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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" Chapter 50: My matchmaking dinner party, hijacked by Heero, has turned into a military operation. I don't think he's particularly interested in getting them together, but he loves the logistics of it all. By six o'clock on Friday evening, my kitchen has become command central. He is seated at the kitchen table, fingers dancing over his laptop as he checks Zechs' flight from Paris. The plan is that he will come here straight from the airport, arriving at around seven. Trowa, who's driving Wufei, is due to arrive at the same time, a good thirty minutes before anyone else has been invited. Then we can manufacture some sort of crisis in the kitchen, and serve them drinks in the garden room, leaving them to have some time alone before the other guests arrive. I'm sure something is bound to happen if they're together, in a suitably relaxed, romantic setting. Actually, the way things are going, we may not have to manufacture a crisis situation. It's entirely possibly that Dorothy and Duo will have killed each other by then. She is officially in charge of what Heero has called 'the catering operation' but Duo is insisting on helping. It isn't going too well. 'Zechs' ETA is right on course,' Heero announces, looking up from the computer screen. 'Quatre, I meant to ask you, did you read that report I sent you on your security system?' 'Report?' I look up blankly from folding napkins, not quite sure what he's talking about. He clicks his tongue, jabbing fingers at his keyboard. 'I don't know what's got into you lately. You used to be relatively sensible. You asked me to check out your alarm on Sunday, remember?' 'Oh, right.' Over Duo's sniggered comment that he knows what's got into me lately, I do vaguely remember asking him to check out Dorothy's possible intruder at the weekend. The memory's been pretty much erased by what happened later that day though. The row with Trowa, the making up, him saying those lovely things about my smile, the making up…. 'Winner! Can't you stop daydreaming for two seconds?' Heero snaps. 'This is important. Duo and I had a good look around on Sunday evening, and it did look like some of the plants had been trampled but that might have been a fox or a cat. It was a little hard to tell since Dorothy had already been poking around. Anyway, we double checked all the alarm sensors and they're working fine.' 'Thank you. I'm really sorry to have bothered you.' I feel a bit mean actually; dragging him and Duo out on a Sunday evening for what was probably just Dorothy's imagination. 'No problem. Quatre, you're not lighting any more candles, are you? This house is already a fire hazard.' 'Just a couple. And they're not really candles; they're tea-lights. Duo, can you help me carry these into the garden room, please?' Any excuse to get him away from Dorothy for a few minutes; she's at a delicate stage with her soufflé and his suggestions to add tomato ketchup aren't helping at all. Even I know that's just silly. As soon as we're out of the kitchen, he starts grumbling. 'I don't know how you put up with her, Quat. She's a grade A bitch. Just because I didn't learn to cook at some fancy Swiss finishing school doesn't mean I don't know how to,' he complains. 'I know. But she is genuinely trying to be helpful. I think she just wants to prove she can do it all by herself. And don't say anything yet, but she may be moving out soon.' 'Seriously? That's the best thing I've heard in weeks.' I nod. 'One of the gardeners on her uncle's estate was fired a couple of days ago, and Dorothy is getting the cottage he and his family were living in. She'll be moving out next week.' I know I should feel sorry for the poor man but I can't help feeling rather glad that I'll be getting my home back very soon. I spent ages decorating the garden room and it looks charming. Bowls of spring bulbs, scented candles, a huge arrangement of freesias. 'Hey, this place looks great.' Duo grins at me. 'I sort of get where Heero was getting with the potential fire hazard though. Where the hell are we going to put more candles?' 'On the window sill, I thought. You don't think it's a bit overdone, do you? I can blow some out.' 'Nah, leave it. You're sure you don't want to carry down a bed as well, and maybe stick a mirror on the ceiling? Just in case they don't do subtle?' 'I'm not doing all of this just for them,' I say, slightly ruffled. I don't think it's all that obvious. 'If people get too hot in the living room, they might like to sit out here and relax for a little while.' 'Oh, really? So you're not just planning to lock Zechs and Wufei in and pretend you've lost the key or something?' Hmm. That's an idea. I'm not sure if I'd get away with it though. For one thing, there are French doors as an alternative escape route. 'Of course I'm not. Oh, have you thought about Wufei wanting you to sell him a painting? He'll probably ask you about it tonight.' He shrugs, settling his tray of tealights down. 'He was just being nice because I'm your friend, Quat. I don't think he really wants me to paint something.' 'Don't be silly,' I tell him briskly. 'He admired the painting before he knew who the artist was. And it will help you to get into art school if you have a portfolio of paintings you've sold.' He groans. 'You're not still on about that. I keep telling you I don't want to go to art school.' 'Yes you do. You should, at least. It's such a shame to waste all that talent you've got.' 'Yeah, right. Get real, Quat. I don't have any sort of formal education, and I couldn't afford it anyway. Even if I did want to go. Or d'you think I should expect Heero to keep me for four years or however long it takes?' 'I'm sure he'd be more than happy to, but it's not necessary. You can get a grant, just like I did, and still work part-time with Howard. And mature students don't need any qualifications.' 'How do you know all that?' 'I looked it up on line.' I plump up a couple of cushions on the sofa; I've already removed the stools and the office chair so they'll have to sit cosily together. 'Enrolment doesn't start until July; you have plenty of time to make a decision. Just think about it, Duo. Please.' 'If it'll stop you nagging me, fine. I feel sorry for Trowa. He's probably still under the illusion that you're this cute, innocent guy and not a reincarnation of Machiavelli or something.' 'Trowa,' I inform him loftily, 'has no complaints whatsoever.' It's almost seven o'clock. Surely it's about time he got here. The first person to arrive is Zechs, but Trowa and Wufei are only a few minutes later. Duo, who has apparently decided to play butler for the evening, takes their coats, and ushers Zechs and Wufei inside, offering drinks, which leaves me and Trowa alone in the hallway. It's a couple of days since I've seen him. He left yesterday morning, neither of us feeling remotely ready to deal with the world outside my house. After thirty six hours spent almost entirely in bed together, it was rather difficult to go back to reality. 'Hey.' He looks amazing; I've never seen him dressed up before. This was a stupid idea; inviting all these people over when I really I just want to be alone with him. 'Missed me?' 'Let me show you how much.' We both fall into the kiss, his hands cradling the back of my neck and holding me against him. Even when he lets my mouth go, he nuzzles into the curve of my throat, humming as he runs both hands over my back. 'Wow. That was really hot. I bet there are people who'd pay to get a show like that one.' Duo is grinning at us both. 'Quat, can you come upstairs for a second? I need to talk you about that thing.' 'What thing?' 'You know. The, um, thing we need to talk about,' he hisses, dragging me outside and up the stairs to my room. 'What are you doing?' 'When I took Zechsy's coat, I slipped one of Heero's spiffy little listening devices into his back pocket.' He holds out his hand, showing me something that looks like a small iPod. 'Here you go. One little transmitter that will let us hear everything.' 'Duo! We can't do that! It's eavesdropping! I can't do that to guests in my home.' 'It's not eavesdropping!' Duo sounds totally offended. 'It's intelligence gathering. For the mission. How are supposed to know how to act later on if we don't have a clue how they're getting on? We have to do this, Quat, or the whole thing might fail.' 'Oh.' I suppose there's some truth in that. Maybe he's right. 'No! We shouldn't be doing this sort of thing. They're having a private conversation, after all.' 'Aw, get real.' He grabs my shoulder and shoves me on to the bed. 'You know you want to. Just listen for a minute. If they start saying anything too private, we'll turn it off.' As it turns out, they're not talking about anything remotely private. Wufei is rather stiltedly asking Zechs about his flight, and then they start to discuss the weather. I've had more intimate conversations with complete strangers. How annoying. They are sharing a small sofa in a candle-lit, flower-filled room and discussing the rainfall in Paris compared to Sanque. I'm not sure what else I can do at this point. It's obvious they're crazy about each other; maybe I should try locking them somewhere with a large supply of oysters and champagne? 'Not too promising, is it?' Duo makes a face at me, slumping against the headboard. 'Not really.' I let myself fall back against the pillows, trying not to think about the last time I did this, with Trowa pushing me slowly down and rising over me. OK, I really shouldn't be thinking about that now. 'What are you guys doing up here?' Trowa himself is suddenly standing in the doorway. Oh dear. I'm sure Trowa won't be too impressed at us spying on his best friend. Still, at least they're not saying anything right now. 'Um, nothing really. Just…' I cast an anguished glance at Duo, who rolls over, grinning. 'Hey, Trowa. Here's the thing. Me and Quat have always wanted to try a threesome and we thought if we lay on the bed for long enough, some hot guy was sure to wander by and join in.' 'No problem,' Trowa says smoothly, moving over to the bed and reaching one hand out to grope Duo's ass. 'I've always wanted a threesome too; I'll be happy to oblige.' My best friend squawks loudly and fells off with a thud. 'So, what are you really doing?' 'Just talking,' Duo says quickly, standing up. 'But we were on our way down. Is everything OK in the kitchen? Someone really needs to watch that chick to make sure she doesn't put arsenic in the soup or…' Drat. At precisely the wrong moment, Zechs' voice speaks up. They've moved on from the weather report and he's claiming he hadn't realised Wufei had been invited to the party. He's such a smooth liar; I can never do that. 'Quatre!' Trowa sounds totally shocked. 'Please, tell me you're not doing what I think you are.' 'It's OK. It's not remotely personal or anything,' I say quickly. Well, it wasn't. It seems to be changing now, though. 'I do hope this isn't awkward for you,' Zechs is saying apologetically. 'I'm so sorry, Wufei, about Quatre trying to set up like this. He's a terrible meddler. He always thinks he knows exactly the right thing to do, and that nobody else is capable of running their own lives.' 'Trowa's exactly the same,' Wufei agrees. My boyfriend makes a little sound of pure indignation, plonking down on the bed beside me, and I try not to laugh. 'He seems to think I'm unable to sort out my personal life without him interfering.' 'And neither of them seems to be capable of understanding that sometimes people aren't interested in each other, and that no amount of interference, however well meant, will change that.' Duo, still standing by the door, glances over at me in surprise, and I mouth 'negative psychology'. Well, I hope that's what it is. 'Precisely,' Wufei agrees, far too heartily. 'It's utterly ridiculous.' Well, that's just charming. I go to all this trouble and all I get is abuse for interfering. Duo and Trowa are both doubled over with laughter. 'You have no idea what Quatre is like. He's convinced that he can throw us together, simply because it suits his ideas of how the world should be ordered, and never considers that he might be putting both of us into an awkward position.' 'Yeah, Quat,' Duo chuckles. 'Personally, I kind of like awkward positions.' 'I suppose he does mean well.' Wufei sounds a little uncertain about that. Huh. 'That's immaterial. I promise you, I'll make sure he never does something like this again. I've made it very clear to him that we are strictly friends, and I have no intention of letting him mess that up.' 'Certainly not.' 'I am not messing things up!' I mutter. 'I'm helping. If it wasn't for me, they'd never have got together.' 'Hey, relax,' Trowa whispers, pressing a feather-light kiss to my forehead. 'They don't mean it. And they seem to be getting on pretty damn well, don't you think?' 'There's absolutely no reason why two people can't take pleasure in each other's company on a purely platonic level, is there?' 'None at all.' Wufei's voice is starting to sound just a little bit ragged. Excellent. Zechs is obviously getting to him. 'You've been totally honest about what you want from me, and I would never dream of trying to pressure you into anything else.' His voice drops so we can barely hear. 'However much I might wish to.' There is deafening silence for a few minutes, broken by Duo wishing he'd thought of installing a camera as well. 'D'you reckon Wufei's killing him with his bare hands or kissing the hell out of him? Oh!' We all stare at the little device, which is emitting some very graphic gasps of pleasure. 'OK, not killing anyway.' 'That's enough!' Trowa says suddenly. 'Duo, turn that off now. This is getting beyond personal.' 'But we were just getting to the good stuff,' my best friend moans, heading for the door. 'Aw, Quat, your boyfriend's no fun.' 'Oh yes, he is.' I slide my hand into Trowa's and stand up. 'Am I really?' 'Absolutely. More fun that I've ever had in my entire life.' 'Mmm.' His tongue flicks delicately around my ear. 'You're fun too, even if you do fill your house with all these people so I can't get my hands on you properly. I'll make sure you make up for it, though, once they've all left.' 'Yes, please.' I give him a quick kiss on the mouth, with just enough tongue to let him know I totally agree with that plan. Dinner, thanks to Dorothy, is totally perfect. At least, I imagine it is, since everyone is eating and praising the food, but I don't really taste much. Trowa apparently has the ability to eat one-handed, and it's hard to concentrate on the food, on anything really, given what the other one is doing. Wufei, who obviously hasn't noticed that his shirt is rumpled and one of the buttons has mysteriously disappeared, is trying to be all coolly collected, discussing politics with Relena and Otto, and only blushing occasionally. Usually when one of Zechs' hands vanishes under the table. Actually, the whole evening is perfect. I can't remember the last time I've had an evening like this. Duo and I used to have parties all the time, and then I met Simon. No, I'm not going to think about any of that, not tonight. Everything is different now. Once we've moved into the living room and everyone has been served coffee and slices of Dorothy's lemon sponge with lavender syrup ice-cream, I perch on the edge of Trowa's chair, resting my head on his shoulder. 'That's nice, honey. Tell me, how much have you been drinking?' 'Not much, I think. Just a glass or two of wine. Why?' 'You're starting to lose all your inhibitions,' he purrs, snaking an arm around my waist. 'I like it. I like it a lot, actually. Do you think your guests would mind if I stole you for a little while?' 'Yep,' Duo cuts in cheerfully. 'You get him to yourself once we leave; right now he has to stay and be a good host. Hey, Quat, can you play something for us?' He mimes playing an air violin. Wufei seemed to like the Bach I played for him before, so I begin with that, and then start to improvise a little, segueing into some pieces I've composed myself. It's the first time, I realise, that I've played my violin for Trowa, and he seems impressed, judging by the look in his eyes. Wow. It's actually rather intense, playing with his eyes on me like that, and I'm out of breath when I finally stop. The round of applause takes me by surprise; I'd forgotten that there were other people present. 'Can't someone else do something?' 'I can,' Zechs says smoothly, moving over to the piano and seating himself on the new stool I've bought. The new, extra-sturdy stool. 'Wufei, do you think you could please turn the pages for me?' 'Are you OK?' Trowa asks softly when I sit down beside him again. 'You're looking sort of flushed.' 'It's getting rather warm in here. D'you want to come into the garden for a minute? I should probably let the dogs out anyway. Considering everyone's been feeding them treats all night.' 'I like the sound of being fed treats all night. Any chance of that happening?' There are a few wolf-whistles as the two of us leave the room. Still, I'm warm anyway; no one can tell that I'm blushing. And I know my friends all like Trowa; it's so lovely to have a boyfriend they approve of. It's rather nice to be outside. With Trowa holding me, and whispering about what sort of 'treats' he'll be expecting later on. 'Maybe a little something in advance, hmmm?' His lips travel down my throat, a gentle trail of kisses at first, and then his lips fasten around a piece of skin, sucking a little more forcefully. 'Trowa, stop! I'm not going back inside with a hickey.' 'No?' He pulls back a little, scraping his teeth lightly across my collarbone. 'What do you suppose they think we're doing out here? Discussing global warming?' 'I don't care what they think. You can do anything you like when they leave, I promise, but not right now.' 'Anything sounds good. Really good. You were great in there, you know. I never knew you were so talented, though. Why in God's name aren't you playing professionally? You're brilliant.' 'Lots of reasons. I told you that I did a couple of concert tours when I was at university and I hated it. We spent a month every summer travelling, living out of suitcases, staying in a different city every night. I don't want to live like that; I like having a proper home. Plus I'm not very good at standing up in front of huge audiences. I used to get sick before every performance.' 'You seemed to be fine tonight,' he says softly. 'It's different with friends. And I do play in public sometimes. I'm in a chamber music ensemble, but we mainly play for small audiences. You'll have to come to some of our concerts.' I hesitate, taking a small sip out of the wine glass Trowa has brought out with him. 'I suppose I try to keep a low profile too. I had a couple of reviews for solo performances, and some journalist wrote a piece mentioning my family and they were furious. 'That's not very fair on you.' 'Honestly, I don't mind. If I desperately wanted to be a concert violinist, I'd probably go ahead and do it, but I don't. I love teaching, and I've started to compose a little bit. I like the way my life is. Especially now that I've got you.' 'I like my life too,' Trowa breathes. 'Especially with you.' I smile up at him, and then think of something. 'Um, Trowa. Where you serious when you said that thing to Duo about wanting to have a threesome?' He bursts out laughing. 'I should've know you wouldn't let that one go. I was about as serious as Duo was. Good enough?' 'Um.' I bite my lip; Trowa doesn't really know Duo all that well, probably not well enough to know when he's being serious or not. 'Don't look like that.' He slides both arms around my waist, pulling me against him. 'I have no intention of sharing you with anyone. Not ever. Not with Duo, not with this mystery admirer who sent you flowers. Got that?' 'Got it.' I haven't told anyone this, but there were more roses outside my front door this morning when I left for work. Along with a little card saying that reservations for two had been made for tonight at a very exclusive little French bistro. It was signed 'Treize'. The roses went to our school secretary; the card has been torn up into very tiny pieces. Hopefully, my not turning up will give him the message that I'm very definitely not interested in him. 'Quatre?' Trowa asks, looking at me rather oddly. 'Are you OK? You just blanked out there.' 'Sorry.' I give myself a little shake. 'Sorry. I'm fine. I was just wondering how soon we can get rid of everyone and have some time to ourselves.' 'Well, you're the planner; I'm sure you can come up with something clever. Maybe we could start making out in front of them?' 'You don't know my friends at all, do you? They'd probably
like that. Actually, I'm surprised they're not staring out the window
at us.'
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