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"The Boy Next Door"Written By: t-shirt Disclaimer: Gundam Wing and its characters are
copyright to Sunrise, Bandai, Sotsu Agency, and associated parties.
I make no money with this fic. Rating: NC 17 Warnings: AU/Teenage Romance, Fluff, angst, sap,
eventual lemon, underage partying! Pairings: Eventual 1x2, 1+4, 2+3, 2+5, 3xOCs leading
to eventual 3x4 (they don’t know each other at first), mention of
(brief) past 3xHilde , 3+2, 3+5, eventual 5xM, 5+2, 5+3 Summary: This is the story of 4 teenage boy’s who grew up in the same neighborhood and the events following Quatre’s introduction to their school in which they learn some of the confusing and sometimes hard lessons of life. Beta'ed by Mechante Fille" ^-^ *snugs* "The Boy Next Door"
Ch 12 SMACK! Wufei rolled with it but the blow still stung. SMACK! He couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of it. SMACK! “Come on, Dragon Boy,” Meilan laughed breathlessly, giving him the ‘come on’ wave as she took her stance again. He sighed inwardly, taking a deep breath and saying a small prayer for patience. Again she attacked and again he was faced with the disturbing reality that the only places open to him for a strike were the very places on her person he wanted to do anything but hit. True to his nature his hand refused to fly, leaving him to endure yet another stinging blow. “You fight dirty,” he accused, laughing softly as he nursed his battered pride and a bright red mark on his lower back. “Accentuate the positive,” she smirked, waving him on again. The truth was he didn’t really mind loosing to her all that much, since he’d discovered some very interesting ways of retaliating after dark. Besides, it was good for her self esteem and inevitably gave him the chance to… “Hey!” she barked, rubbing her smarting ass as she recovered from her last advance. “Why Chang Wufei,” she teased, sauntering toward him. “You, sir… are no gentleman.” “And you,” he grinned, scooping her thin waist to pull her close. “Are no lady.” A fact which pleased him mightily as he kissed her and felt her budding womanhood envelope his soul. Her mouth was sweet and responsive, a tantalizing feast for his ever growing interest as his mind distantly compared the experience to the only other reference point in his past. Meilan’s kiss was nothing like Duo’s but there had been no adolescent fumbling involved during their courtship. He recalled how frightened he’d been when Duo suggested they try it, how his body had reacted with heat and longing desire when the long haired boy let him press his mouth to his own. They were similar in the fact that Duo seemed to prefer a coaxing role, one that gently demanded and guided the actions of his partner but Meilan left him with little doubt as to the propriety of their joining. The short make out sessions he’d enjoyed with Duo long ago had been hot and still smoldered in his memory but even they couldn’t compare. He sucked in a slow breath; his hands coming to cradle her porcelain face smiling inwardly as she softly moaned and confirmed that she, too, felt how very right it was. “Meilan!” And she was gone. He growled his displeasure of this fact and turned to see who she was glaring at to find the large form of Jin Lee filling his dojo door. There were three other young men with him, each of whom bore the same wide shoulders and muscular physique. Wufei glanced at the little emblem of a tiger on the breast of their gi’s and forced himself to relax. “So this is where I find you!” Jin Lee growled angrily, moving his sizable presence into the room. Wufei glanced in the mirrors lining the walls when the others moved in behind him, confirming the presence of weapons and did a mental check of where his own were displayed on the walls. “What are you doing here!” Meilan retorted, standing her ground but Wufei could see she was visibly shaking, her hands balled into angry firsts and trembling at her side. “Mind your place, woman!” her brother shot back. Wufei glided a little to his left putting him in a better position to reach his katana’s as the men spread out. Meilan glanced at the movement, her black eyes darting to the swords on the wall then to the weapons displayed in the mirrors before comprehension dawned and she rushed forward. “Go home!” she commanded. “There’s no reason for you to be here!” She yelped when a meaty fist darted out and slammed into her chest gripping her shirt in a steeling vise and jerking her to her brother’s side. “Shut up!” Jin Lee snarled then suddenly smirked when he noticed Wufei had taken a full step toward him. “Let go!” she growled, thrashing in his grasp. “Let her go,” Wufei echoed calmly. Jin Lee’s smile grew as he shook her hard, causing Wufei to advance again. “You want the little slut?” the man asked, grinning widely as the sound of steel sliding against steel filled the air. “Come and get her.” Wufei’s lips thinned in barely controlled anger as Meilan was tossed unceremoniously to one of the three men behind him, her small form seemingly swallowed up by his massive bulk as his huge arms caught and caged her. She roared furiously, kicking and biting to get free but went still with a painful yelp when the man’s strong arms squeezed her to the breaking point. “She’s your sister!” Wufei barked aghast. “She has shamed our House and will be properly dealt with!” Jin Lee retorted, moving smoothly to his left, the motion inadvertently making it easier for Wufei to reach his sword as his opponents slowly sang from its sheath. “Let her go,” Wufei calmly demanded again. “You didn’t think the Long Clan would actually stand by and let you use one of our daughters as your whore?” Jin Lee laughed, brandishing his sword. “She’s coming home with us.” “Jin Lee! Stop it!” Meilan screamed, renewing her fight for freedom only to gasp painfully when she was viciously gripped. “Mailan!” Wufei barked, going red with fury. “Don’t break her,” Jin Lee warned and the girl slumped panting in the man’s arms as he relented. “You have no honor!” Wufei snapped. “I’m not the one using your little sister for a fuck toy.” Wufei’s reaction was instantaneous and absolute. Jin Lee had no time to react as Wufei slipped in, punched him twice in the face, four times in the chest and used his slightly bent legs as a means to launch himself in a graceful arch snagging two of his swords off the wall as he flipped heels over head and landed, swords at the ready, before them. “Wufei!” Meilan sobbed, not daring more than mock resistance as the man holding her moved back to clear the battle ground. He spared her what he hoped was a reassuring glance before he attacked. Steel clanged loudly as he expertly drove his opponent back, Jin Lee’s face a study in confused determination as he desperately tried to counter but he was loosing ground quickly. However, Wufei was forced to spread his attention to the remaining two men as they stepped in to aid their flailing comrade. The one on Wufei’s left wielded a katana, the one on his right a short staff, each determined to distract the smaller boy, giving Jin Lee the advantage. Wufei was slowly pushed back until he suddenly shifted his style, his swords singing through the air to clang together as he lunged at the staff jerking the blades apart when they connected and slicing the heavy wooden rod in two. The man had only an instant to gape before the hard hilt of Wufei’s katana hitting his forehead granted him oblivion. Wufei had turned before his body hit the ground, blocking and countering as his remaining opponents did their best to avenge their fallen comrade. Meilan again screamed Wufei’s name when the second swordsman managed to get behind, him penning him between his and Jin Lee’s flashing blades. It was to Wufei’s advantage that he wielded two swords and they each only one but it was obviously taxing to keep up with both of them in this situation. Jin Lee’s eyes flashed as an opportunity presented itself and he lunged forward, his blade jabbing into the space where Wufei’s chest had been but the agile Dragon was already in the air, his lithe body sailing in a high arch over the second swordsman and the man crumbled to the ground having taken a blow to the head before Wufei lightly landed on his feet. Jin Lee paused, his expression uncertain and afraid as he faced the mighty Dragon one on one. His eyes shifted to the last of his comrades, to the girl in his arms who glared at him with utter loathing, dripping from her diamond black eyes, her expression fueling his rage and he gave loud battle cry as he rushed forward. “Stop it!” Meilan screamed, getting herself shaking painfully again. Wufei heard her cry, his need to see to her safety causing him to look in her direction at an inopportune time, the price being pain as Jin Lee slammed into him, the force of the impact crushing Wufei’s chest and sending him flying back into the wall. He heard the mirror crack, felt the sting and subsequent wetness on his back and knew there would be blood when he forced himself to rise. “Wufei!” the girl had shouted again, fighting hard now to free herself, her captor taking great pleasure in wrestling her small form as he jerked her this way and that. “Stop it!” Wufei commanded but was forced to block a series of attacks from Jin Lee. “She’s your sister!” he roared, countering with such rage the man gasped in his retreat and was left gaping at the stub of his broken blade and the righteous, black eyes of Chang Wufei. “She betrayed us!” Jin Lee snapped, backing further away. “She followed her heart!” Wufei countered. “Her heart?” the man laughed, taking the opportunity to catch his breath. “Is that what she told you?” he grinned, glancing at his enraged sibling. “You’re more of a fool than I thought,” he said, rising to his full and considerably height. Wufei straightened his shoulders, ignoring the warm trickle of blood that trailed down his back to dribble on the dusty brown mat beneath his feet. “So,” Jin Lee smirked, tossing his broken sword aside. “She betrayed you, too.” Wufei’s eyes shifted to the girl and back again. “Did you think she really loved you?” the man laughed. “Is that what she said when you pinned her to your bed?” Wufei again glanced at her, they hadn’t gone that far but he had been hopeful. “You’ve been used, you idiot.” “No,” Meilan breathed, calling Wufei’s gaze once again. “She came here in search of power,” Jin Lee went on. “The power to crush her enemies.” Wufei felt his chest constrict, knowing that this was the Long way. “The power to beat me,” the man chortled. “She’d to anything to gain that advantage,” he told him, grinning evilly as he said, “Even become your whore.” “Shut up!” Wufei roared, slinging his swords at the walls, the impact shattering the mirrors, the shards falling like rain and casting their broken light on the dark shadow of his rage. “You should thank me,” Jin Lee chuckled, moving into a stance that challenged hand to hand combat. Wufei looked to Meilan, his mind retracing the day they’d met, her words and actions, how hard she had tried and the unique way in which she had finally bested him. It couldn’t be true, he refused to believe but doubt had clouded his mind and weakened his will. When the attack came he was wholly unprepared, taking several blows to the stomach and chest and one vicious punch to his jaw before he hit the mat and heard Meilan’s furious roar. Her captor barked in pain as her foot came down on his, the sound of breaking bone cracking loudly as he dropped her. A moment later she was moving toward the combatants across the floor but the man behind her growled angrily and lunged forward just as Jin Lee decided to use the distraction and attacked Wufei. He wasn’t really sure exactly what had happened until it was over but hindsight quickly supplied him with the answer. In a flash, the last of Jin Lee’s companions had shouted piteously, his meaty fist missing its mark as Meilan yelped and suddenly disappeared as the man crashed head long into the floor and lay still. Wufei recalled the crack of a meaty fist against his jaw and the feeling of flying through the air, his mind supplying him with the multiple image he’d seen in the broken mirror of Jin Lee moving in for the final blow and the ultimate shock on his face when he was summarily snatched off his feet and thrown with brute force into the far wall of the dojo. “What in the hell are you doing?!” Hiiro growled. “Getting my ass kicked,” Wufei replied intelligently as his eyes sought out Meilan and found her safely tucked in a corner. “Get up!” Hiiro snapped, snatching him to his feet. “You’re embarrassing me!” Wufei shot him a glare but it sizzled in the heat of Hiiro’s righteous indignation. “Finish it!” the Japanese boy growled, shoving him toward the slowly recovering Jin Lee. “I can’t hurt him!” Wufei snapped. “He’s her brother!” “Fine,” Hiiro snipped, ripping his shirt off as he moved swiftly forward and declared. “I can.” “Hiiro!” “Get up!” Hiiro snapped as he approached his opponent. “This isn’t your fight,” Jin Lee replied, standing to face him. “It is now,” Hiiro countered, lashing out to smack the larger man in the face but all he did was grunt and stagger back, his dark eyes fearfully calculating as they shifted from Wufei to the door. “Come on!” Hiiro growled but again he remained passive. “Get out!” the Japanese boy snapped, dismissing him but as he turned to rejoin Wufei, Jin Lee’s eyes flashed. In an instant he was in motion, his huge body moving with deadly speed toward the back of Hiiro’s head, the momentum of the lunge carrying him onward when the blow met with thin air as Hiiro pivoted, his left fist closing around Jin Lees right wrist as he smoothly twisted his powerful body, his strong, right arm moving with lightening speed and indomitable strength. “JIN LEE!” Meilan screamed as the sound of cracking bone split the air, her brother’s painful cry reverberating off the walls as he crumbled to the ground. Hiiro held him there a moment, his wrist still firmly grasped in his hand as he leaned close and snarled, “Meilan is the only reason you’re still standing.” The information appeared to get through as the man flashed Wufei a startled yet watery glance and clutched his broken arm to his chest. “Jin?” Meilan gasped, falling by her brother’s side. Hiiro watched her coax him into showing her the arm, then turned to find a bastard mix of gratitude, loathing and just plain dumbfounded relief in Wufei’s eyes. Little was said while they revived the others and took Jin Lee to the hospital. Wufei had insisted on taking him and Hiiro had insisted on coming along. Meilan spent most of the time consoling her injured brother and telling him what a complete jerk he was, something he responded to with annoyed tolerance. He was treated; a cast applied and was resting peacefully in the recovery room while they waited for someone to come pick him and Meilan up when Wufei finally found a moment to speak privately with the girl. “Are you all right?” he asked, stepping into the waiting room where she was looking the snack machine over. She nodded then took a deep breath and they both said, “I’m sorry,” at the same time. He chuckled, she blushed. “He can be such a jerk sometimes,” she suddenly blurted. He couldn’t argue with her there so he tried a different tact. “I’m sorry Hiiro was… so hard on him,” he offered a bit guiltily. She sighed deeply and shook her head. “He asked for it. I can’t believe he tried to sucker punch Hiiro Yui.” They laughed at the absurdity of that as Meilan had come to know the Japanese boy somewhat during her lessons but her laugher slowly waned. “You could have done that,” she said, letting a small, knowing smile curl her full lips as she asked, “Couldn’t you?” “Not really,” he shrugged, seeming uncomfortable with the subject. “Why not?” “He’s your brother,” he smirked. She obviously understood the meaning behind those words and she smiled brightly in approval. “You’re a good man,” she said stepping closer as she reverently intoned, “Chang Wufei.” “If so, then it requires only a reason to be so,” he smiled, tugging on her waist so he could gently kiss her lips. “Meilan?!” “Shit,” he breathed against her mouth, feeling her tense along with him before she pulled away. “Hello, Daddy,” she smiled, jogging over to plant a kiss on the cheek of the seven feet tall, middle aged man currently scowling at Wufei. He held his ground and the man’s gaze until Meilan took the reins. “Have you seen Jin Lee yet?” she asked, ushering her larger than life father and his three, burly looking associates down the hall. Wufei drew a deep breath and followed, only to be accosted the moment he stepped through the door. “Hey, man!” Duo grinned, bouncing up with Hiiro in tow. “You ok?” “I’m fine,” Wufei chuckled tolerantly as Duo dug under his bloodied shirt to get a look at the butterfly bandages decorating his back. “We’d better pick up some cream,” the braided boy commented, relenting. “Or that’s gonna scar. So, where is this bastard?” “In recovery,” Wufei replied, adding a quick, “Duo!” when his friend disappeared. He shared a long suffering sigh with Hiiro and followed. “Hey, Meilan,” Duo smiled, breezing in to kiss the girl on the cheek. “How is he?” he asked, completely ignoring her father’s disapproving glare. “Stupid,” she replied, amending after getting the laugh, “He’ll live.” “No thanks to him,” Jin Lee grumbled, flashing a dopily irritant eye toward Hiiro. “If you’d been man enough to face him head on instead of trying to stab him in the back you might still be in one piece,” Duo countered. From the way Meilan’s father’s shoulders slumped and the resolute sigh that escaped his lips it was clear he was all too familiar with this scenario. The nurse came in and informed them that Jin Lee would be ready to leave as soon as they could find a free wheelchair, took care of the paperwork and left with efficient ease. Wufei became moderately uncomfortable, deciding perhaps it would be best if he waited in the waiting room but he wasn’t alone long before Meilan’s father’s ample form filled the room. “My son,” the man began. “Still has a lot to learn.” Wufei remained silent not wanting to insult the injured. “I hope you can forgive him,” the man went on. “Father?” Meilan said entering and placing herself between the opposing man and Wufei but the Chinese boy reached forward to draw her back to his side instead. “It wasn’t Wufei’s fault. It’s Jin Lee who should be punished,” she began but her father held out a hand for silence. “Jin Lee’s career as a fighter is over,” he said, making her gasp softly. “The break is clean but he’ll never be a top contender again. That is sufficient punishment.” Her eyes fell as Wufei’s hand gripped her shoulder supportively. The sad moment was broken when the man slowly bowed, his massive form tilting over to almost a lateral position as he said, “You and your family have my apologies.” The reply was instant and made Meilan gasp as she staggered back when Wufei replied, “I would rather have your daughter’s hand.” Duo’s grinning face popped out from behind the door jam, his eyes alight with glee and a thumbs up on both his hands before Hiiro snatched him back behind the wall. Wufei managed to keep it to a small smirk but the man before him had risen once again to his full height, his eyes large and round as they shifted from Wufei to Meilan who nodded vigorously and continually until he finally smiled. “I will contact your parents.” “Thank you, Sir,” Wufei replied, sketching a low bow of his own. The moment the man was gone Meilan flung herself on him and kissed him like there was no tomorrow. ** Jin Lee groaned dejectedly, shifting his cast and cursing the pain pills for not having knocked him out. It wasn’t turning out to be his day. First Wufei had showed him up by taking on all four of them at once, the only way he’d been able to make any headway having been turning to less respectful tactics, then that damn Japanese kid had broken his arm. As if that wasn’t enough, he’d had to suffer the disappointment in his father’s eyes yet again and knew the punishment this time was going to be far worse than the usual scolding. He’d blown it big time, so he was only mildly shocked to see one of Wufei’s friends come back in the room he was waiting to get out of. “How ya feeling?” Duo smiled, gliding smoothly across the floor. Jin Lee watched him stop at the basin on the rolling table and take up the pitcher of water as he replied, “Like shit.” “Good,” Duo nodded, pouring the water into the basin while the man rolled his eyes. “It could be a lot worse,” Duo commented, reaching to tug off the loose, black shirt he was wearing. Jin Lee’s eyes followed the garment falling appreciatively on the slowly revealed expanse of Duo’s ripped stomach but widened alarmingly when he saw the jagged scar on his side. “Oh this?” Duo chuckled, well aware of his gaze. “Do yourself a favor,” he advised, “If you ever try to kill a man, make sure his wife isn’t around.” Jin Lee’s brow wrinkled, once again raising when the shirt was finally pulled free, exposing the six inch long knife strapped to Duo’s right forearm. “You know,” he said, washing his face in the water. “It’s a good thing Wufei’s got a thing for your sister or you might be going home in pine box. He doesn’t usually mess around.” The man was watching him, listening, so he went on, taking a towel from the adjacent bed to dry his face and hands. “You’re a lucky guy.” “You call this lucky?” Jin Lee snipped, rattling his cast. “Man,” Duo chuckled, shaking his head. “You have no idea how close to the grave you came.” The comment served to wake something deep in the man’s eyes. “You’re Meilan’s brother so I’ll give you some friendly advice,” Duo said pulling his shirt back on. “Don’t fuck with Hiiro Yui,” he stated clearly as he moved toward the door. He paused there to look back and add, “Oh, and if you ever mess with my friends again,” he said as a demonic smile curled his lips. “I’ll be around to visit you’re dreams.” Jin Lee watched him go, choosing the intelligent route for a change and holding his tongue. There really wasn’t anything to say anyway, he’d gotten the message loud and clear, letting go a very long breath as he decided maybe it was time to make some changes in his life.
~ * ~ tbc... |
