Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ 2 Reign ❯ Parangaricutirimicuaro ( Chapter 9 )

Chapter Nine: Parangaricutirimicuaro

Duo was walking hand-in-hand with Selena for probably the first time ever. Selena was soaking up the attention like a sponge and kept glancing coyly up at him. It reminded me of new lovers.

Relena was walking along holding my hand, resting her weight against me as she looked everyone over. I knew enough about her to know that this ditzy behavior was more because she was happy to be mostly unnoticed again. There was no way no one recognized us, but these people had enough sense to leave us be as we wound after Duo and Selena through the low out-side tables.

When Duo muttered something to Selena and rubbed his nose against hers as they sat down, I had to stare a moment in amazement. He and Kayla had done that when they were being cutesy in love, and I'd never expected to see it in him again-I really didn't think he was in love with Selena.

I shook my head sharply, focusing on the others as our harried looking waiter pulled up a second table to put with the first. The poor guy recognized most of us, if not all, and the fact that we were such a large group meant that he'd have to be on his toes.

"I'll be right back to take your orders." the guy muttered, looking across the patio at a woman who was waving at him, "Can I start you off with any drinks?"

"Do you have a bar here?" Duo asked curiously.

"We do." the man muttered, staring at him a moment before smiling slightly, "I won't bother asking for I.D."

Duo grinned at him, "A slow blow in the back room."

"Michael!" Selena hissed at him, hitting him in the side.

Duo laughed a naughty laugh as the rest of us tried to figure out if that was a real drink or something else entirely. Selena's manner suggested the latter, though. I met eyes with Trowa.

The waiter was having the same problem.

"All right, fine," Duo conceded after a moment, "A blow-job with cream."

"I can supply that," Wufei muttered with a smirk.

I sniggered as Relena gave us all nearly disgusted looks and Miguel rolled his eyes.

"In the back room?" Duo offered, moving like he'd stand.

"Sure thing," Wufei conceded, also starting to rise.

The waiter was looking shocked.

"Sit down, both of you." I reprimanded them, grinning at the waiter myself as he blinked at me and the pair of them laughed, sitting again, "I'll take the house red."

The man nodded, jotting that down and looking to Selena.

Selena had been studying me, and now she looked back to Duo, then Wufei…and her eyes lit with mischief, "A slow screw," she muttered with a wink.

"Now that I know I can provide," Wufei muttered, moving like he'd stand again.

Selena giggled.

"I could, even," the waiter muttered before hiding behind the little pad of paper when we focused on him.

"I fully intend you to." Selena informed him.

He laughed then, clearing his throat, "I apologize." he muttered to her.

"Ah, but he was being so fun…" she muttered to Duo.

"You guys, please." I muttered.

"I'll also take the red," Relena informed the guy, "Just bring a bottle, if you would."

"How many glasses, then?" the man asked, looking us all over.

"Nine." Relena decided with a smile.

"But they're having mixed drinks," I muttered, indicating Duo and Selena as if they weren't there.

"I know, but they'll finish those." Relena replied with a smile.

"As your majesty wishes," the guy muttered.

"Shh," Relena muttered to him, her finger to her lips, "I want a night off."

The man smiled and nodded.

-

After dealing with our drink order, then our food order, we all tipped the poor waiter extensively. In all likelihood, he made more over the course of our two-hour meal than he did in a week. Though Relena and Heero were capable of remaining cordial with Duo, Wufei, and Selena doing their damnedest to make the meal resemble a high-school band-trip, the rest of us weren't so good. Quatre and Jacob started playing off each other the way they had with Jun so many years ago, and it wasn't long before anything out of either of their mouth was dirty. I myself made a fair-share of disrespectful comments, and Miguel…well, he was in and out of it.

The wine didn't help.

Well, neither did the drinks that Duo ordered after his first. He seemed fully capable of drinking Everclear without reacting to the alcohol content. He'd drink some down and pass it around for the rest of us to taste-even Heero joined in on that one.

"Do you think we really ought to go to the movies?" I asked as we made our tipsy way back to the van.

"I think I'm going, even if you're not." Duo replied as we all started piling into the van we'd taken for our night out. In reality, we shouldn't have all attempted to get into that thing, but we fit with two on the floor.

Quatre, who'd shifted over so I could buckle since he was sitting between Jacob and I on the bench seat, started laughing almost helplessly as Jacob's mock stunned and excited voice came out of nowhere, "Why, Quatre, I never knew…" there was a shift of material and Quatre jumped slightly, sitting back as he continued laughing, "No, wait," Jacob protested, "Do that again…"

"Jacob!" Quatre protested.

Jacob started laughing.

"Hey, no funny stuff without me," Duo muttered, looking back from the driver-seat as Heero climbed over Wufei to sit on the floor and Relena joined him, pulling the sliding door shut after her.

"You sure you should drive?" I demanded of him, blinking.

"Nope." Duo replied happily, "But I am anyway. Shall we away?"

"We shall." Selena muttered happily, turning in the passenger's seat to look us all over, "I think I might join them." she added to Duo, "It looks comfy."

"We should kidnap them." Duo muttered happily as he flicked the stereo on, "Take them far far away where they don't have to play at politics and be all politically correct."

I rolled my eyes, focusing out the window as Quatre…caressed my thigh.

I stared at him.

He and Jacob seemed to have conspired on that one, though, because they both died laughing.

"If we're quiet," I whispered suggestively in Quatre's ear, which made him laugh even harder.

"What are you two doing?" Relena asked us suspiciously.

"Nothing." we all three replied in mock innocence, "We aren't doing anything, see?" I offered my hands for her to see that they held nothing.

Relena started giggling.

-

Selena had whispered something to Duo. She was smiling slightly at him as he considered her eyes, it didn't take a far stretch of the imagination to see that she'd offered him something.

I really needed to find a girlfriend.

Jacob leaned over the seat arm to my ear, "If they start doing something, you're gonna be the one to smack Duo."

"What?" I asked blankly, realizing that Relena was next to Duo and Heero was talking to her. Miguel and Wufei were on the far side of Jacob, also muttering together, "Trowa can," I added, looking up over at him. I was between he and Jacob again.

"No, seriously," Jacob added, "If they start something, Tro will want to join."

Trowa laughed at that, smacking the guy.

Jacob laughed and sat back as the entire crowd started to hush under the suddenly dimmed lights.

Duo and Selena didn't actually act up during the movie, and after a time I realized why. Duo had said that Selena was to pick the movie, and it wasn't a far stretch that it was one of the ones she wanted to see. Relena and Heero, however, started making out about halfway through it.

"You get to do it to them." I informed Jacob happily.

"You shitting me?" he demanded, "You want me to smack my queen upside the head?"

"Do your king then," I countered.

He laughed at that.

"Shh." Tro reprimanded us.

I sniggered and leaned forward, flicking Heero's ear.

His eyes were like ice when he met mine.

`Get off.' I mouthed clearly at him.

He glared at me still more, then sighed and settled back in his chair as Relena blinked around at me.

I pointed at the screen.

Her eyes sparkled as she sat properly in her seat again.

I almost felt bad, though, because I knew this particular movie wasn't one Heero had been interested in seeing. He shifted forward in his seat and shifted impatiently from time to time as Relena leaned against him. She had actually wanted to see it, though.

"Make Heero sit straight," Trowa whispered to me suddenly.

"What?" I asked him, blinking.

He pointed at Heero, "Tap him."

I shook my head, "You know he didn't want to see this movie."

"You two," Jacob muttered.

"Seriously, Q." Tro pressed, "Just tap him. You don't even have to say anything."

I gave him a look.

Jacob sighed in exasperation, leaning forward and tapping Heero's shoulder.

Heero jumped enough so that I thought he might have been falling asleep.

Trowa's laughter was throaty and evil as Heero met his eyes.

"What is with you?" I demanded of Trowa.

Heero's eyes were promising Trowa death as Tro focused happily back on the screen as if nothing had happened.

I rolled my eyes to Heero, focusing on the screen myself.

If I'd been intended to understand my brethren, it would have happened ages ago.

-

"I have to use the facilities." Heero muttered instantly as we moved back into the hall, disappearing up it with Trowa on his heels.

Duo sighed and stretched, "Handy little theater." he noted in amusement.

Relena focused on him sharply.

Duo stretched more, meeting her eyes, "Nice, comfy, seating."

"Yeah, really." she muttered.

"Not as handy as the concession stand though."

"I take it handy is the word of the day?" I muttered to him.

He laughed evilly, "You have no idea."

I raised an eyebrow at him, wondering what the hell he was thinking-then why Relena was blushing.

"Leave them alone, Mike." Selena muttered, grabbing his hand.

I shook my head, looking around to Miguel.

"Handy." Duo muttered again.

Relena started laughing.

"I don't even want to ask." Miguel reassured me, grabbing my hand and looking the way Heero and Trowa had disappeared.

"It's time to go home, isn't it?" Relena noted pouting.

"No, let's go out," I countered, "There's a bar here in town that might be worth an hour."

"You shittin' me?" Duo asked curiously, "As handy as that is…" Selena smacked him, "I don't think you guys could stand much more alcohol without becoming legally drunk."

"Hey, now." I protested, "I'm a bartender, don't be cold."

He grinned at me, "You have liquor in your apartments, right?"

I raised an eyebrow at him-that was a given.

"So let's get liquored up…and rape each other." that last was to Selena.

She giggled, hitting him in the stomach.

"Wait, wait, wait," he added before anyone else could say anything, indicating Selena's shirt, "That's a nice shirt."

"Thank you," she started in a pleased fashion.

"Can I talk you out of it?" Duo muttered before she could finish.

Selena started giggling.

"Ooh, I got one!" Jacob muttered, bouncing around Duo to stand near Selena and point at her shoes, "Nice shoes, wanna fuck?"

We all choked on that one.

Jacob laughed evilly.

Duo studied him a moment before grabbing her hand and raising it to his lips, kissing her knuckles, "You have some nice jewelry," he noted, studying the one ring she was wearing, "It would look good no my night-stand."

Selena started laughing.

Jacob tilted his head at Duo a moment before meeting Selena's eyes, "Here I am, what were your other two wishes?"

Duo raised his eyebrows at that, focusing on her, "Why is it that every time I'm around you, my pants feel tighter?"

I started laughing myself.

"So…do you want to fuck or should I apologize?"

"I think I could fall madly in bed with you."

"Didn't anyone tell you that you wanted to sleep with me? I thought you knew."

"Sex is evil, evil is sin, sin is forgiven, so…"

"You wanna go fifty-fifty on a rape charge?"

Selena was laughing helplessly as the pair passed back the corniest pick-up lines I'd ever heard. They slowly got more outrageous and I had to wonder where Duo had picked up all the ones he was saying. I knew enough about Jacob's history to realize he'd probably used more than half of what he was saying. Duo, on the other hand, hadn't known a quarter of these two years ago…

"What are you guys doing?" Heero asked skeptically as he and Trowa joined us again.

"Just passing around a few handy pick-up lines."

Heero blinked at him.

Selena was still giggling.

"If I followed you home, would you keep me?" Jacob asked her.

Duo turned back to him, blinking.

"Wait, what's this I hear?" Jacob muttered, cupping his ear, "Nothing? Wh...what? Did I…win?"

"I wasn't aware it was a competition." Relena noted.

"Really?" Selena asked, seeming startled.

"Come on, Duo, one more and we're square." Jacob muttered.

Duo looked between he and Selena a moment before actually stepping up to Jacob and looking down into his eyes, "Me," he muttered, "You…a night of bliss. It can all just be a pleasant dream in the morning."

Selena cracked, doubling over with giggles as Jacob's smile faltered and he stared into Duo's eyes.

"Handy." Quatre noted sideways to Tro.

Duo died laughing.

-

"Have you seen Jacob?" Quatre asked me, moving into the apartment and looking around.

I smirked at him, "Not in a few."

Quatre frowned at me.

"He came by this morning," I clarified, "I think he's heading to Heero's for breakfast."

"But…" Quatre thought a moment.

"I slept with Selena, if that's what you mean."

"What?" Selena called from my bedroom before she paused to blink at Quatre and dart out of sight. She wasn't wearing any clothing and was brushing her teeth.

"Oh…" Quatre blinked, shaking his head slightly before flinching.

"He took you to bed last night," I added, "You may want to look yourself over in a mirror."

Quatre's blue eyes widened in disbelief as he looked up to me.

I died laughing, finishing buttoning up my jeans and heading back to my room. It didn't matter to me whether or not Quatre left. I moved back into the bedroom and pulled out a couple of t-shirts, tossing one to Selena as she stood in the bathroom, blinking at me.

"I'm heading over to Heero's," I added, pulling mine on before pulling my socks on, "And then I work. I won't be back until five."

She sighed, watching me pull on and tie my shoes quickly.

I frowned, picking up my wallet and looking into it, pulling out the wad of cash inside and offering that to her, "Go shopping or something."

She blinked at me in amazement, but I focused on the letters I'd been intending to give Wufei, reaching over to pick them up.

"You want me to send those?" she asked, having pulled on the shirt I'd passed her.

"No…I'll just…" I set them back down, then realized I was still holding the money, passing it to her, "You can take my car if you want."

"If I could," she muttered, watching me detach the key before setting that with the money on the dresser and moving up to kiss me, "Have a good day." she muttered, studying my eyes.

"Thanks," I muttered back, blinking at her. Something about this seemed wrong, but I wasn't going to approach it when it wasn't obvious. I kissed her again before turning and blinking at Quatre, who was leaning against the doorjamb to my room, his eyes narrowed.

"Quatre!" Selena protested, darting back into the bathroom.

"At least you had the shirt on," I muttered, grinning at the guy as I started tucking knives into my pants.

"You have more." he noted, grabbing one from my hand.

"Yeah. I only had the three throwing ones," I tucked those into a pocket, "The hunting knife," I flashed the thing at him under the light, "And this." I added, studying the third knife that had almost cost Wufei his life, "I'm not so fond of this one." I added, tossing that one back onto my dresser.

He was studying a curved creation of pain in steel. The blade was randomly serrated and the hook at the tip of it could conjure up most uncomfortable images, depending on where you threatened with it.

I grinned at him, tucking that away and picking up one of the final two, "These were just back-ups."

"I don't know why, but I'm grateful you don't carry a firearm." he muttered.

"What, this?" I asked, pulling the thing from its lower-back holster to show him.

He laughed nervously, "You scare me, Duo."

I grinned at him, leaning forward to his ear, "I intend to."

"Hey, now." he warned.

I ran the barrel of the gun over his cheek and watched in amusement as he eyed it.

"I don't find this very amusing, Duo." he muttered, ignoring the hand I had in his hair.

"Come on…" I muttered pleasantly, re-holstering the gun and running my fingers into his hair so he couldn't look away from me, "You know it would be fun."

He didn't say anything or actually reply, he only raised his eyebrows a tad.

"What are you doing?" Selena asked suspiciously from the bathroom door.

"Nothing." I replied, still studying Quatre's blue eyes and wondering what he was thinking.

"Well, stop." she muttered.

I laughed slightly, "You want me to do something?"

"Michael!" that was slightly flustered as Quatre studied her.

I laughed more, pulling away from Quatre and stretching, popping my neck and grabbing the letters, taking them with me into the kitchen and tossing them on the counter.

Quatre didn't say anything to me as he moved out of my apartments.

-

Watching Duo tuck the knife away that looked like it was from a child's nightmare nearly made me shudder. From head to foot he was bottled power and violence, no matter when you looked at him. He looked like a barely controlled tiger at the hands of a bad handler.

"I don't know why," I muttered, "But I'm grateful you don't carry a firearm."

He smirked, pulling one from out of sight, "What, this?"

I laughed slightly, studying it, "You scare me, Duo."

"I intend to." he muttered in my ear, he didn't even seem to notice he was holding a weapon.

"Hey, now," I muttered uncomfortably, my stomach doing an uncomfortable flip as he ran the smooth steel across my cheek, almost like a caress from a lover.

This was not what I needed. I did not need to be standing in Duo's bedroom with him and a gun when my head pounded from dehydration and alcohol and my stomach wanted to empty its contents to remove the alcohol. I did not need Duo's heavy sexual innuendos and games…

"I don't find this very amusing, Duo." I informed him, not sure exactly what to do to extricate myself from the situation.

"Come on…" he muttered, his tone uncharacteristically seductive as the gun disappeared again.

I stared at him in amazement, wondering what the fuck I was supposed to do now…

"You know it would be fun." he added.

I highly doubted that anything on Duo's mind behind those glass-eyes could actually be fun. I felt like he was about to throw me…. Further, in my present state compared to his, that he could honestly over-power me. Hell, any given day he could have overpowered me. I felt somewhat guilty for being worried, but at the same time, it was hard not to worry when Duo's eyes were suggesting things only Jacob had ever thought about before. Duo'd been back for a month, but he had not proven himself `stable' by any sense of the word.

"What are you doing?"

I could have sworn that was the voice of an angel.

"Nothing." Duo lied, his eyes never leaving mine.

I was about to puke, that would probably distract Duo nicely…

"Well, stop." Selena muttered.

Even I knew that was a bad choice of phrasing and I wasn't thinking…

Duo's laughter was evil, "You want me to do something?" the pressure of his hands changed like they were about to move.

I wondered if maybe I ought to warn them I was going to puke.

"Michael!" Selena's tone was far from reprimanding or scared…it was something else altogether. I blinked at her.

Duo laughed, pulling away from me finally and stretching before he popped his neck, grabbing something off his dresser and disappearing into the hall.

I stared at Selena for a half second, wanting to thank her, but then my stomach and the situation got the better of me and I turned and fled, ignoring Duo as he watched me move past his kitchen and darting into the hall.

I wasn't sure if I was grateful that the hall was empty or not, but the trashcan was around the corner and that seemed like a good place to start.

It didn't help me in the slightest when Duo's door opened as I puked. When Duo was standing next to me, it left something to be desired. When I paused and he forced me gently back into his apartment, it was as much anxiety that he might really have something on his mind as not that caused me to puke again. By that point, though, I was in an unfamiliar bathroom.

"Are you okay?" Duo asked when I finally managed to stop, leaning over the sink to rinse my mouth out, "Quatre?"

"Jesus, you're a prick." I muttered, rinsing my mouth again.

"You take me too seriously." he muttered in amusement.

"Must've been the gun." I muttered sarcastically.

He sniggered.

"Is he all right, Mike?" Selena asked from somewhere beyond.

"I think so." Duo replied easily, "Can you bring a cup?"

"All right."

I took a moment to orient myself, noticing first off that the wall to my right was an inside wall, meaning that this was a room by the hall. Figuring that out made me assume that this room was the first of the three on the left side of the hall.

Selena's presence was announced with the rustle of skin on skin and the clink of a cup next to me, "Why don't you go do something useful?" she asked sweetly, "Like empty that trash can in the hall or get the help to?"

"All right." Duo rested one hand on my back a moment before he moved away. A few moments later I heard the door to the apartment open.

"He really is something else." I muttered distantly, breaking open one of the new toothbrushes in the holder on the counter.

"He wouldn't have done anything to you, you know." she replied, "You were acting scared and he gets off on that kind of thing, but he wouldn't have done anything."

"I'm not so sure."

"Which is what he wants."

"You're not too helpful." I informed her as I brushed my teeth.

"You trust him, don't you?"

"Do you?" I snapped back.

"I do."

I sighed, spitting and looking at her again, "I do. I just don't like it when…" the door opened again and I went back to brushing my teeth as a phone beeped on and Duo started talking, asking for someone to empty that can I'd started puking in. "I'd appreciate it," Duo said finally, his tone happy-normal, "I'd do it myself, except I don't know the ins and outs of the place yet…yeah." Duo laughed, "All right. Thank you." the phone beeped off and I rinsed the toothbrush, rinsing my face.

"You gonna make it?" Duo asked happily, sliding past his girl to flush the toilet again, grabbing some toilet paper to wipe off the seat.

"Yeah, I'll live." I conceded, filling the cup with water, "At least I hope I will."

Duo laughed, sitting on the edge of the tub to study me. I couldn't tell what he was thinking, but he almost seemed on the verge of asking me something. He was acting too normal now for me to just tell him he'd creeped me out, but I wasn't going to lie to him if he did ask.

"You hungry?"

I blinked, my slightly vicious reply dying on my lips, "Um…"

"I heard Wufei and Miguel heading down the hall." he explained, "They're probably gonna be to Heero's in a few."

"I am…sort of…I guess." I muttered, drinking more water and looking to Selena. She had a slight smirk on her face as she studied me.

"Why don't you go put some clothes on?" I asked her darkly.

"Because sometimes it behooves me to be undressed." she said easily.

I gave her a look.

Duo laughed rising to his feet and tugging at the front hem of her shirt, "Not today though." he kissed her, "Can you find me some more wife-beaters? Colored ones, I mean."

"I guess." she muttered with a sigh.

"Gray, if they've got it…and black."

I moved passed them into the room, blinking at the un-touched look the room had and wondering if Duo and Selena shared a room. She'd disappeared the day Duo had attacked Trowa, but to which room I hadn't followed.

"Get yourself something," Duo added, "Something comfortable…like sweats or something."

"That's hardly the type of thing I'd think a guy would suggest for me to buy with his money." she noted.

He laughed, "Get yourself some nice underwears, then. I'll appreciate them, I promise."

Selena giggled.

I sighed in exasperation, setting the cup on the counter and moving down to sit on a couch. I wasn't just going to walk out of the apartment without a word, and it hardly seemed the time for me to speak up.

When they appeared in the hall kissing, however, I changed my mind.

"I'm going." I informed them, "Sorry about the hassle and thanks for the cup."

Duo laughed, pulling away from Selena, "Come have breakfast with us when you're dressed." he suggested to her, catching the door as I opened it, "Maybe Hilde will be able to go with you to town."