"One For All"

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: Post war/Cannon, Wufei POV, Mild Lemon (sorry guys, no hard core in this one), some angst, yuckables I suppose ^-^, fluff

Pairings: Quintet/eventual 1x2x3x4x5

Summary: Wufei’s desire to help his clueless friends find love and happiness leads to more than his hearts desire.

Beta’ed by Mechante Fille ^-^

" One For All"

They were four of the most intelligent beings I had ever encountered. Their dedication and loyalty unparalleled, their skills incomparable, so why were they all so utterly incompetent when it came to understanding each other? I had seen Barton throw himself between Winner and his opponents with complete abandon and Winner, in turn, happily dote over the mercenary with subservient adoration. During the war Yui had stayed one step beyond the reach of any and all who threatened his singularity save Maxwell who was welcome to jibe, tease, touch and otherwise buddy up to the stoic pilot of Wing Zero. Duo, himself, appeared completely oblivious to the way his eyes lit up whenever Hiiro walked into a room and I doubt Yui even realized his mouth would curl softly on the edges just knowing Maxwell was nearby.

Idiots, the lot of them.

I had lost pretty much everything to the war. What little that had been gained on a personal level was deeply ensconced in the hearts of those I now called my friends. Sally had convinced me to continue the peacekeeping effort and I was more than happy when, one by one, the others joined up as well. Working with her had been comforting considering our history. She knew me in a way that no other human being did, or at least I had thought so until I found myself partnered with Yui. It hadn’t taken long for the powers that be to understand what a waste it was to keep someone with her medical skill in the field. Having Yui by my side was a little bit like coming home. He and the others were the closest thing I had to family anymore and it didn’t take long for me to comprehend they all needed help. Set them on the front line facing impossible odds and they would blaze a trail unlike any other but ask them to sit quietly and tell you how they felt and you might as well be trying to drink whiskey from a bottle of wine. I understood if they were to find any true happiness they all needed a good shove in the right direction when Yui and I were on surveillance detail one night. I was watching the warehouse we believed to be a hub for illegal gun trafficking and he was… playing with a beaded bracelet that had appeared on his left wrist about two days prior.

“Time?” I sighed, wishing, not for the first time, he would stop fiddling with the infernal thing and help me do our job.

“Hn?”

What the hell had happened to the guy who was so in tune with his surroundings he could tell you what your damn pulse was from ten paces?

“I said hand me the ice cream,” I replied sardonically. “My toes itch.”

The bark of laugher came tumbling out of my mouth completely unexpected because I sure as hell hadn’t expected him to actually turn as if comply.

“What is with you?” I laughed, ignoring the death glare as he realized what I had requested of him. I don’t think I had ever seen him turn quite that color before.

“Is there any coffee left?” he evaded and I reached in between my feet to retrieve the thermos for him.

I saw his eyes sweep the warehouse and let mine do the same, finding it as devoid of activity as ever before turning my attention back to my distracted partner.

“So… where’d the bracelet come from?”

He hesitated just long enough that I knew the answer before he managed to shrug minutely and reply, “Duo made it.”

“Really?” I queried, my interest piqued as I leaned in to get a closer look at the tiny, colorful beadwork. “I didn’t know he was into crafts.”

“He’s not,” he snorted as if the idea of Maxwell doing anything as girly sounding as `crafts` was ludicrous. “He just made the one piece,” he confessed, pausing to blow the steam off his coffee before sipping it cautiously.

I waited a moment but he only stared off into the darkness refusing to look directly at me and I understood he meant to drop the subject right there but I wasn’t ready to let it lie.

“Is it… special?” I asked, only half hiding the smirk behind my mug of java.

He turned that interesting shade of torrid rose again and had to clear his throat before he could answer.

“It’s a… friendship bracelet,” he informed me, sitting forward to inspect the farthest corner of the building, leaving me with nothing to smirk at but the back of his unruly head.

“And what, pray tell,” I asked, doing my best not to openly snicker, “Did you give him in return?”

His head snapped around so fast it felt like he had slapped me when I saw the horrified expression in his eyes. I understood the instant I saw it and felt my own face heat as the weight of my seemingly innocent question fell heavily between us.

“You… did give him something in return?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

“I… didn’t realize,” he began and I could see his mind begin to work frantically on rectifying the mistake the moment his eyes fell from mine.

“Damn, Yui,” I sighed. “It’s no wonder you’re still single.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?!” he snapped defensively.

“Nothing,” I replied, raising my hands in apology.

“He just does shit like that sometimes,” he growled softly, adjusting uncomfortably in his seat.

“He’s thoughtful like that,” I nodded, doing my damnedest to hide the curl of my mouth.

“Yeah, he is,” he grumbled, looking down the block and away from me again.

“It’s nice.”

“What?” he snapped, jerking back around to glare at me.

“The bracelet,” I replied, poignantly not looking at him.

He floundered for a moment in which I thought I would completely lose it before a reluctant, “Thanks,” popped out of his mouth.

It came to me that night that if my friends were ever going to find happiness they would not only need a swift kick in the ass, but I was the only one with the means to do the kicking. Anyone close to them could easily see how they felt about each other but no one else was in a position to do anything about it. They trusted me, knew down deep in their hearts I would never do anything to harm them because they were all I had left in this life. They were all, each in their own way, very precious to me and I found I could no longer sit by and watch them waste any more time dancing around what could be for fear of loosing what was.

So, with my goal firmly in mind I decided to begin with Winner and Barton. Maxwell would probably be easy enough to deal with but Yui presented some unique problems that I needed to think over carefully before I acted. I wasn’t to fond of the idea of getting my head ripped off and shoved up my ass so I made a point of inviting myself to Winner’s the next weekend when I knew Barton would be there for his Saturday visit. Don’t misunderstand, he was up at the Winner mansion most any day of the week but it was Saturday nights that they had set aside for some `quality time’. We all had a standing invitation but the rest of us usually only made it once or twice a month. Barton, on the other hand, had become a weekly constant, making me wonder at the depth of denial he was obviously capable of.

“Wufei,” Winner smiled, inviting me in to his home as he always had. “It’s so good to see you.”

I returned the smile and took a moment to allow Barton to ease into the foyer entryway before letting my eyes flicker down his form and replying, “You’re looking… well.” He was as pristine as ever, tastefully attired in dark green slacks, a mint dress shirt and dark gray vest, the colors contrasting most attractively with his pale skin and golden hair. I was put in mind of a field of bright flowers drenched in afternoon sunlight.

I suppose it had been the suggestive tone of the comment more than anything that brought the faint pinkness to his cheeks and I saw his eyes flick toward Barton as he smiled nervously and thanked me. When I followed his gaze I was most gratified to see a dark wrinkle marring the usually placid mercenary’s brow, but he said nothing only nodding his greeting.

“Good evening, Barton,” I smiled but stepped closer to our host cupping one hand under his elbow, the touch as innocently suggestive as the small smile on my lips as we breezed by our suddenly sullen companion.

I backed off once we were inside, the idea not being to give Winner a new psychosis but to force Barton to face up to his feelings. It was satisfying to note that once I had made way Barton moved in without hesitation taking the seat beside our Arabian friend while we chatted before dinner but when we were informed our meal was ready I lost no time offering the blond heir my hand. It took a great deal of will power not to smirk smugly when Barton’s ears turned red as Winner politely accepted my offer, his eyes darting toward our companion as I pulled him from his seat. I thought for sure Barton would come clean right there when I retained his hand after he’d stood, going so far as to cradle it in the crook of my arm as I escorted him to the table but he demonstrated the iron will of a Gundam pilot and maintained his silence.

Actually, from that point on he pretty much wallowed in it. I doubt he said two words to anyone for the rest of the evening, which left me to poke at the sedated beast inside him completely unhindered.

“I understand you’ve finished restoration of the Commons Museum,” I commented casually to Winner, though I made sure my posture left me leaning toward him.

“Yes,” he replied casing yet another wary glance at Barton, no doubt in response to the silken quality of my tone. “The grand re-opening will be next month.”

“You’ve done so much to bring life back to the people since the war. Your efforts are… commendable,” I smiled, leaning closer, letting my face come nearer to his and forcing down the smile when he leaned away in slight alarm as I retrieved the bottle of wine. A quick glance at Barton confirmed the success of the move and I giggled internally as his lips thinned when I topped off Winner’s glass as well as mine.

“You’ve done as much as any of us,” Winner countered, taking a rather large gulp from his newly refreshed glass. “You and Hiiro stopped Banes and his organization.”

“The man was an idiot,” I chuckled, tossing what I hoped was a meaningful glace in Barton’s direction as I added, “He had no idea what was staring him right in the face.”

Winner chuckled too but it held little in the way of true mirth. As a matter of fact, he looked very much like he would have preferred a root canal as to continue the evening’s discussion.

“Dessert?” he chirped suddenly and rang the little bell that was meant to call his salvation.

I almost busted out laughing when Barton suddenly stood and walked out.

“Trowa?!” Winner gasped, looking from his retreating back to me, his battle over wanting to go after him and not wanting to be rude by abandoning me warring in his eyes.

“Perhaps a drink before I take my leave?” I smiled, tossing my napkin on my plate just as Candice answered the call of the bell.

“We’ll be taking cocktails in the lounge,” he informed her and fairly bolted out the door.

Barton was already there by the time we arrived, having poured himself a rather stiff glass of Cognac and gone to stare out the bay window that overlooked the pool in the backyard. Winner regarded him intently but he did not alter his gaze as he went to pour us a drink.

“Brandy?” he asked distracted as he poured us a glass of gin without giving me a chance to answer.

“Thank you,” I smiled, accepting the drink I hadn’t really wanted to begin with.

I had been in this room a number of times before, both with and without the company of the others. It seemed to be Winner’s favorite place to entertain his friends and I could see why. There was a comfortable ambiance to it with its deep, heavy linen furniture, something Maxwell adored because he could curl into it feet and all and not feel the least bit remorse. The light was ample but low unless you turned on the overhead and glinted off the many mirrors, glasses and bottles of the bar sending a gentle cadence of soft reflections dancing along the walls. Barton stood staring silently out into a crystal night, the maze of light rebounding off the pool playing happily over his sullen features and I was suddenly aware that this could be a most intimate place when in the right company.

“May I?” I asked, stepping over to the stereo and couldn’t contain the slight chuckle when Winner’s eyes popped open in shock.

The stereo was also Maxwell’s domain. He nodded before he had even managed to snap his mouth shut and threw back his gin in one gulp. I ignored his wide-eyed expression when he realized the glass had been filled with gin and not brandy and went to choose some music. Having Maxwell around had, at the very least, widened my perception of melodic sound and I found something most enticingly appropriate.

“Would you like another?” I asked, easing into his personal space as I went by, his gaze moving from Barton to lock with mine as I plucked the glass from his hand and smiled openly. In my peripheral vision I saw Barton’s head shift just enough to guarantee he could see us as I let my face pass within inches of Winners, the pink tinge of his cheeks flaring red-hot as I breezed by.

I poured him a brandy keeping a sharp eye on Barton’s reactions as the soft jazz I had selected filled the room with its smoky rhythm. I couldn’t help the evil flit of a grin in my eyes as I moved back in close to him to deliver the drink, my hand lingering on the glass as his fingers closed around it and I softly inquired, “Have you set a date?”

“What?!” he gasped, his eyes flashing at Barton who jerked around to openly gawk at us, his expression a bastard mix of confusion, anger and pain when he saw Winner practically ensconced in my arms.

“For the opening,” I clarified, backing off slowly.

It took him a second but he finally put it together and gave me a shaky smile. “Umm… the… fourteenth… tentatively,” he informed me then threw back his head and the brandy joined the gin in one huge swallow.

“Will there be a dinner?” I asked innocently, sipping my drink.

“No,” he replied and took a deep breath as if to steady himself. “Just the usual hors d'oeuvres at the reception. Perhaps a band.”

“Dancing?” I asked, raising a brow.

“I suppose.”

“I’ve never quite understood the intricacies of western dance,” I told him, watching the liquid swirl in my glass.

“It just takes a bit of practice,” he replied and I grinned as I flashed a glance to find Barton determinedly not looking at us.

“You must have been born to it then,” I smiled, setting my glass aside before moving toward him.

“I…,” he began but lost the thread as I advanced and his eyes went a little bit wild again.

“I’ve seen you dance,” I reminded him, letting a small smile curl my lips as I stopped mere inches from him and softly purred, “You are… most graceful.”

I swear I actually heard it when he swallowed but any further conversation on the subject was abruptly ended when Barton suddenly stormed out, slamming the door behind him. I felt a little guilty when I saw the pain lance though Winner’s eyes, his need to go after him evident in the desperation on his face but though he looked like a partridge ready to take flight he held his ground.

“Maybe you should go after him?”

“What?!” He gasped nervously. “Why?!”

Denial can be an ugly thing. “He seemed upset.”

“Oh that’s just because… he’s had sort of a bad week,” he reasoned, moving away from me to fluff the throw pillows of all things. “Catherine’s been hounding him about school again,” he told me, moving about as he tidied up the immaculate room. “Woman simply cannot understand he’d be more suited to teaching classes than taking them.”

“His age confuses her,” I commented in an effort to smooth things over a little as the thought that perhaps I had pushed to hard flitted through my mind.

“Exactly!” he crowed, fussing with the curtains. “She seems to think just because he’s seventeen he should be enrolled.”

Damn. He looked as if he might bolt at any minute and not stop till he reached the coast. It was definitely time to back off so I made my excuses and left him to his fidgeting. My confidence in my decision to let it lie was confirmed when I didn’t see Barton’s car in the drive as I left. The best I could hope for was that I had given them both something to think about.

I was forced to take a slightly different approach with Yui and Maxwell. My partner is notorious for having a short temper with anyone but Maxwell so it was necessary to tread lightly lest I lose an appendage to the cause. I suppose, if there was anyone he respected enough to withhold thrashing in the heat of the moment it would be me but I wasn’t all that eager to find out where his limits lie. I have seen the man jerk iron bars from a prison cell window. I am not stupid enough to do something that would send him into a blind rage.

The first opportunity that presented itself turned out to be my weekly sparing session with Yui. We have a habit of getting together on Thursday nights to work off a little tension. It isn’t uncommon for Maxwell to tag along, though he rarely indulges in what he deems our `macho bonding thing’. There is a certain… eroticism to the activity I suppose. There is sweat and laborious breathing in response to physical exertion, the feeling of skin under ones fingers and bodies often pressed together in a wrestling match that borders on intimacy even if the end result is victory instead of culmination. Oddly, it was Maxwell’s teasing jibes that gave me the idea.

“Oh hohohooo!” he cringed when my back hit the mat once again. “Damn, Chang! You keep it up he’s gonna have to buy you a ring!”

I ignored the jibing laughter as well as the smug smirk on Hiiro’s dampened face in favor of enacting my plan. “Put up or shut up, Braidboy,” I smirked, taking a moment to gather myself as his brow rose and I saw him take the bait.

“You want a piece of me?” he grinned, bouncing to his feet.

“If a piece is all you have to offer,” I returned and got a satisfactory exclamation from Maxwell and a gratifying grimace from Yui.

“You want it you’re gonna have to take it,” he grinned, dancing lightly onto the matt.

I was aware of Yui moving reluctantly away, his sullen expression bolstering my resolve to see this through.

“If you insist,” I quipped then snapped to my feet and matched him grin for grin as we began to circle each other.

“Nimble little minx,” he purred in appreciation.

“All the better to flounce you with,” I replied saucily then launched a tentative attack to judge his state of readiness.

He did not disappoint, matching me blow for blow but I knew he was only goofing off, feeling me out just as I was doing. There was a time I had underestimated him, secure in my confidence that a lifetime of training would easily out maneuver him but it took my getting atrociously beaten only once for me to understand his life had taught him things I could not begin to imagine. He is as skillful a fighter as any man I have ever faced; if I were going to take him down there would be no room for error. We advanced and retreated several times, each landing hits that would have scored in a tournament and I worked out my slight advantage. He wasn’t expecting it when I dropped to the floor when given the opportunity to land a killing strike and swept his feet instead but my goal hadn’t been to make the point. I ended up sitting on top of him, my legs straddling his stomach as I pinned his wrists to the matt.

“Dirty, Chang!” he growled in mock anger and thrashed beneath me but I held him tight and gave into the urge to laugh out loud.

“But effective,” I goaded, feeling damn high all of a sudden just knowing I had bested him so completely.

“Get off you perv!” he mock growled, writhing in his effort to free himself and I chuckled darkly as another wave of delightful triumph washed through my chest.

“Give us a kiss first,” I laughed, playing his game but the comment served to shock him into stilling and staring at me in drop jawed amazement for a second before he wriggled so hard I almost lost my grip.

“Let him up,” Yui demanded in no uncertain terms but I was too high to care if he was angry.

“He started it,” I laughed, holding on tight.

“You don’t get off I’m gonna finish it,” Maxwell threatened and some little voice in the back of my head tried to tell me to shut up but my mouth had already started talking.

“Oh,” I grinned, sitting back and adding, “You want me to get off?” as I settled my hips over his.

“Get up!” Yui snapped, advancing on us.

“Why?” I questioned, firmly telling that little voice to shut up because I was thoroughly enjoying watching Maxwell gape at me. “He’s always going on about us,” I chuckled, finding it unnecessary to hold Maxwell’s arms anymore as my words appeared to have rendered him inert. “He never gets to play,” I smiled, resting more of my weight on his hips, a deep chuckle rising from within my chest as he let out a small gasp and his mouth opened and closed like a docked fish.

“Now!” my partner demanded in a tone so devoid of compassion it finally got through the adrenaline high and I realized just how close I was to getting cold cocked.

It was too late to back down without making it count, however, so I girded my loins, looked him straight in the eye and grinned as I said, “Wouldn’t want him getting jealous.”

Instantly, Maxwell’s eyes shot to Yui’s who stood utterly frozen by the comment, his face slowly flushing pink then red and I was horrified to see the blush completely take over and spread to his ears before he suddenly turned and fled.

“Shit,” Maxwell sighed quietly and I feared for a moment I had pushed too hard with them as well but he quickly changed my entire mode of thinking when he turned curious eyes on me and I suddenly found it hard to breath. “You gonna sit there all day?” he smiled and I recall feeling surprised that he didn’t seem angry.

“He’s a little sensitive today,” I commented, finding myself loath to move.

“Yeah, well,” he sighed, tucking one arm behind his head and raising his knees and I felt a strange sensation wash up through my hips and chest as his thighs pressed against my ass. “You sort of found one of his buttons,” he confessed.

“He doesn’t seem to mind when you tease him,” I pointed out.

There was a moment that I saw that old light flash in his eyes, the kind that used to shine in their amethyst depths just before a battle and he grinned in that evil way only Maxwell can manage as he replied, “That’s because I am one of his buttons,” and I jumped like a stuck pig when he suddenly raised his hips.

He laughed jovially as I hit the matt and bounced away, the pure shock on my face seeming to highly amuse him as he rolled to his feet and wandered off in search of a towel. It was painfully obvious at that point that Maxwell was well aware of the problem but had unfortunately either been unsuccessful in breeching Yui’s defenses, had not tried or simply didn’t know what to do. On the up side, I had an advantage because half of the equation seemed to be already solved, on the down side, Yui’s half of the problem could very easily turn out to be more complicated than six tier, three dimensional, trans-colony chess… against a rabid pit bull. The trip we were to take that weekend was looking damn long after my little attempt at opening his eyes.

Ch 2

I had been wholly unprepared for the call I received from Winner that Wednesday inviting me to lunch. He’d sounded strange on the phone and put me on the defensive with his nervous insistence. I knew it was just an excuse to talk to me but couldn’t understand why he didn’t just say what he needed to over the phone. I met him at the Driftwood, a small but elegant place in mid downtown and found him already waiting for me when I arrived.

“Hi,” he smiled, standing to welcome me to his table and I returned the greeting as I took my seat in spite of the tingle on the back of my neck.

The odd feeling made me glance around warily as I have come to know that it usually meant something was amiss.

“Thank you for coming,” he smiled, pausing as our waiter came to sit water glasses and silverware before us.

I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong and just happened, by chance alone, to notice the presence of a shock of auburn hair disappear behind a potted plant not three tables away. Barton was spying on us? This presented a unique opportunity.

“Of course,” I smiled reassuringly, going so far as to lean over and lay my hand on his forearm.

He stilled, glancing at the touch before a smile graced his features and I retreated when he reached for his water.

“I understand the grilled chicken is excellent here,” I commented, watching that length of auburn hair ease into view again.

“Perhaps I’ll try it then,” he replied, setting his menu aside and I considered him.

“You’ve never been here?”

“It’s a bit out of my way,” he confessed and the smile that blossomed on my face was genuine.

“I’m honored,” I told him, chuckling lightly as his fair cheeks pinked.

I was beginning to see what had so utterly captivated Barton now that I took a moment to actually look. The waiter appeared then and took our order, fussed over our lack of interest in the daily special then went off to fetch our drinks. For a time nothing much transpired other than an uncomfortable silence but I didn’t really know why he had called me out so I was unsure of what tack to take until he finally breeched the silence.

“Wufei.”

I laughed, it was impossible not to.

“What?” he snipped defensively.

“I’m sorry,” I chuckled. “It’s just… the way you said that sounded like you’re about to confess your undying love or something.”

His face flashed red and I saw that bit of hair down the way tilt and disappear.

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about,” he blurted and I felt as if I might have a terminal case of the giggles.

He was obviously trying to `let me down easy` but things were not going quite as he had planned.

“Quatre,” I breathed, leaning boldly forward, my hands suddenly clasping his and I conveniently ignored the exasperated apprehension in his eyes and whispered just a little too loud, “Are you telling me you care for me?”

“Wh…what?!” he stammered and I smiled happily.

“I must say,” I went on deliberately misunderstanding. “This is a bit of a surprise. I had thought, for so long, that you were interested in… someone else.”

“Then you are interested in me?!” he balked but the waiter came just then to deliver out lunch.

If he happened to notice my lunch date was a little more well done than his lunch he didn’t mention it. I waited until he had trotted off before offering Winner a soft smile.

“Who wouldn’t be?” I asked in all honesty because truth be told, he really was one hell of a catch.

“Oh…Wufei,” he breathed softly and I felt a little bad for putting him through this. His concern over breaking my heart was weighing heavily in his eyes.

I wasn’t sure if Barton was still listening as I had lost sight of him but took the chance anyway and kept up the act throughout the meal. Winner tried several times to break it to me gently that he did not return my apparent affections but I managed to redirect him until after we had asked for the check. Once the waiter was off to run my credit card, since I had insisted on paying, I smiled and leaned close to him, once again laying my hand over his.

“Quatre,” I said softly, putting a good deal of hopeful anxiety into my tone. “Would you join me for the ballet this weekend?”

His eyes grew wide and I could almost hear the gears grinding as he tried to think up a reason to turn me down. “I thought you were going out of town with Hiiro?” he suddenly asked.

“The show isn’t until Sunday night,” I informed him, giving his fingers a hopeful squeeze. “It would be much more enjoyable… if you could join me.”

“I,” he looked as if his head might explode trying to find the right words. “Wufei,” he finally breathed. “We… should talk…”

“Wonderful!” I beamed, accepting my card from the waiter. “I’ll pick you up at seven,” I told him, signing my name. “We can talk after the show,” I smiled suggestively and couldn’t help the chuckle when his face flamed again as the waiter went away.

“But… Wufei…”

“I’m sorry,” I apologized, rising to my feet. “I’m afraid I’m already late for an appointment but we’ll have plenty of time to work out the details when I get back.”

I’m sure he was intent on explaining things to me in no uncertain terms but he sort of lost track of what he was going to say when I suddenly bent down and kissed him on the cheek. The low growl I heard from somewhere nearby confirmed that Barton was indeed still listening and I could only hope that he would confess before I returned. Not that having Winner along at the show would have been a chore, he is wonderful company and enjoys such things with a deep appreciation one does not find in the average human being.

As expected, Hiiro had been distant and short tempered for the rest of the week. Any time I happened to mention Maxwell’s name his mood would darken, his eyes shift to regard me and fall away again and his responses were kept to one-syllable articulations that were as amusing as they were alarming. I was not looking forward to being crammed in a car with him for the four hours it would take to drive to Bellville. The first half of the trip wasn’t too bad because I managed to fill it with small talk about the interviews we were going to perform. He seemed willing enough to converse with me about the matters at hand but whenever speaking with Yui the conversation will invariably come back around to the same subject sooner or later.

“Did you manage to reassign the Jackson file?” I asked, knowing we’d be better off if he could keep his mind on the investigation instead of the mundane chores of his everyday duties.

His answer was slow in coming and I knew what sound he would utter simply by watching the muscles in his jaw tighten before he curtly pronounced, “Duo.”

It stood to reason; Maxwell was particularly involved in the situation already having been present when the child’s father had been taken into custody. His need to see to the boy’s welfare had kept him close and turned Yui into the kid’s own personal watch dog for Maxwell’s sake. He was a cute kid with dark, curly hair and black eyes, the deep brown skin of his African descent and rounded cheeks of youth making him seem all the more vulnerable. Maxwell had been adamant that he not be sent to a home just because his father had been stupid enough to turn his back when he shouldn’t have, so Yui had pulled every string in the tapestry and managed to find him foster care until things were sorted out. With luck, Jackson would be released on probation and Kenan could return to live with him. I took a chance and decided to test the waters and see just how deep I was in it for the weekend.

“Are you two going up to Winner’s for dinner next weekend?”

“How should I know if he’ll be there?” he snipped and I felt as if a wave had just swamped over my head.

“Don’t you usually drive?” I pressed.

“His place is on the way,” he grumbled.

In a round about, ten minute arch sort of way I suppose it was but I wasn’t in the mood to get my ass reamed over pointing that out. Well, if Maxwell wasn’t a safe topic then it seemed reasonable to try a different tack.

“At least Barton never needs a lift,” I chuckled and was rewarded with a slightly amused snort from my partner.

“I’m surprised he doesn’t just take a room in the house,” he agreed.

“You mean he hasn’t?” I teased, tossing him a sly grin from the corner of my eye that he soaked in and chewed on for a moment.

“Wouldn’t surprise me,” he said very softly and I understood we were treading on very thin ice all of a sudden.

“Think they’ll ever get on with it?” I asked just as softly, my eyes shifting to look out the window to give him some space to deal with the implications of that statement.

I could feel him looking at me, sizing me up; breaking me down and reconstructing me in a new way before he quietly replied, “Sometimes it’s better to simply learn to appreciate what you have.”

I couldn’t stop myself when the comment, “Unless something comes along and steels it away,” slipped from my lips.

“Duo said Trowa’s been out of sorts lately,” he informed me and I sighed at the forced calm in his tone.

Interesting. I hadn’t expected to get outside information from this sector.

“Any idea what’s bothering him?”

“Duo suspects someone is stalking Quatre.”

“What?!” I barked indignantly. His gaze flicked warily toward me before I managed to get it back under control. “What in the world makes him think that?”

“Quatre came to him a few days ago,” he informed me. “He was pretty upset but refused to tell him who it was.”

Damn. “Why would he keep it a secret?” I pondered, not altogether sure why I hadn’t been revealed.

“Because apparently it’s a guy,” he explained and no one could have missed the protective undertones in his voice.

It seemed I was petting this cactus in more ways than one.

“I think Quatre’s worried about the papers getting wind of it,” he went on and I felt my stomach twist.

I’d had no idea my casual advances were causing him such heartache. The only purpose had been to force Barton to step up and claim Winner’s hand.

“And Trowa’s probably ready to pick a burial plot for the guy,” I hedged.

“No doubt,” he snorted derisively. “If I were in his place I’d be hunting the bastard down,” he growled and I felt my balls retract. “But for some reason Trowa’s holding back. I don’t get it. Everyone knows he lo…” he broke that off and glanced at me before amending it, “cares for Quatre a great deal. Whatever’s going on is more complicated than a run of the mill admirer.”

Well, at least I was getting to him. I thought about Quatre and felt bad that my actions were causing him grief. The thought of those big, aquamarine eyes being saddened by something I had done left me ill at ease but if I let up now it would all be for naught. I had to find a way to break Barton’s control and make him confess soon or I was starting to fear I might damage my relationship with Winner beyond repair.

“He is a beautiful soul,” I reasoned, gazing out at the passing night. “I doubt it’s anything to really worry about. He probably has to deal with such advances from time to time.”

He grew quiet for a time and though I could almost feel his gaze on my skin I was lost in thought over how to deal with the Winner situation. `Beautiful soul` aptly described him and it tore at me to think I might scar it in some way. He is a gentle, loving person; kind and giving and everything anyone could want in a partner. I had always considered Barton a very lucky man for having won his affections but the idiot refused to reap the benefits. Had I been in his place, as my partner had so eloquently stated, I would have laid claim to him before the war ever ended. My thoughts were drawn back from their wanderings by the soft utterance of my name.

“Wufei?”

“Hm?” I hummed distractedly.

It took him a moment before he finally, hesitantly asked, “Have you ever… had something like that happen to you?”

I snorted at the utter ridiculousness of the question. “Hardly.” He thought I was brooding over some incident in my past.

“You can talk to me,” he offered.

“There’s nothing to talk about,” I assured him. “I’m not the type to get that sort of attention.”

“But you’re…” he began, his eyes sweeping down my frame in a way that lit both our cheeks with a faint blush before he jerked them back to the road ahead of us.

Shit! I had not expected the rush of pure humiliation that flashed flooded through me at his aborted praise and turned my nose determinedly toward the window for the duration of the drive. He must have been feeling something of the same because he refrained from further comment until we reached our hotel. Check in was attended to with minimal interaction and I soon found myself flat on my back in my room wondering when in the hell my partner had started to think of me as attractive.

I didn’t sleep well that night and was already in the lobby restaurant having breakfast when he appeared. He didn’t look much better than I felt but joined me and I decided if we were ever going to get this job done we were going to have to find a way back to where we had been a few days ago.

“We’re starting with the widow?” I asked, falling back on the familiar steps of investigation.

He nodded around a bit of fruit and opened the day planner he had laid on the table. “Nine o’clock. Then the victim’s employer at two this afternoon.”

“We’ll have time to drop by the crime scene and have a look around,” I commented casually but watched him carefully for any sign of discomfort.

Much to my relief he seemed to have pulled himself together and forgotten completely about our odd conversation of the night before.

“Captain Miller said to give him a call when we’re ready and he’d send a black and white to let us in.”

It felt good to be simply interacting with my partner and friend again so I relaxed and let the whole thing wash away on a blessed tide of `normal` for the rest of the day. The interviews went pretty much as we had expected, the victim in question having been suspected of suicide as a result of getting involved with drugs and inadvertently getting caught with an underage, male prostitute. We had been called in more because he had been a respected politician and some parties were insistent that he must have been murdered more than anything else. This was, however, not our finding. The man had simply made some bad decisions, gotten himself into a mess he didn’t know how to handle and taken the easy way out. We wrapped things up before dinnertime and decided to make the best of a long drive by sampling some of the finer attractions the city of Bellville had to offer.

We ate at an exquisite little French place down by the river called Marcel’s. There was a patio that over looked the water where lights sparkled elegantly in the black mirror of the river. Linen tablecloths and polished silver adorned the small tables where fluted glass vases cradled thick arrangements of red dahlia. The place simply reeked of class and beauty and I found it oddly intoxicating as I nibbled on my fish and listened to Hiiro outline our schedule for the return trip.

“We should be back in plenty of time for you to make it to the ballet,” he was saying and I wasn’t sure if it was the wine or the soft tone of his voice that was lulling me into a happy little stupor.

“We should remember to thank Une for the company card,” I smiled, swirling the blood red liquid in my glass as I smirked at it and he gifted me with a rare and open smile that told me he was enjoying himself at least as much as I was. It made me stop and think for a moment, to see him so relaxed and carefree reminded me that Maxwell was one damn lucky man as well. I couldn’t fathom how they all could have come this far without managing to open up to one another. Take Hiiro for instance. The man is beyond amazing. Cool and confident in everything that doesn’t have to do with Maxwell at least. I’d never known any one as dedicated or reliable. He was a strong, sure man with a lust for life and a fierce loyalty to the people he cared for. Brilliant, stoic, sexy…

“Wufei?”

I couldn’t answer him with wine burning in my nostrils but at least it seemed to explain why my face suddenly felt like it was about to burst into flame.

“Are you all right?” he asked, patting me genially on the shoulder.

“Went down… the wrong way,” I rasped, still reeling from the chaotic path my thoughts had wandered down.

“You want some water?” he asked, displaying some of those admirable qualities by flagging down our server and requesting it for me.

When it came he still looked as if he might want to take me to the clinic and I couldn’t help chuckling as I washed the tang of the wine away.

“I’m fine,” I assured him, laughing again when he visibly relaxed.

“I thought you had a nose bleed there for a minute,” he joined in laughing at the misunderstanding.

The comment only served to embarrass me further, considering what thoughts had brought about my near asphyxiation but his gentle, somewhat chagrinned smile tempered the blush and allowed me to quietly retain my dignity.

There was a short musical at a nearby theater we decided to take in before returning to our hotel that proved to be most enjoyable. I recalled a time when I would never have believed my partner capable of delighting in something as silly as `The Pirates of Penzance` but he laughed until tears were rolling down his face and we left the theater in good company and high spirits. It almost seemed a waste when we entered the lobby and I felt myself disappointed that the evening was coming to an end.

“Would you like to join me for a night cap?” he asked, noticing that the hotel lounge was still open and I brightened, happy to have something to buffer the abrupt ending to such a fine night.

The place was practically empty, having little more to fill the seats than the patrons of the hotel, leaving us to curl into a booth near the back and settle in with a bottle of wine. Gods but he was still so high all he could talk about was the funny way the Major General had been portrayed, going so far as to try and recite some of the words to the impossibly fast song. He made quite the picture sitting there in the dim light, his cheeks flushed from the wine or the chill or perhaps simply his own excitement and I must say I didn’t feel the same depth of humiliation when the thought that he was a very attractive man flittered to the forefront of my mind. Hiiro Yui was a strong, vibrant, sexy man. There was simply no denying it and for the first time I felt a little envious of Maxwell.

“Let’s take this upstairs,” he smiled, grabbing the half empty bottle and dropping some money on the table.

He was halfway out the door before I managed to get my feet under me because something in the back of my mind was screaming at me that being alone with him right now would be an enormously bad idea. There seemed no way around it without seeming rude, however, so I followed him to his room and accepted the glass when he offered it, thinking that one quick drink to end the evening would be acceptable. We curled into the couch, one on each end though our knees almost touched it was so short and he continued the conversation for a while by critiquing our meal at Marcel’s. I hadn’t realized I’d relaxed so much until he leaned forward, his sudden presence inside my personal space setting off a buzz of warning bells in my head as he reached to refill my glass.

“You’re wrong, you know?” he suddenly said but I couldn’t dredge up what I had said that could have been construed as incorrect.

“Pardon?”

“You’re exactly the type to draw… that sort of attention,” he smiled and something slithered around in my stomach that made more wine seem like a bad idea.

“No I’m not,” I heard myself softly reply wishing to all the Gods in heaven I could stop my eyes from shifting downward but they did it anyway.

“Then why is it so hard for me not to beg for your touch?” he whispered, moving closer and I suddenly felt as if my entire spine had caught fire but as I turned to gape at him he took full advantage of my open mouth and kissed me.

I couldn’t catch my breath. It was like having spring come over me in less than an instant and all thought fled for parts unknown as my body reached out and selfishly gathered all that was good as close to me as it possibly could. Later I would think of Maxwell and feel the guilt of betrayal. The stillness of the dawn’s light would bring with it the utter humiliation of a night spent in the arms of my best friend, the object of another of my best friend’s desires and a man I wanted nothing more for than his own true happiness but in that moment all I could do was beg him for more. And he gave it to me, as much as I could stand and then some and by the time the passion had given way to the silence I felt as if my whole world had suddenly fallen from beneath my feet.

“You ok?” he mumbled into my shoulder where he was spooned against my back but I couldn’t force myself to answer right away. “Wufei?”

“You didn’t hurt me,” I told him because it’s what he was really asking.

“Good,” he chuckled, snuggling closer. “`Cause you about drove me completely insane a couple of times.”

I was… oddly flattered but couldn’t get past the fact that he should have been saying it to Maxwell.

I couldn’t figure it out. How it had happened, what had he been feeling to make him want me, of all people, in this way. I knew he cared for me, we had a history together, but his heart had always belonged to Duo.

“Are you upset?” he asked when I fell silent again.

“I just… don’t understand I guess,” I confessed.

“I don’t know,” he sighed, kissing my shoulder. “I just suddenly realized what a beautiful person you are.” I felt the heat on my cheeks but ignored it in my need to know more. “I guess until recently, I just never thought you would be interested.”

I felt it click like a physical thing in my mind. Click. Right then, as clear as the bell’s of St. Mary’s. He saw me teasing Duo, realized I wasn’t adverse to a romantic encounter with another guy and transferred his feelings for Maxwell onto me. Half of me sighed in relief while the other half screamed from the gapping hole that had suddenly appeared in my heart.

“I always thought you’d end up with Maxwell,” I said and was happy with the steady quality of my voice. He stiffened and drew back a few inches, putting some distance between us. “He cares for you deeply,” I felt compelled to remind him.

“I know,” he sighed softly and I was aware of his hand coming up to brush over his face.

“Then why?” I had to ask because the pain was starting to win out over the relief.

It took him some time to answer and when he did his tone was so soft I almost couldn’t hear him.

“He could… break me so easily,” he whispered and though some part of me ached at hearing the utter hopelessness in the confession I’m afraid it was blind rage that forced my response.

“That’s a fucked up excuse to bed me, Yui!” I snapped and suddenly found myself in the shower trying to scrub away the memory of his touch.

I was hurt and angry but mostly with myself for having allowed it to happen. He had seduced me and I’d let him. Hell, I’d begged for it before it was all over and I couldn’t quite forgive myself for having betrayed us all like that. I could forgive Hiiro, he was confused and frightened by something his heart couldn’t half understand; true love can be a damn daunting thing but I should have known better. I should have seen the signs and stopped it from happening. Hindsight is a fickle thing that leaves you with nothing but regret and a foreboding sense of doom and I cursed myself for being so stupid. It was very likely I had managed to kill any chance of them getting together as well as my own friendships with both of them in one night of blind misjudgment. It seemed terribly unjust but what was done could not be undone. All I could do was try to move forward, the first step being my apology to my partner.

“Hiiro…” That was as far as I got when I came out of the bathroom toweling my hair dry to find him sitting on the end of the disheveled bed with his head in his hands and his heart on his sleeve.

“Wufei,” he began, making my heart skip a beat with the pain in his voice. “I’m sorry. But I swear to you I never meant to use you as a substitute for Duo,” he told me while I worked at getting words past the blockage in my throat. “Tonight wasn’t just some fluke that happened on a whim. My feelings for you are every bit as sincere as anything I’ve ever felt for…”

“It’s all right,” I cut him off before he ended up spouting something completely unforgivable. “It’s my fault,” I told him, squatting down in front of him.

“But I…”

“How long have you wanted him?” I asked gently, the flash of longing in his eyes bringing a soft smile of understanding to my lips. “Is it really any wonder that you gave in when comfort was freely offered?” He wanted to speak but I expect it was difficult to grasp any one thought at the time. My hand slipped up to grip him gently at the back of his neck and I tried to offer him everything I was feeling in my heart. “I am truly sorry my friend.”

“Wufei…” he breathed softly, the pain and confusion bleeding from him in torrent waves as he leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on my lips.

I let him, more because I couldn’t deny myself that one last taste of him before I drew away and told him, “This can’t happen again.”

“Wufei… I…”

“We both know what you really want,” I smiled and rose to return to my own room.

Ch 3

He tried to speak of it several times on the drive home but I kept cutting him off and changing the subject until he finally gave up. I really just couldn’t deal with anymore at the time. What I had done was unforgivable and I couldn’t help but wonder how long it would be before he woke up to that fact and told me to get lost. I really had no idea how in the hell I was ever going to face Maxwell again but my brooding over the entire, sordid affair was cut short when I got a call from Winner late that afternoon.

“I thought maybe we could get dinner before the show,” he was saying and I blinked in total confusion at the sound of anticipation in his voice.

“Um… sure.” I couldn’t think of any good way to get out of it in the state I was in.

“Wonderful,” he enthused, arranging to meet me and I was left with less than two hours to make myself presentable.

The restaurant was Italian, someplace he obviously frequented regularly because most of the employee’s greeted him by name. I was a little put off by his casual air considering how off balance he had been during out last meal together but this whole game had taken on a much less attractive hue after my night with Hiiro. All I wanted to do was get through the evening and go home so I could collapse. I did notice that he had primed to some extent and it made me curious as to what his game was. He even smelled nice, it was almost as if he’d taken our `date` seriously at some point after the initial plans had been made and I found myself escorting him just as if we were moving toward a blossoming relationship.

I could still feel the softness of Hiiro’s skin under my fingers, which lent a very strange feeling when he tucked his fingers into the crick of my arm and allowed me to escort him into the theater. My mind flashed back on Hiiro’s face so beautifully contorted with laugher and refreshed the pain of loss in my heart when I recalled our first night together had been our last.

“Are you all right?” Quatre asked somewhere near the end of the ballet. I wasn’t sure how much was left because I was having trouble paying attention.

“Mm,” I nodded anyway, patting his hand where it rested on mine. “Sad story,” I evaded, indicating the drama unfolding on stage and he nodded his understanding.

I’m not sure exactly how it came about that I drove him home but it just seemed to be assumed and once there staying for a drink appeared to be the only polite thing to do. I was struck with a strange sense of déjà vu that left me with the desire to bolt and refused to allow me to settle myself into the large easy chair that had so often been my comfort in the past.

“You seem tense,” he commented, setting his glass down and rising to go to the stereo.

“It’s been a long week,” I sighed, sipping my brandy and letting the soothing sounds of a slow sax wash away some of the trepidation.

Barton wasn’t around so there was no pressure to `fawn` over him, which was just as well because I doubt that I could have at that point.

“You were very quite tonight,” he commented and I was aware of him moving around behind me.

“Tired I guess,” I replied, moaning softly when slender fingers came to rub soothingly at my neck.

“Were you serious about learning to dance?” he asked gently and I swear between the sound of his voice, the delicious feel of his hands and the melodic sound of the music I could have sunk into the couch and taken a nap right there.

As it was, a mildly affirmative, “Hm,” was as much as I could offer.

“I could teach you,” he offered, moving around in front of me and suddenly the desire to nap fled screaming into the night.

“Wh…what?” I stammered, almost spilling my drink as I backed away but he was advancing faster than I could escape.

“You said you wanted to learn,” he smiled, taking the drink from my hand while I stood stuttering and desperately trying to come up with an excuse to leave. “It’s really not that hard,” he informed me and I suddenly had my arms full of a highly amused blond. My mind was slammed with images of Hiiro rising above me, his body shimmering with sweat, his eyes so dark with passion I felt my arms slip around Quatre’s waist before I even knew they was going to. What the hell was going on here?!

“Quatre…”

“Isn’t this what you wanted?” he purred, leaning into me, his body pressing firmly against mine and I was shocked by how firm and well muscled he was under the delicate, pink silk of his shirt.

“I…” Gods in heaven I wanted to deny it but there were parts of me that were answering with a resounding YES!

“Wufei?” he breathed softly and for less than an instant I swore I saw utter disbelief in his eyes as the need to hold him overwhelmed me and I covered his mouth with mine.

It was so sweet, nothing like the burning passion Hiiro’s kiss had brought but nonetheless engorged with raw power. For a moment he was so shocked all he did was stand there and let me but then I felt the slightest shift and became aware of his reluctance, his desire to pull away. I am ashamed to admit that the reaction made me want him all the more.

“F... Fei!?” he gasped as my hand moved firmly down the slope of his back and suddenly cupped his ass.

“Damn it!” I growled, desperately trying to get control of it but I suddenly had him on the couch and was fighting with trembling arms to keep them from stripping his clothes away.

“You… really do want me,” he panted and I cursed myself openly.

He was testing me… and I had failed.

“I’m sorry,” I told him, forcing myself off of him, my shame making it impossible to look him in the eye.

“It’s all right…” he began in that kind, endlessly tolerant tone of his but I just couldn’t take it.

“No!” I snapped, recalling how desperately I had begged Hiiro to never let it end. “I have to go.”

“Wufei?!” he called after me in alarm but I couldn’t deal with him and fled back to my apartment where I could be alone.

Nothing was working out like I wanted it to. They were supposed to get together! Barton was supposed to get jealous and lay claim to Quatre. Hiiro was supposed to see how much Duo wanted him. In an extreme moment of pure perverse clarity I suddenly realized the friends I had known all this time had somehow gone from Yui to Hiiro, Maxwell to Duo and Winner to Quatre. I laughed out loud in my dark apartment wondering when Barton would become Trowa because I discovered I had intimate feelings toward him as well. When had I developed deeper feelings for them? When had I become physically attracted to them and how in the hell was I going to manage to maintain our friendships when they all knew I wanted more from them than was reasonably possible? All I could do was hope they could forgive me and we would all get past this together. They were my friends first and foremost. That’s what counted in the end and there was nothing I wouldn’t do in order to retain that connection with them.

I knew I owed Quatre an apology but my sins against Duo were much more heinous so I set my sights on dealing with him first. Jackson’s hearing was set for that Monday so I knew he would be in his office after work. If Jackson was released there would be a pile of paperwork necessary before Kenan could be returned to him; if not, there would be even more required to ensure the child remained with his foster family and not sent to a home. If that happened there was little chance they would ever be allowed to live together again and Duo was dead set that the child should remain with his parent. Fortunately, the hearing had gone in their favor and he was in a fairly good mood when I stopped by to speak with him that evening.

“Hey,” he smiled, looking up from his keyboard as I entered the room and I had to push down the rising bile in my throat in order to return the expression.

“Got a minute?” I asked and waited for him to finish his typing before he pushed the laptop away and gave me his full attention.

“Sure,” he chirped. “Want some coffee?”

I watched him pour us both a cup from the pot on the counter and resettle himself before sitting in the little chair before his massively cluttered desk.

“Thanks.”

“Well, you’re not gonna win any races today are you?” he quipped, chuckling lightly at my dark mood but all I could offer in return was a rather wan smile.

“There’s something… I need to speak with you about,” I began, not knowing where else to start.

“What the hell happened on that trip?” he asked casually. “Hiiro’s been depressed since you guys came back and now you look like somebody hooked your favorite gold fish.”

I suddenly felt very ill. “We…” Gods. How did you say `we slept together` without it sounding… sordid? I was so terrified that he was going to hate me my throat swelled shut and lights began to dance behind my eyes.

“Geez,” he chuckled. “You guys better come clean `cause the way he goes pale whenever someone mentions your name and your inability to articulate makes it look like you guys were bumping uglies all weekend.”

I knew from the look on his face that mine suddenly going white as a sheet had answered his unspoken question long before my brain could have supplied me with the words to explain.

“Oh, you did not!” he suddenly gasped, slamming one hand down on the desk as he sat forward but I’m not sure if it was that or the door opening at that moment that made me jump.

“Duo?”

Perfect.

“Come on in, Hiiro,” he enthused and I felt more than saw Hiiro’s gaze rake over me at the odd sound of his voice.

“If you’re busy I can…”

“Oh no,” Duo shook his head, dragging him inside and closing the door. “You should be here,” he told him, turning to face us both and I noticed a vein throbbing in Hiiro’s temple as he stared us down. “Wufei was just telling me how you guys decided to consummate your partnership,” he said and I thought I heard something go `pop` inside Hiiro’s chest.

“Duo, I can explain…” Hiiro began but he was mercilessly cut off.

“Hey, it’s none of my business anyway, right?” Duo growled but it was easy to see his temperature rising.

“Duo, please…” I tried, rising to my feet.

“It wasn’t like that,” Hiiro tried but Duo wasn’t having any of it.

“Like what?!” he snapped. “Like you and him getting sweaty between the sheets?! Hey, man, if that’s how you want it then whatever!”

“Duo, please,” Hiiro tried again. “I know how you feel but…”

“Do you!?” Even I jumped at the vehement fury in his tone. “You obviously have never had a fucking clue as to how I feel!” he shouted and I felt the air leave my lungs when his hand suddenly slammed into my chest, my arms flailing wildly as he jerked me to him and kissed me full on the mouth.

“Sh…shit! Duo… stop!” I gasped but he was pushing me down in the chair and climbing into my lap and I’ll be damned if my infernal body wasn’t aching to hold him.

“Duo?!” Hiiro gasped.

“I’ll show you how the fuck it feels!” Duo growled and dove down my throat once again.

Damn it but he was setting me on fire! I had no doubt that one kiss from those hungry lips would seal Hiiro’s fate forever.

“Wufei!” I heard my partner growl in dismay and forced my hands to retreat from their groping of Duo’s backside. “Stop it!” he commanded and my lap was suddenly disturbingly empty and Duo was glaring at us both from where Hiiro had deposited him some five feet away.

For a moment he simply stood panting and looking fit to be tied while I tried to banish the shameful heat from my face and Hiiro gaped in utter dismay. Then, quite suddenly and without warning they came together like the rejoining of the Red Sea. I actually felt the repercussion when their bodies slammed into one another then it was all teeth and lips and desperately spoken apologies and I couldn’t get out of there fast enough to be spared the sight of Hiiro stripping his pants down to his knees and dropping him on the desk. I did have the presence of mind to catch the lock on my way out and stood sucking for air in the hallway for a long moment before the rising sounds from inside the office prompted me to be elsewhere. I took some consolation in the fact that however screwed up the method had been they had at least finally come to terms with their feelings for each other in the end. If it came about that they couldn’t forgive me then at the very least I could salve the wound with the knowledge that they had forgiven each other.

I felt wrung out as I trudged down the hall. The past couple of weeks had taken a much higher toll than I ever could have imagined. I kept trying to tell myself that I had acted on my intentions with the greatest of good in mind but that little voice in the back of my head kept reminding me that the road to hell was paved with good intentions and suddenly I just wanted to go the hell home and go to bed. However, my sickly little can of worms was not quite empty yet and my steps slowed when I heard the heart wrenching sound of Quatre’s sobs coming from Trowa’s office.

Trowa. I chuckled wryly to myself and wondered at my own ability to romanticize the situation. Apparently, since I had tainted his intended he must be on my subconscious’s list of targets as well.

Quatre was indeed crying when I came abreast of the slightly ajar door but his words stopped me dead in my tracks.

“I… I don’t know,” he sniffled. “It all happened … so fast.”

“And he didn’t say anything at all?” Trowa was asking, his tone carefully devoid of emotion.

“N…no,” Quatre breathed and my breath stilled when his hitched in his throat. “He just… kissed me then ran away.”

“Quatre, please,” I heard Trowa beg when the blond crumbled into weeping again.

I could see him rubbing Quatre soothingly on the back, his tone as he consoled him one of utter patience and compassion but the light in his eyes seem to radiate my doom and I shivered where I stood.

“I… I just don’t understand,” Quatre sobbed, burrowing into his shoulder.

I felt like a royal shit watching the longing pass through those emerald eyes but the idiot bit down on the urge and refused to gather him in his arms.

“I know he cares,” Quatre sniffed, gathering himself together a bit. “He’s been a good friend to us all. I just didn’t realize he harbored those sorts of feelings for me.”

“Maybe it was a mistake,” Trowa reasoned hopefully.

“You think he was lying?” Quatre gasped and I must admit my heart did a little flip flop at the distressed sound of his voice.

“I don’t know,” Trowa conceded. “Maybe he’s just confused right now, too.”

Boy was that ever an understatement. I couldn’t believe he was actually defending me instead of taking every opportunity to rip me to shreds.

“I just don’t know what to think,” Quatre sighed, burying his face in Trowa’s shoulder again. “For so long… I thought there was only room in my heart for…”

My heart stopped, waiting for him to say it but the words had stilled in his throat. I saw Trowa stiffen, caught a glimpse of his hand as he moved to lift Quatre’s eyes to meet his own and felt my heart shatter when their gazes locked.

“For who?” the mercenary asked softly, his thumb moving to gently caress Quatre’s dampened cheek and I thought for a moment the love that shone in his eyes would make me weep.

Quatre’s tears ebbed, his hand coming up to touch tentatively at Trowa’s bottom lip as he whispered his darkest secret into the air. “For… you.”

Their joining was slow but no less moving than Hiiro and Duo’s had been. I doubted Trowa would be so bold as to take him right there in office but I had no doubt that before the night was over they would find their places at each others sides. It took some effort to retreat in the sudden silence but I managed it and got the hell out of there as fast as my feet would carry me.

I’d done it. That’s the first thing I recall thinking and found myself able to smile at the thought. They were finally going to be able to live their lives to the fullest, after all this time they had come to a place where they could openly hold one another. It brought a certain joy to my heart to think of it even as I realized the journey had stolen something from me I could never reclaim. It was such an odd feeling I don’t even know how to describe it, being in love with them all. I felt a little dizzy when I thought about it but there was no denying it to myself. I loved them, I always had but it had become crystal clear to me that that love went deeper than the usual friendship or family. My desire to please them went beyond any longing to simply see to their welfare. I wanted to touch them. Each and every one and though I knew how selfish those feelings were I couldn’t help feeling them.

I was pleased to find that Hiiro was not angry with me for confessing to Duo and understood fairly quickly a good deal of the reason why lie in the fact that he was getting royally laid every night. I didn’t see much of Duo, just a glimpse here and there when he came and went in his duties. Hiiro had disappeared for a few hours on the afternoon that Kenan had been placed back with his father and I covered for them while they celebrated. I knew I needed to talk to Quatre but each time I saw him Trowa was by his side and they were so deep in each others eyes I couldn’t bear to disturb them with my apology. I have to admit I was a bit surprised to get a call from him late in the week inviting me to Saturday dinner that weekend. It was time to face the music I suppose but at least they hadn’t chosen to simply blow me off on the phone so my hopes of possibly retaining some sort of friendship with them remained. I had gotten up early in the day and gone for a run to help ease the tension. I had returned to my studio apartment and was in the shower when the doorbell rang.

“Coming!” I shouted, wondering who in the hell was at my door at nine o’clock on a Saturday morning as I toweled my hair and went to answer the door. “Duo?”

“Hey, Fei,” he smiled, pushing past my inert form but as I tried to figure out what the hell he was doing there Hiiro came into view and ceased any and all higher brain functions when he smiled and reached up to brush a droplet of water from my cheek with his thumb as he entered.

“Um,” I began, uncertain where to begin as the door swung shut.

“You’re so clever in the morning,” Duo teased.

“What are you doing here?” I finally managed.

“We figured we owed you a thank you,” he grinned, leaning back into Hiiro’s chest.

I mercilessly squashed the little green imp that tried to growl in my chest at their casual intimacy and forced myself to inquire.

“Thank you?”

“Without you,” Hiiro smiled, stepping closer to me and I felt the need to back step but felt foolish and refrained as he finished, “We never would have gotten together.”

“I hardly think anything I did was worth your gratitude,” I argued.

“Oh, I don’t know,” he fairly purred, stepping right into my personal space and I did take a step back but he only advanced again. “I seem to recall several moments when I felt compelled to express my gratitude.”

“Hiiro?!” I gasped, catching a glimpse of the cocky grin on Duo’s face and suddenly felt the anger flare in my gut that they were having fun teasing me. “You two need to get a hobby!” I snapped, ducking around the end of the couch but Duo was suddenly there and I was retreating again.

“Why did you sleep with Hiiro?” he asked bluntly and I felt my face heating up.

“I…” I tried looking to Hiiro for some form of support but he was still wearing that infernal smirk and I faltered.

“You’re not the type for a quick, one night fling,” Duo pointed out as my knees hit the chair and I was suddenly looking up at them. “You know what I think?” he smiled as he all but crawled into my lap. I had the overpowering urge to leap up and bolt out the door but some morbid bit of curiosity help me in place as I pondered what they were up to. “I think you did it because you are hopelessly in love with him,” Duo purred and I felt a hot flash in my lap as he straddled my thighs and bent close to my ear. “Now I have to wonder,” he whispered and my eyes slid shut of their own volition. “If you might just feel something along those lines… for me.” I shivered so damn hard as he breathed those words into my ear that I dropped the towel in my hand on the floor. A moment later I had him in a clutching embrace, my mouth drinking him in as my hands explored parts of him I had never thought to be gifted with.

He was panting breathlessly when I released him and growled low into his mouth, “Do not tempt me.”

I cannot convey the sudden, overwhelming desire that exploded inside me when Hiiro descended beside us and smiled. “But that’s half the fun.”

My eyes flashed to Duo but he chose to merely smile and bend to nibble on my ear in answer to my doubts and for the first time in my life I truly let go and took from them what they were offering. Hiiro gladly leaned closer when I reached for him and kissed me warmly while Duo teased me to instant erection with the supple rotation of his hips.

“Let’s go to bed,” Duo hissed, getting up to pull me from my chair and Hiiro was pulling my shorts off as we climbed the stairs to the loft.

I was allowed to explore Duo by undressing him myself while Hiiro worked on ridding himself of the barriers of the flesh and I’ll be damned if he didn’t step in and help be bring Duo to a screaming orgasm before we ever hit the bed. I discovered in that afternoon why Hiiro seemed so very pleased with their new relationship as our braided lover proved to be not only the single most sensitive individual I could ever hope to lay with but also utterly impossible to satisfy. If there is a happier uke on this planet I would be hard pressed to find him, not that he didn’t enjoy a more dominant role as well but he was at his best when given the opportunity to drive either one or both of us completely insane. Something I am quite happy to report he excels at.

Ch 4

It was an extremely bittersweet drive up to the Winner mansion later in the evening. My new bedmates had declined politely when I invited them to come along but I had already confessed to them the entire messed up plan and they understood the need for my visit. Still, it was damn hard not to grin like a mad man until I pulled into the drive and realized I might very well be kissing two of my most valued friendships goodbye that night. It wasn’t so hard to tuck the smile away with thoughts like that lingering in my mind and I must say I was a bit daunted by the smile on Quatre’s face when he answered the door.

“Hello, Wufei,” he greeted, pulling me inside.

Trowa stood off to the side as usual and I got the strangest feeling as I took in the familiar scene because it felt completely different somehow. Maybe it was just because they had come together; Trowa had even moved into the house but I think it was his expression that threw me off balance the most. It was not the death promise I had been expecting but more a bastard mixture of smug amusement. I wondered for a moment if there might be a dungeon under the house.

“I’m so glad you could come,” Quatre went on in his usual vein.

The evening progressed so much in the norm it was just highly disturbing. No one pushed me for information or explanations and I came to the conclusion that the real purpose of the visit would come to pass during the after dinner drinks. I felt a bit like a man climbing the gallows steps as we retired to the lounge. My drink was poured and delivered. I got to pick the music though most everything available was soft and melodic to keep Duo from turning it into a brothel party. My stomach was properly tied up in knots by the time Trowa finally got around to the trial. He was standing by the window again, gazing out into the darkness with those fingers of light playing across his face from the pool when he spoke.

“What are your intentions toward Quatre?” he asked, cutting right to the point.

“I only wanted to see him happy,” I replied truthfully.

“Why did you kiss me?” the blond wanted to know.

“I’m sorry,” I finally got to say. “I never meant for it to go that far. It’s just that you two have been dancing around this…”

“You did it for us?” Quatre interrupted and I was taken aback by the indignant pain in his eyes.

“I… yes… at first,” I stammered not knowing how to make it better. “But when you asked me to dance…” I glanced at Trowa uncertain if I had revealed something Quatre had not confessed but his expressed remained nonplussed.

“Why did you kiss me?” Quatre asked again and I suddenly understood what he truly wanted to know.

“Because I couldn’t help myself,” I told him, knowing it had been the right response when I saw his shoulders relax.

“Then you are attracted to him,” Trowa surmised, turning his emerald gaze upon us.

I couldn’t have lied to him in that moment if my life had depended on it. “Yes… but I’ve know for a long time how you feel about each other…”

“Wufei,” Quatre cut me off and I stilled for no more reason than the uncertainty in his tone.

“Quatre?”

There was a small pause in which he looked to Trowa, some unspoken communication passing between them before he gathered his nerve and requested, “Kiss me again.”

“Pardon?” I heard myself reply because I damn sure couldn’t have heard him right.

“You apparently leave a lasting impression,” Trowa informed me casually, taking a sip from his drink as he watched.

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, my heart refused to open to it. It had to be a joke, some cruel game they were playing in order to exact their revenge but…

“Son of a bitch,” I breathed softly as images and scents of the afternoon as thick and rich as molasses drizzled along my memory, my mind happily supplying me with a vision of what it might have been like if my present company had been there instead.

“Wufei?”

“Quatre… what the hell is this about?” I asked unable to cope with anymore. “If you’re just curious about my feelings then I can assure you they are as real as Trowa’s,” I informed him. “You don’t have to compromise yourself in order to understand that.”

I was more than a little shocked to hear Trowa confess, “I want to see it.”

“What?”

“He can’t stop talking about you,” he informed me, coming to sit on the table in front of our couch. “I want to see why.”

“Quatre?” I tried but was getting no sympathy from that sector.

“You started this,” he sniffed and I suddenly realized he was right.

How could I refuse?

It was incredibly awkward moving in on his man while Trowa sat there gawking at us but I couldn’t bring myself to back down. I had made this bed and whatever small part of Quatre’s heart I had managed to touch called to me giving me the courage I needed to grant Trowa his wish. I faltered twice making us both laugh nervously before we finally found a position that worked and I found it much easier to forget Trowa’s presence once I was looking into Quatre’s eyes. When our mouths met we might have been the only two beings on the planet and I discovered my afternoon with Hiiro and Duo had done nothing to appease my desires where Quatre was concerned. It was damn hard to force myself to pull away from those sumptuous lips and I had to swallow hard to keep from drowning in their sweet nectar.

When I opened my eyes Quatre was staring at me with the most God awful expression of utter confusion in his eyes and I feared for my life when I turned to find Trowa silently regarding us. Once again my breath stilled as he looked from me to his lover and back again and I’m sure it was me that squeaked when his hand suddenly clamped down on the back of my neck and jerked me to him. I know I groaned when he kissed me but I found no will to pull away, part of me knowing he had the right to demand this from me after what I’d done and part of me simply loath to miss the opportunity to know the flavor of his kiss. I had not, in my wildest dreams expected him to deepen the kiss and begin pushing me back on the couch.

“W… wait,” I hissed, unable to comprehend the action.

“You’ve stolen a piece of his heart,” Trowa informed me, laying me back. “Now I’m going to steel a piece of yours.”

“But…” was all I got out before he was kissing me again and I whimpered when I realized it was Quatre’s hands that were unfastening my pants.

“Stop!” I gasped, seizing his fingers. “You don’t understand!”

“Don’t you want us?” Quatre asked; his voice so full of hurtful emotion I just wanted to cry.

“Hiiro and Duo,” I managed to groan.

“Yes?” Trowa prompted.

There was something in his eyes that made it possible to be completely honest with them. “They were at my place this afternoon,” I confessed. “They….we…”

“You’re having an affair with them?” Quatre gasped softly.

“No!” I groaned then, “Yes… no, not an affair.” It was all so confusing.

“You have a relationship with them,” Trowa supplied.

“Yes,” I sighed grateful for his help.

“Are you just playing with us?”

I thought I would scream but ended up gathering Quatre into my arms instead. “Of course not,” I told him, holding him close. “I just… don’t think my heart can really tell you apart.”

“You love us,” he breathed.

“Yes.” Gods yes.

“You love us all.”

“Yes,” I hissed and accepted the kiss he was offering with complete abandon.

Morning found me sitting on the back steps of the Winner mansion, my hair and clothes disheveled from the night’s… activities and more questions dancing in my mind than there were stars in the sky. I had no idea what Hiiro and Duo were going to think about this development and was dealing with more than my share of guilt over the entire situation when Trowa came to join me in the early morning sun.

“I’m surprised you’re awake,” he smiled, offering me a steaming mug of coffee.

“No thanks to you,” I snorted, noting it was mixed exactly the way I liked it.

We sat in silence for a time before he ventured, “Are you all right?”

“Am I allowed to be hopelessly confused?” I smirked and he laughed.

“I don’t really understand why but… sure.”

“Gods, Trowa,” I sighed. “What the hell am I supposed to tell Hiiro and Duo? This whole thing is making me feel like the world’s worst bigamist.”

“Happiest,” he corrected amusedly, sipping his coffee. “World’s happiest bigamist… seeing as how we’re all fully aware of each other.”

“I still have to talk to them,” I reminded him, feeling terribly guilty over my inability to refuse any of them.

“I doubt they’ll be angry with you,” he smiled, leaning in to kiss my cheek as he wrapped an arm around me.

“Why wouldn’t they be?” I sighed again, clutching my mug for the soothing heat of it.

“Well,” he chuckled, nuzzling closer to my ear, “Last night was Duo’s suggestion after all.”

“What?” I gasped but he only laughed and straightened away.

“Hiiro understood it first,” he informed me. “But Duo came up with the solution.”

“The solution being my own personal harem?” I smirked.

“If you want to look at it that way,” he laughed along. “But the truth is we’ve all harbored deeper feelings for one another for a long time. All we needed was a reason to breech the gap and you gave that to us. I think what bothered us more than anything was that you had been excluded from the rewards of your labors…and none of us could be happy with that.”

“I’ll have to remember to thank him properly for the suggestion,” I grinned and bumped shoulders with him while we chuckled together.

The sight of Quatre stumbling from the door wrapped in a blanket, his hair tousled from sleep and sex with this adorable little pout on his lips made us both aw out loud and open our arms to him.

“You left me,” he complained, curling into our laps and I kissed him sweetly.

“We’re sorry,” I told him, letting Trowa have a taste of his sweet morning air.

“I was cold,” he grumbled, burrowing down between us.

“Now there’s a Kodak moment if I ever saw one.”

Our heads snapped up to see Duo standing in the path laughing while Hiiro wrapped an arm about his shoulders and my heart only stopped for a moment before I realized they couldn’t possibly have misinterpreted what they were seeing. Their smiles told me instantly everything was ok between us and I thanked whatever Gods were protecting me for their kind overindulgence.

“This is all your fault,” Quatre pouted, tugging his blanket tighter around him.

“What’s the matter?” Duo smiled, moving in close to peer at him. “Are we feeling a little rode hard this morning?” he grinned, getting his hand slapped when he tried to peep under the blonde’s blanket.

“It hurts!” Quatre sniffed indignantly but I couldn’t make myself feel too guilty because he’d been singing an entirely different song at four a.m.

“Aww,” Duo soothed, slipping his arms under him. “I’m sorry,” he appeased trying to lift him but couldn’t manage it until Hiiro stepped in to help. “Come on,” Duo smiled, guiding them around us and up the steps as he tucked the sullen blond into Hiiro’s arms. “We’ll make it all better,” he promised, tossing a saucy smile over his shoulder as they disappeared into the house.

I looked at Trowa… he looked at me and we both scrambled for the door together. Hiiro and Duo were already halfway up the stairs with Quatre when we made the door and I smiled in pure delight as we followed them and I contemplated the enormous potential of our future.

owari :)

 

 

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