Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ 3 Ties That Bind ❯ Eleven ( Chapter 11 )

“It was just stupidity,” Selena admitted to me tiredly. “He’s an asshole, though.”

“Did you forget that the day I met you, you came running into my conference room and attacked him?”

Selena’s eyes narrowed at me.

“Oh, stop. If I recall the story right, he’d been with you the night before and left you locked to a bed when he came home.”

Her grin flashed for a brief moment before she gave me a level look.

“He’s always been an asshole,” I explained. “He just pretends not to be sometimes.”

She smacked me as I giggled, and I took a moment to resituate the crown on her head. She was dressed as the queen of hearts, so her crown was tilted. I was a porcelain doll with an elegant mask and a white kimono that was all but sheer.

Heero wouldn’t have been happy with that.

I grinned slightly to myself as I ran a hand over my belly.

“Can we talk yet?” Duo snapped, moving up behind us.

Nira tsked, gave him a look, and walked away with a flick of her hair.

Duo turned to focus on me, spreading his hands as if he’d made some sort of point.

“You’re in a fine mood,” I noted.

“I think…I’m really about to be rude to you,” he noted. His hesitation suggested to me that telling me he was about to be rude was really not what he’d intended to say.

“Don’t be an ass,” Selena snapped, moving back up to us. “Just because we’re arguing doesn’t mean you have to be a bastard to everyone else.”

“You sure?” he retorted.

She opened her mouth.

“We aren’t arguing, either,” he cut her off, his eyes hard. “You freaked out about nothing and now you’re just being a bitch.”

She slapped him.

Duo didn’t look at either of us as people around us exchanged looks, and I could see that his jaw had clenched.

“Selena,” I started, moving forward some.

Duo raised his hand to stop me, meeting her eyes…and lunged at the woman.

Selena was falling back instantly, her face disbelieving…but it hadn’t been a true attack. As soon as she realized he wasn’t actually going to start hitting her—they really did get into fights, I’d seen it happen—her expression turned even more pissed.

“We’re at a party,” Quatre spat at them disgustedly. “Grow the fuck up, both of you.”

Duo focused on Quatre, then snorted as he looked to his wife again…and walked away.

“Don’t even start crying,” Quatre snapped at the woman, looking no less disgusted. “You know he won't hit you when you’re pregnant and you know you always fight when you slap him. What the fuck is going on?”

I decided to hold my peace.

“Are you all right?” Hilde asked, moving up from the far side of Quatre. “What’s going on, Nira?”

Selena started crying, turning into Hilde’s offered hug.

Quatre gave Hilde a very annoyed look, and I realized that Trowa was following after Duo.

For his part, Duo’s costume hadn’t really been all that inventive. He was wearing a pair of military-issue green cargo pants with his nine or ten knives sticking out all over them and that damned belt he’d told us all had been cut up with a white wife-beater…and that was a really bad thing to call them with the current situation. Anyway, he had his steel-toed combat boots on and his dog-tags around his neck.

Duo turned on our vampire, which was Trowa, and the guy’s cape swished out behind him…which made Duo smile and give Tro a look.

Quatre had dressed up like a drug-addicted music artist, which meant his clothes looked very sloppy and he had on his most expensive jewelry…and he’d bought some material that looked something like scars and had done things to his forearms…like make the scar Duo’d given him all those years ago more vivid by mimicking it…and added ‘track’ marks like he’d been shooting up heroin.

“Nira,” Quarter persisted. “What are you two fighting about?”

“He told me he wanted to leave last night,” she replied, wiping at her eyes as she pulled away from Hilde—who’d taken the magician’s-assistant approach.

Quatre didn’t even blink, watching her expectantly.

“I freaked out,” she added, wiping at her eyes again and glancing at him. “Heero came and made us stop shouting at each other…and Duo took off.”

“Leave how?” Quatre demanded.

Selena laughed slightly, sniffling somewhat. “Family vacation, but he didn’t tell me that until well later.”

Quatre blinked.

“He just said he wanted to leave and I thought he meant divorce,” she added, wiping at her eyes again, looking at Quatre’s shoes. “When he got back and told me he meant vacation, I thought he meant alone…and then he told me I was being whiny so I threw his pillow at him…and he got even more pissed and…”

“You’re both being damn stupid,” Quatre cut her off. “And I’m sure neither of you are to blame, either…so do me a favor and cut the shit.”

She sobbed again, turning back to Hilde, realizing that Hilde didn’t have a hug ready…so she turned and walked away.

“I can’t believe this,” Quatre muttered, running a hand through his hair and making it look even messier than it had been. “This is bullshit.”

“And you’re helping make it better,” I noted.

He gave me a look, then looked around to find Duo…who was talking to the samurai who happened to be my husband.

Heero was a dork.

Ro gestured at someone standing next to him, and I blinked as I realized it was Ryu…dressed as a Japanese nobleman.

I grinned, turning to start for them.

“Oh, hey, baby,” Heero muttered.

“Only Duo calls me that,” I retorted, moving into his arm anyway.

“I just swore fealty to my new lord,” Heero explained to me like I hadn’t interrupted as he gestured with his head to the boy. “He seems really embarrassed for some reason.”

Ryu smiled at me, and he did look really embarrassed.

“I tried to tell him that every nobleman needed a good samurai, and that I was the best…but he doesn’t seem to believe me.”

“I’m sure you are the best, dear,” I noted.

Heero laughed, kissing my temple.

I looked back to Duo, who wasn’t meeting my eyes.

“You really need to work on your approach, you know,” I told him. “Saying you want to leave to your wife when she can tell you haven’t been content for a while really doesn’t jive well.”

“It came out wrong,” he snapped at me.

“No shit, Sherlock?” I rolled my eyes at him and looked to Heero.

“Is she okay?” Heero asked, looking across the room to where Selena was sitting alone.

“No one’s feeling sorry for her,” I returned, shaking my head slightly. “She’s not getting any sympathy because we all heard that Duo’s just a linguistic genius.”

Duo tsked in disgust, gesturing at me in a way that meant he was keeping himself from saying a lot.

“I’m on your side, asshole,” I informed him pointedly. “Don’t go pissing us all off or you’ll really be in for hell. You can’t exactly run with your babies here.”

The knight shook his head, but it looked more like a twitch at the neck as he readjusted his shoulders.

“Those are real,” Ryu breathed, reaching down and pulling a knife from one of Duo’s pockets.

I stared at him in disbelief as Duo focused on him as well.

Ryu raised the one he was holding in disbelief, meeting Duo’s eyes through the wicked little hook at the end.

“I’ve used that one, too,” Duo whispered, leaning down to be in the boy’s face.

“You can’t be serious,” Ryu protested.

“Duo,” Heero muttered, then thought better of whatever he was going to say. “I’m gonna go make sure she’s all right, huh?”

Duo turned his head to look at his wife and rolled his eyes. “Whatever.” He took the knife back and tucked it away.

Heero moved away from us and I watched as Duo pulled out his other knives to show the boy—it was kinda disturbing, because even after all these years, those knives moved in his hands like they had when he used them constantly.

- -

I readjusted my hat so it was tilted slightly over one eye more and grinned at my own reflection. I was a pimp with the over-the-top accessories. This meant I’d borrowed one of Hilde’s fur jackets and had bought a hat with some nice jeans and one of my clubbing shirts…and then jewelry.

“You’re so vain,” Jacob muttered as he re-zipped his pants. “You know that, don’t you, Fei?”

“And you’re watching me while you piss,” I retorted, moving away from the mirror to meet his eyes.

He grinned at me, washing his hands quickly before spraying me with the water.

“Jacob!” I protested, wiping at my face as he dried his hands off.

He laughed wickedly, then reached over and re-adjusted the hat on my head a bit before nodding.

He himself had dressed like a clubber, so I’d declared him my whore and thus he’d been following me around all night.

“I just got a wicked idea, huh?” he muttered, leaning in…and kissing me. “I’ll be back.”

I blinked after him as he disappeared, then followed into the ballroom again. Halloween was a court function of a sort. We didn’t have anything official planned, just hanging out all night with drinks and in costumes. There were games going on all over and tables set up…and a dance floor.

Jacob had just kissed me.

I shook my head slightly as the song changed to a hard one, more like we’d hear in the clubs…and Trowa laughed, pulling Hilde after him to the dance floor. There’d been a few younger couples dancing but the song had made them all sit…which meant Tro was putting on a show.

Before they’d even settled from their run, Trowa started waltzing his wife. She laughed delightedly as Heero suddenly joined him with Relena, and Quatre pulled some random female with him to join. A moment later, Duo’d joined in with Selena, and considering that she wasn’t talking to him, I wondered if he’d just grabbed her and did it before it could be protested.

People were looking for me.

I sighed to myself, then grinned as I noted Lea standing not far from the dance floor with an almost breathless look as she watched. We’d all been schooled in waltzing when we were seventeen and we’d kept it up somewhat through living in Deniel, but we’d gotten back into it again when we’d regained the court, so we were all practiced enough, and as I pulled Lea with me to the floor, Duo and Trowa separated just enough that I could slide in and join.

People were starting to cheer.

The song was hard, and it was a good one that got even harder, which meant my niece was being somewhat hard-pressed to keep up with me as she laughed. She was actually dressed in a Victorian gown.

“Just go with it,” I suggested as we spun faster. “Just trust me, huh?”

“I know,” she muttered, looking around. “But, still…”

I grinned at that and moved up our tempo that half step that Trowa would be moving back as Alex was swept into the mix by Jacob.

So, the whole family.

This would be the talk of the people for weeks.

It didn’t take long for other dancers to join our game, and as Lea giggled breathlessly I decided to give up the ghost. I let the girl go and she sat, still giggling as Selena moved silently past us and Duo rolled his eyes to me…and went the other way.

“I need a drink,” I noted to the teen, turning toward the bar set-up as she gestured me away. She’d had her fun.

I semi followed Duo, who ended up heading toward the bar himself, stopping next to him with a grin.

He grinned back briefly, making a gesture to the bartender.

“You can dance?” Ryu asked, moving up to Duo’s side with wide and earnest eyes.

I blinked at him in disbelief.

He showed up everywhere, didn’t he?

“Yeah, I prefer club-style more, but I can do some of the fancy court ones.”

“Sir!” Ryu noticed me, saluting before smiling embarrassedly at me and looking over my costume.

“I’m your pimp,” I noted, extending a hand to Duo. “Fi’ty.”

Duo shrugged at me and dug into his pocket…and handed me a fifty.

Why the hell did he have a loose fifty?

Ryu stared at that in amazement before laughing as Duo turned on him.

“I’ll tell your pimp,” Duo warned, moving the boy back against the bar. “You fight and he’ll beat you.”

“Like a red-headed step-child,” I agreed. Ryu laughed even more, shoving Duo off and trying not to blush as I grinned at him and tucked the money away. “Beat you so hard you can’t sit for a week,” I added.

Duo’s laughter was a startled wicked thing that informed me very firmly that his thoughts were not proper at all.

Ryu blushed hard, meeting my eyes.

I laughed myself, then noticed Jacob as he hooked a collar around his neck.

He hadn’t had enough time to go back up to the rooms, so where had he been keeping that?

“That’s a fun toy,” Duo noted with sparkling eyes…as Jacob passed me the leash attached to it.

It was my turn to laugh that wicked laugh as Ryu stared at us in disbelief.

“Can I have something to drink?” Jacob muttered, moving to stand against me and look me in the eyes. “What do I have to do for something to drink?”

Duo was absolutely dying laughing from beyond Ryu.

“As long as you’re a good boy, you can have anything you want…in public,” I retorted, moving my leg to indicate he needed to not be grinding me at a court ball.

Jacob laughed happily and moved away from me to order.

- -

“You really need to not be following me right now,” Selena informed Duo as she moved toward the entrance of Heero’s apartment.

“Selena,” Duo protested, “come on…I’m sorry.”

“No, you’ve pissed me off,” she retorted, stopping to glower at him. “Just sleep somewhere else tonight.”

Duo tsked at her in irritation, then thought. “At least let me carry Ash home.”

“She can sleep at Heero’s,” Selena retorted, then stormed up the stairs.

“Yo, I got room,” I muttered to Duo as he stood staring after her. “Jacob went up with Wufei.”

Duo turned to stare at me.

I gestured with my head toward the inside of my apartment. “Lea’s showering, we have a few.”

He grinned at that and rolled his eyes.

“I’m serious, you obviously can’t go home tonight. Just crash here.”

“I…maybe,” he muttered, running a hand down his face. “I’m gonna go out to the church.”

“I won’t freak if you come back in,” I reassured him. “I’m showering, too…and regardless of my jokes, I’m not gonna fuck you.”

He grinned briefly at that, looked toward the apartment, then turned and started outside.

I shrugged to myself, wondering why Jacob had gone home with Wufei. Well, I knew why he’d gone home with Wufei, but I was trying to figure out more how it’d happened…and hoping they didn’t start a relationship. Wufei was a jinx for relationships with males. Any and all of them crashed and burned for various reasons that I was fairly certain were mostly Wufei’s fault—or the way Wufei chose, anyway. He hadn’t actually started a lasting relationship with a female, so I was assuming he could work one of those.

“Hey, dad?” Lea asked, appearing in her door as she tried to unlace her corset.

“Yeah?” I asked, gesturing for her to turn and starting to unlace it myself—I’d put the damn thing on her.

“Who was that blond you were dancing with?”

“Wade?” I asked.

“No, her first name,” she protested.

“Keely,” I returned, tilting my head. “She’s just one of my people.”

“She was nice.”

“Yeah, she is.”

“You gonna see her again?” she asked, holding the corset to herself as she turned to meet my eyes.

I blinked at her.

“I mean…I can stay the night with Alex or Uncle Duo or something.”

…I honestly felt like I was going to start blushing, smiling at my daughter in disbelief.

She smiled back at me. “You should take her to dinner some time, get her some roses.”

That…she…I…

Wait, what?

Marlea shut the door in my face.

“If you ever come home with roses I’m going to ground you for the rest of your natural born life!” I informed her, pounding on the door. “And I’ll go hunt the boy down!”

She was giggling hard as the bathroom door in her room closed.

I laughed to myself, shaking my head, and headed back to my room to shower.

Wade would understand my job completely, and she could even have access to some of the files…and know how to keep my secrets…

But I was sorta jumping the gun, wasn’t I? I mean…we’d always gotten along, but it wasn’t like I even knew if she would date me. Shit, she was twenty-two. I’d never really had a personal relationship with her… I tossed my shirt to the floor as I started unhooking my jewelry. Besides…there was something wrong with dating a girl my daughter had suggested…but…it was a thought.

I started wiping the fake-scar tissue off as I considered it even more.

Until I’d apologized because I had to leave, she probably would have come home with me. We’d spent the whole night together after I’d forced her onto the floor with me.

And Lea was right…she could sleep over at someone else’s place.

I smirked at my own reflection a moment before turning to start the water and undo my belt.

That was, of course, entirely dependant on if the girl would ever give me the time of day again.

- -

I moved slowly through the cool night air with my hands in my pockets as I tried to contain my irritation with my wife.

She had this real ability to piss me off…

I shook my head, noticing that the church door was cracked very slightly and hesitating.

I knew for a fact that my security teams would have found anyone sneaking into the grounds with no problems. Holidays were always twice as patrolled…so that meant it was someone who was allowed on the grounds.

I pushed the door open, looking the area over and trying to spot the intruder. When I saw the person sitting on a pew and staring at the cross above the altar, I moved in and shut the door.

“Who’s there?”

It was Som.

“What are you doing out here?” I asked curiously. “This isn’t exactly recruit territory.”

“I’m sorry, sir,” Som muttered, sounding a bit relieved. “Am I not supposed to be here?”

“That depends entirely on what Wufei’s told you that you can do.”

“I have tonight off…I don’t have to check in until dawn...I heard some of the other guys talking about this and about you coming out here all the time…I just wanted to see what was in here.”

“This is mine,” I agreed, moving to sit next to him on the pew. “You can be in here, that’s fine…but don’t go telling anyone else.”

“Why are you out here?” he asked, frowning at me through the darkness.

I leaned in so we were face to face, studying his expression before grinning slightly.

He swallowed a bit, looking toward my lips before meeting my eyes again.

He didn’t protest when I kissed him.