing up, thankful when he leaves it at that. 'My computer's in the garden room, if you'd like to come this way.' We've always called the conservatory the garden room because that's how the estate agent who sold the house described it, and because I think the last owners did originally use it for gardening and flower arranging. Duo used it as a studio, because it has wonderful natural light, and I use it as a combination of study and sitting room. Like most people who come in here, Wufei goes straight to the painting; Duo's painting. It's in oils and it's huge; great swirls and sparks of vivid jewel colours. It could be outer space or a firework display or just the colours of someone's imagination. 'That's magnificent.' 'Are you interested in art?' He just shrugs. 'Not really. My cousin Meiran studied art history; she's always dragged me around art galleries with her. I've never heard of the artist. D. Maxwell. Is he from Sanque?' I can't help grinning. 'You've met him a few times. My friend Duo, remember? He was at the barbeque and the cinema.' 'I hadn't realised he was an artist. Do you know if he takes commissions? Meiran is actually getting married in a couple of months, and a painting would be a perfect present.' 'Well, I can ask him if you like,' I say. I don't think Duo will agree; he claims his painting is just a little hobby. Still, I can try. 'I'd love a dog like this,' he says wistfully as Maggie snuggles up on his lap. 'She's so affectionate and well-behaved.' 'Oh, she has her moments. Trowa's told me your little Peke is a bit of a demon.' 'Your friend Zechs seemed to be able to control her, but she never pays any attention to me.' 'He said she was very cute,' I say tentatively. Of course, he also thought her master was cute, but I'm not sure if Wufei would like to hear that. 'I know he enjoyed looking after her for you,' I add, crossing my fingers. Well, apart from the parts when she bit him, and attacked their cat, and upset all his horses, and ruined a tapestry of his mother's, and destroyed the upholstery in his new car. He enjoyed all the rest of it. 'It was very kind of him to help,' Wufei says stiffly, not looking too pleased about it. Oh, dear. I haven't talked to Zechs yet about how their date on Saturday went. Most unusually, he hasn't been on the 'phone to tell me all about it. That probably isn't a good sign. And Wufei did call Trowa in the middle of the night to talk about it, although Trowa wouldn't tell me what he'd said. 'Oh, it was no trouble,' I lie calmly. 'He loves dogs. He mentioned you two were going out on Saturday evening; did you have a nice time?' 'It was quite pleasant, yes.' Quite pleasant! What a terrible way to describe a date! Their first date, too. I may be Zechs Resistant, as Duo puts it, but I can see perfectly well that he's incredibly handsome and charming and attentive. And I was so sure that Wufei was interested in him. They'd make a lovely couple. 'Where did you go?' I persist, as casually as possible, pouring him out more tea. 'A little restaurant out in the country. It was charming.' He takes a sip of tea, and then smoothly changes the subject. 'Perhaps we can look at this quiz information now; I'd rather not leave Nataku alone for too long.' 'Of course. Just let me switch on the PC.' Honestly, that's all he's going to say? It was pleasant and the restaurant was charming? Duo would kill me if I tried to fob him off with that sort of answer. Well, Wufei isn't getting away with it either. He obviously needs someone to talk to about Zechs, and I'm not sure if Trowa is too good at this sort of thing. 'I'm so glad you enjoyed yourself. I know Zechs was really looking forward to spending the evening with you. He wanted it to be perfect.' 'He did?' Wufei blurts, and then looks like he wishes he could bite his tongue off. Silly idiot. It's obvious that Zechs is utterly crazy about him. 'Oh, of course he did. He really likes you, you know.' I key in my password, noting Wufei's blush out of the corner of my eye. Eureka! Excellent peripheral vision is such a useful ability. 'Now, where did I save all of this? I should have a list of the questions we used. So when are you seeing him again?' 'I'm not,' Wufei tells me, cradling his tea cup in one hand, and stroking Maggie with the other. 'I informed him that I have no intention of getting involved with someone at this point in my life, and he respected my decision.' He what? What on earth is going on? Is Zechs playing hard to get or something? No, I don't think he can do that; not this time. I've seen the way he looks at Wufei. And Wufei doesn't look overly ecstatic about Zechs' 'respecting his decision' either. They're both idiots. It's obvious how they feel about each other. Well, they just need someone to give them a little helping hand. I can do that. 'That's a shame,' I say casually, scrolling down my list of folders and trying to remember exactly what Trowa said about Wufei's last, disastrous relationship. Stupidly, I hadn't been paying a lot of attention at the time; well, we'd been in the middle of our first major argument. I know he said that Wufei had been badly hurt by someone who hadn't taken the relationship seriously. 'He really liked you.' 'He hardly knows me.' Wufei gives me a glare that might have been intimidating if I'd never met Heero. As it is, I can shrug it off easily. 'Oh, you've met a few times by now. Enough to have some idea whether or not you like each other. I knew I liked Trowa the first time I met him. Of course, if you're not interested in Zechs, then that's the end of it,' I say briskly. Wufei says nothing, just strokes Maggie's ears gently, looking terribly sad. 'Do you like him?' 'I don't know him well enough to say,' he tells me rather defensively, shooting me another glare. 'I've made it very clear that I'm not interested in pursuing a relationship with him. Zechs seemed perfectly happy with that.' Yes, and now he's plainly regretting it. Oh dear. He simply has no idea what he wants. If Zechs had tried to convince him otherwise, he'd probably have been furious. And now he's managed to convince himself that this is what he wants, which is clearly isn't. What a good thing I invited him home with me tonight. 'Zechs isn't the sort of person who'd try to force his attentions on someone who isn't interested,' I say gently. 'If you told him that's how you feel, he won't pressure you into anything, regardless of what he wants.' Wufei blushes again, sweeping a few loose strands of hair back from his face. He really is very good-looking; I can quite see what Zechs sees in him. I really hope nothing ever happened between him and Trowa. Not that I can ever blame anyone for falling in love with their best friend. 'It seemed the best decision. I don't need a relationship right now. I have my career, a very demanding pet, some time-consuming hobbies, my voluntary work.' 'I have all those things too,' I say, rubbing Maggie's tummy and sending her a mental apology. Of course, she isn't in the least demanding. 'So does Trowa.' Honestly, I can't imagine he's using his job as an excuse for not wanting a boyfriend. How ridiculous. 'We still find time to be together.' Not enough, though. Never enough. At least, we'll have some uninterrupted time at Nova. That's going to be wonderful. And Trowa's even agreed with me that we should wait to get there, before we sleep together. He's just so perfect. In every possible way. Wufei sniffs. 'I hardly think we're compatible. Now, perhaps it's time we looked at the quiz questions?' Really, do his other friends let him get away with these pathetic attempts to change the subject? 'Of course. I'm just trying to remember where I saved the file. Why don't you think you're compatible? You both like music and art.' You're both gay and single. 'You said yourself that you enjoyed going out with him on Saturday, so you must have something in common. Don't you think you should get to know him a little better before deciding you're wrong for each other?' 'I don't just mean our personalities. We have totally different lifestyles. He's a prince. And I've seen more than enough magazine articles to know that he has very different morals and principles to me. If I did want to be with someone, I wouldn't choose a - a playboy.' 'He can't help being a prince,' I say reasonably. 'And I wouldn't believe all that nonsense in the tabloids; it's all sensationalised to sell more copies. Yes, he was a little wild when he was younger, but it was difficult for him. He was only thirteen when his parents died; he was expected to take on a lot of responsibility when he was just a child. He's calmed down an awful lot in the past few years. And, if you're worried about trusting him, I promise, he's always been totally faithful to his partners. I think he's at the stage where he's looking for the one perfect person to share his life.' 'I see.' Wufei is picking at a loose thread in his shirt; I didn't think he was the sort of person to be fidgety. But maybe I've given him something to think about. I can't imagine he's into casual flings either. If he believes Zechs is serious about him, it might pique his interest a little. 'Anyway, this is pointless. I've already told him I'm not interested. 'Well, we can fix that. If you like, I can ask you both to dinner sometime next week and you can talk. I'll invite some other people as well, so it won't be too obvious.' Next week. It's actually hard to think of anything past next weekend. I haven't even thought about packing yet, and I have to make sure that Duo and Heero can mind Maggie for me. Wufei shakes his head slowly. 'That's very kind of you, but no. I need to do this myself.' 'If it helps at all, I know he really likes you. If
you do ask him out, there's absolutely no way he'll refuse.' ~ * ~ Chapter 41 |
