Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Seduction and Photographs ❯ Part II ( Chapter 2 )

Part Two-Planning

"That's not the point, Duo!" Quatre stalked to the refrigerator hoping to find something to drink. He stared blankly into the fridge.

"I'm sorry. I really am. I always take my work there, and I thought that you might like Trowa. I didn't think about the fact that he would've seen those pictures." Quatre pulled out a Dr. Pepper, thumbing the can open.

"I was more embarrassed than mad. I would've appreciated a warning, but I forgive you." Duo immediately perked up, grabbing a bag of tortilla chips from his pantry. Quatre had yelled at Duo on the way back to Duo's house for the scene at Lynx Photo. Until Duo had pointed out that he had appeared very flustered upon meeting Trowa. Quatre had insisted that Duo shut up. Of course, Duo didn't. It was true, though. He felt that Trowa was the sexist man he had ever seen. He had the nicest ass he had seen in a long time. He had wanted to grab it and caress it, but that would have, one: been too bold, and two: possibly asking for a hospital stay. However, through careful navigation, he had discovered the Trowa was gay, and thought that he-Quatre-was sexy. Quatre couldn't resist a grin.

"Are we thinking about Trowa? Hmmm?" Duo fluttered his eyes dramatically. Quatre knew he couldn't lie to Duo.

"Yes."

"He's hot, huh."

"Very." Duo elbowed him in the ribs as they plopped down on the couch.

"You should ask him to dinner."

"You should know me better than that by now, Duo." Duo pouted.

"I know you're shy, but, I thought…" Quatre shrugged apologetically.

"I don't think I could-not that I don't desperately want to, though." Quatre ran his fingers through his hair. "I need to seduce him, somehow. Make him realize in a roundabout way that I'm gay and that I like him." Duo snapped his fingers.

"Wufei's a genius!"

"How so?"

"He asked if I was trying to seduce Trowa through your pictures, which of course I'd never do with my serious work, but…" Quatre picked up the thread of thought.

"We could do a special roll, especially for Trowa." Duo nodded excitedly.

"We can seduce Trowa through a roll of film! He'll see it, no matter what. He'll either be printing or QC'ing." Quatre held up a finger, warily.

"But what about…"

"Trowa works alone sometimes. Let's see…" Duo wrinkled his forehead in thought. Quatre felt his insides starting to jump and dance in anticipation. "We can always ask Wufei for Trowa's schedule. That's how I found out Heero's." Quatre laughed.

"Now I know why you'll only go in on certain days."

"You know my secret, I must swear you to secrecy, or I'll have to kill you." Duo leapt up on the couch, looming over Quatre.

"I don't know, Duo. I could probably make some money off of this." Duo shrieked and pounced on Quatre, poking and tickling Quatre's sides. "I swear! I swear! I'll never tell a soul! I swear!" Quatre cried out between giggles and shrieks. Duo stopped.

"Good. Let's watch Monty Python?" Quatre sat up, trying to catch his breath.

"Holy Grail." Duo bounced over to his DVD library to pick out 'Monty Python and the Search for the Holy Grail.' It was their favorite Monty Python. He popped it in his DVD player and settled on the couch beside Quatre. "How about tomorrow afternoon?" Duo turned to Quatre.

"Huh?"

"We can take those pictures of me tomorrow afternoon, if that's okay."

"Yeah! We can do it either before or after the session we already have! That'll be perfect!" They both turned to the big screen TV at the sound of coconuts being clapped together.

"Alrighty, I'll see you tomorrow around noon." Duo yawned, leaning against the doorjamb.

"Your mother is a hamster and your father smells of elderberries!" Quatre quoted from his car.

"Damn, Quat, that hurt!" Duo laughed from the dimly lit doorway. "Take care!" Quatre slammed his car door shut and waved at Duo over the top of his windshield. He hadn't raised the convertible top when he had gotten there earlier. It was still a relatively warm night, so he left the top down and decided against going home right away. He turned south, headed for the dirt roads just outside of town. He liked to cruise them late at night when no one else was on the road and the stars were bright against the blanket of night. Reaching into his glovebox, he pulled out his sweater hat that his sister had knitted him for his birthday a few years back. He liked it because he could pull it over his ears, perfect for blocking late night wind, and because it was green. Letting out a whoop into the crisp night, he floored it. His engine screamed as he flew over the dirt road. He pulled off onto the shoulder after a while and turned his CD player on. He crawled into the backseat so he could stretch out, propping his feet up on the top of the door.

He didn't realize he had fallen asleep until someone touched his shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Quatre yawned, blinking the sleep from his eyes.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine." He sat up and crawled out of his car. He yawned again and stretched, arching his back and feeling his shirt slide up his stomach, baring it to the now chill night air. He felt the stranger's eyes on him as he tried to get his protesting muscles working again. He looked for the first time at the disturber of his sleep.

"Trowa? I didn't know you came up here. I didn't think anyone came up here." Trowa squinted at him in the hidden moonlight.

"Quatre?"

"The one and only." Trowa chuckled.

"I was just driving around when I saw your car." The clouds shifted and the half moon lit Trowa's smile. "I was actually drooling over your car when I noticed your feet." Quatre felt his face flush.

"I must've fallen asleep when I was looking at the stars." Quatre shivered, the cold beginning to seep into his bones.

"You're cold." Quatre shrugged. "My car is warm. You can at least warm up in there." Quatre realized that there really wasn't any place that he wanted to be more. He smiled at Trowa, and allowed him to escort him to the car. The two cars faced each other on the road, posed as if ready to kiss, and Quatre found himself hoping that Trowa would kiss him. He was shy when it came to initiating relationships, be they romantic or otherwise. Even his business relationships were rocky starts because he knew he couldn't wait for the contact to come to him. It was too difficult for him to make the first move; in fact, his kissing Trowa's hand earlier had taken all of his courage. He didn't think he had any left, and the fact that Trowa hadn't touched him once in their chance meeting, wasn't helping his self-esteem any. He probably fucked things up big time back at Lynx, and Duo's idea of seducing Trowa would be met with laughter-or worse. They settled in Trowa's car.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Quatre murmured, sinking into the heat.

"Which ones?" Trowa grinned impishly at him. He grinned back.

"The darker hidden ones." Trowa shook his head.

"I'm afraid those are slightly more expensive."

"A dollar for your thoughts?"

"More."

"However much, OR whatever is required of your thoughts?" Quatre watched Trowa's profile in the dark, lit by the green displays.

"I don't really think that you want to hear my thoughts, Quatre. I have a feeling you'd hate me." Quatre sat up, staring intently at Trowa.

"I couldn't hate you, Trowa." Trowa turned to him.

"Then why'd you ask me that favor?" Quatre thought back to their conversation in the backroom at Lynx Photo.

"I didn't want to know if you had made copies for the same reason that it took me six months to agree to do a session with Duo. I have no problem posing nude for nameless faceless people, but once I know their name, and I've met them, it becomes personal. That's why I got mad at Duo for bringing me into Lynx once I found out he had developed the pictures here."

"Wouldn't it be harder to pose in front of many versus one?"

"Not when I know them."

"Why?" Trowa asked.

"Because its personal when I know them. Its like they've uncovered my secrets, simply because they know me. Strangers don't look at me like I'm a person; they look at me the same way they look at a still-life. I'm a subject, not a person-at least that's how I feel they are looking at me. With Duo, or someone I know, I feel like I'm their friend, and they are staring at ME." Quatre yawned, the late hour was getting to him, and he still had at least a fifteen-minute drive home.

"I'm sorry." Quatre drew his eyebrows together.

"Why?"

"For assuming the worst." Quatre laughed.

"Its okay. I understand." Quatre looked at the clock display, burning green numbers into the darkness. "Its 4:30 in the morning. I'm not a morning person, and I have to be at Duo's tomorrow at noon. I need to go home and pass out." Quatre got out of the car and leaned back in to tell Trowa good-bye, but Trowa had gotten out as well. He shut the door and looked at Trowa over the car.

"I'll wait until you get going." Inside, Quatre turned to putty. It felt like Trowa was watching over him, making sure he was okay. Quatre picked his way over to where Trowa stood, leaning against his car.

"Are we friends?" His stomach was tying itself into knots. Damn his shyness! Trowa smiled.

"I'd like that." Trowa stuck out his hand for a handshake, but Quatre pulled him into a hug instead. He held on a little too long, but the feel of Trowa's arms wrapping around his body was something that needed to be savored like a perfect bottle of wine-slowly sipped and thoroughly tasted. However, Quatre definitely wasn't bold enough to do any tasting-that would have to wait for another day. So, instead, he pulled away from the hug, knowing that he would have great dreams tonight-this morning. He crawled into his car and raised the top, enclosing his car. Trowa leaned down into the newly formed window. "I thought that this was Duo's car."

"I was completely serious earlier when I said that Duo would steal my car. He drives it every chance he gets."

"Ah. And I was serious when I said that I was drooling over it. This is the third time." Quatre cocked his head.

"Duo and I didn't drive it to pick up the pictures."

"I know." Being too tired, Quatre simply let it go, attributing the missing time to another trip Duo must've taken without his knowledge. He told Trowa goodnight and flipped a U-turn to head home to his warm bed. The headlights that burned constantly in his rear-view mirror until he turned into his neighborhood was a good sign that Duo's idea would be met with glee.