Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Devil's Due ❯ - 31 - ( Chapter 31 )

— 31 —

February 4, A.C. 205. Base. 5 pm

Trowa sighed tiredly to himself as he sat alone in the apartment, listening to the vast amount of nothing around him.

The only problem with it was that he spent a damn lot of time alone.

Before, he'd had Deb and all of the others living in the house. Since they all lived there, he hadn't been alone, and then when he would be he could just go find his girlfriend. Now, Wufei was the only one there and he kept disappearing. Doug was busy until seven, and Raul was in Russia.

On top of that, Trowa'd gotten into the habit of smoking when he was alone. Wufei didn't seem to notice the smell when he came in, and since the only other person who'd have realized the drug was present was Chance, and Jor, he didn't really run the risk of getting caught since he went to them, not them going to him.

But he didn't need to be addicted to vrit...he really really didn't.

He ran a hand through his hair, realizing that he really felt ill. It was a general sort of malaise that seemed to stretch from where his neck started to his calf muscles. He'd had the headache for the day, and he knew if he actually stuck with this, it'd get worse before it got better. He'd seen Wufei go through the stages of withdrawal pretty bad at the beginning...then he'd just get antsy and start fiddling with pens or small thin things to help with the habit part of it...but the first while he'd gone off smoking he'd been damn pissy.

So...maybe draw? Trowa looked around for a pencil or notepad. It didn't take him too long to gather up the items, and he moved back to the couch, digging out the remote. He flipped through the channels until he found a news station and settled where he was sitting. He still felt alone, but the voice was a pleasant thing...

He focused on the notepad.

- -

February 4, A.C. 205. Base. 5:30 pm

"Hey," Wufei muttered, moving into the living room with interest.

Trowa didn't really believe in watching television, he never had. He died to go do real shows when there was one in town, plays or carnivals...but he didn't do too many movies and he almost never had the tv on, especially when he was home alone.

"Hey," Trowa said, looking up to him and blinking several times before frowning and starting to rub at his temple. "What's up?"

"Not too much," Wufei returned, moving toward his bedroom. "Me and Mor are gonna go have drinks at Sins...and supper. You wanna come?"

"All right," Trowa looked happy as he stood and swayed slightly.

"You okay?" Wufei asked, stopping to frown at him. He'd noticed some small things about his friend over the past few days that didn't quite make sense. If he wasn't engaged in a conversation, his attention couldn't stay in one place.

"I'll...just a headache," Trowa returned, touching his temple again.

"There's some ibu in there," Wufei reminded him, pointing toward the bathroom. "You should take it before we go or you're gonna regret it. I'm thinking it should be a pick-up night, so I'm not inviting Chance or Jor...or Cat, come to think of it," he grinned at his friend, waiting to see if he agreed with the plan or not.

"I bet I can get two," Trowa noted happily, moving into his own room.

"Ha!" Wufei accepted the challenge happily, moving to gather his clothes up. "You wish!"

"I'll share my extra with you," Trowa reassured him happily, disappearing into his bedroom. "Lord knows, you'll need the help..."

"Just for that, I won't share my extra with you," Wufei retorted happily.

"Hm," Trowa moved back to the door to look across the hall at him. "I bet you that karma's gonna come kick both our asses and Mor'll be the only one to bring anyone home."

Wufei grinned at that, and headed for the bathroom.

- -

February 4, A.C. 205. Inado, California, United States. 6 pm

Quatre smiled slightly as Simone let him feed her a bite of a decadent cheesecake, happy to be near her. She was so damn pretty no matter what she did, and her lips...

His thoughts wandered over that as she leaned into his arms again...but something tugged at his senses. He felt someone enter the building that caught his attention...

"Hm?" Simone asked, following his gaze toward the entrance...to see Wufei moving through the inner doors. She giggled wickedly, turning to nuzzle at him. "Want to hide?"

"What?" he asked, looking down at her in disbelief. He felt a focus on his person and looked up again to see Wufei grinning at him from across the room.

Simone laughed at that, turning to look to the man and starting to stand.

"You don't have to salute him when he's dressed in tight pants," Quatre noted wryly. "I think it would make him uncomfortable anyway."

"Are you sure?" she asked nervously, but he'd wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her from actually standing.

"Why are you here?" Wufei asked happily, moving over to drop across from them and smile. "Hi, Simone. You look lovely."

"Uh...thank you..."

"Don't say it," Quatre suggested, grinning.

"What?" Wufei asked, giving him a curious look and blinking.

"She really wants to stand up and salute you," Quatre explained in amusement.

Wufei flashed her a slightly wicked grin and shook his head. "I'm not dressed to be properly respected."

"It just seems so..."

"You're a good girl," Wufei reassured her with a wink, then turned to the door and whistled sharply. Quatre followed his gaze to the door to see Trowa and Morgan moving through it and looking at them.

Half the club was looking at them, but that was beside the point.

"You know, I'm not here to hang out with my friends," Quatre noted pointedly.

"Oh, don't be an ass," Wufei returned. "We're here to eat supper, then hit the dance floor. We won't take more than a half hour to eat, max."

"I'm taking my lady out for supper," Quatre retorted.

"And she is quite the lady," Trowa noted, sliding up to the table to look Simone over.

Simone gave him a challenging look, shifting forward slightly so he had a better view of her chest–she was wearing a low cut top with a sweater and a pair of slacks that seemed to flow over her body.

"Damn," Trowa muttered, looking away.

"You talk big talk," she muttered, still grinning at him while she ignored the fact that Morgan hadn't bothered to avert his eyes. "But you're not so wicked."

"Oh, no, pussycat," Trowa half whispered, leaning down to her ear. "I'm more wicked than you know, but you have to build these things from the ground up. A show of chivalry to gain the trust, a sweet word to catch the ear...a naughty touch to make you think..."

Quatre kicked him in the leg.

Wufei and Trowa both started laughing and Morgan backed away from the table nervously.

"Do you mind?" Quatre demanded.

Wufei started laughing, sliding from his spot. "Come on, let's get our food."

Quatre glowered after them as they walked away, joking with each other...then realized that Simone was anxious. "What?" he asked, focusing back on her quickly. "What's wrong?"

"I just...he's a general!" she explained, still alarmed.

"Lieutenant general," Quatre corrected, raising an eyebrow at her. "And he was just talking complete shit to you."

"But..."

"So what am I?" Quatre protested, amused by this.

She blinked at that, too.

"Come on, we're in Sins...it's nothing for you to worry about."

"But..."

"But...what?" Quatre asked, leaning forward to kiss her briefly...she didn't respond, but kissed him back, then kissed him again...

Quatre felt that pull again, frowning as he looked around to see that Trowa and Wufei were at the buffet trying to trip each other while Morgan stood on the opposite side of them with a skeptical expression.

"What?" Simone muttered, looking around herself.

Jordan moved into the building with Chai's hand in his...and Shin's in his other. Chance was walking behind them with a strut that suggested the others were walking away from him...though they were all grinning and generally amused.

Simone blinked.

Chai looked around with interest, then turned toward the buffet area and stopped, smiling as she spotted Quatre.

"I think we may as well give up this date as a lost cause," Quatre mused as Jordan and Chance spotted him in unison. They both had wicked glints in their eyes and the same body posture, which generally meant they were out for trouble.

"I liked having time with you?" Simone offered, looking back to him.

"We don't have to stay with them long, just eat some, huh? Dance a bit?"

"You just want to dance with Chai," she teased.

"Shh," he whispered in her ear, standing. "Don't tell my girlfriend."

She giggled at that and smacked him.

"You want anything else?" he asked, gesturing toward the buffet.

"Yeah," she agreed as Shin took her sweater off and draped it on the chair across from them. "Hi, Shin."

"Hello," Shin returned as Chai followed suit and both ladies ditched their purses.

When Quatre moved to follow, Chai and Shin both turned to him in confusion.

"What?" he asked.

"Someone has to stay with the purses," Chai explained, gesturing at the table. "Please?"

Quatre blinked more at her.

"I'm starving," Shin agreed, grabbing her stomach for emphasis. "Simone can get whatever you'd wanted, right?"

"That's fine," Simone agreed, her emotions turning amused as they walked away exchanging greetings.

Quatre sighed and moved back to drop in his seat, pulling his necklace out and fixing it around his neck.

- -

February 4, A.C. 205. Inado, California, United States. 9 pm

"He'll bring you to my place for breakfast," Chai noted with interest to the woman Trowa had left with she and Shin while he ran to the bathroom.

"But is he worth my time," the woman retorted.

"Oh, sure," Chai reassured her in amusement, noting that Jordan was eyeing her from across the room. "What do you want for breakfast?"

"How do you know he'll take me to your place?" the woman demanded, giving Chai a very wry look.

"Because she's the only one who makes breakfast," Shin noted in amusement.

Chai started laughing, strands of her hair falling forward. She took her shot, then looked to Shin.

"You're kidding me, aren't you?" Shin demanded, raising an eyebrow at her. "You're joking, right?"

"Oh, do it," Chai protested happily.

"But I haven't talked to Chance yet," Shin said, her eyes going wide.

Chai started laughing hard. "What?"

Shin broke into her own laughter and took her shot.

The woman looked between them both with interest, raising an eyebrow slightly.

"What?" Chai asked, waving the bartender over.

"I'm not getting drunk tonight, tea," Shin said pointedly.

"Oh, now that's original," Chai noted dryly. "And if you're getting drunk already, you're a light weight."

Shin guffawed at that.

"You two..."

"We're Angels girls, lovely," Shin noted.

The woman blinked between them, and they all turned to focus on Simone as she broke from the dancing crowd with a breathless laugh, moving to lean against Chai's side.

"Oh really?" Shin asked curiously. Her long black hair was down, and she was wearing a teal tank top with black slacks and boots. One of the straps of her tank top had slid off her shoulder, and since they had been dancing until right before Trowa had gone to the bathroom, her hair looked a little wind-swept.

"Really," Simone agreed, sliding between Chai and the woman to lean against the bar. She'd lost her over-shirt at some point, and her blond hair was starting to fall out of its setting.

"Are you all right?" Chai asked, smiling down at her as she gestured the bartender back to them. Her own dark hair was pulled into a bun, and though quite a bit of it was escaping, it didn't look mussed. She was wearing a black top over tight black jeans and boots.

The newcomer didn't have that same elegance, and Chai had already noticed her noticing. Finding out they were from the slums was probably shocking.

"I'm just a little breathless," Simone muttered, resting her head on her arms. "I've never been able to come in here before."

"You can't drink alcohol yet, poppet," Shin noted happily. "That pretty orange band on your wrist is a rare find."

"It's because of Cat," Chai reminded her friend. "He vouched for her and not many people will overlook his...credentials."

They both started laughing at that, hard.

"Credentials?" the new girl asked blankly. "He got a big package or something?"

Simone's cheeks colored very slightly as Shin and Chai laughed even harder.

"What are you telling lies about now?" Trowa asked happily, moving up to the group. "Not talking about me, I hope?"

"Your ears burning?" Chai asked, grinning wickedly at him.

"They should be," Shin agreed casually, sipping at the glass the bartender passed to her. "They really should be..."

Trowa blinked at her, then back to Chai.

He couldn't tell if they were serious or not.

Shin laughed wickedly, downing her drink...and Chai followed suit. He looked to Elisha blankly as...the pair disappeared back onto the dance-floor, dragging Simone with them.

Elisha grinned slightly, meeting Trowa's eyes.

"Should I be worried?" he asked curiously, studying her lips again.

"Buy me a drink?" she asked sweetly, sliding closer to him.

Trowa grinned at that, looking after the three women again. Shin and Chai had started dancing on either side of Simone. The younger female looked a little flushed and embarrassed, but the older pair seemed to be drinking in the attention that focused on them.

Those two were dangerous.

"Mm, if I have to buy my own I won't be too happy," Elisha purred at him.

"Ooh," he muttered, focusing back on her as he waved to the bartender. "Can't have that now, can we?"

- -

February 5, A.C. 205. Vladivostok, Russia. 3 pm

Raul sank heavily into the crap couch of another crap apartment in another country where he knew no one and didn't speak the local language.

He was tired...he felt defeated. Jordan had sent him to so many different cities, and he could come up with nothing. He hadn't even come close to finding anything out. He was even more off since the entire syndicate had finally gotten smart about the government being on them.

Jordan should be getting up for work around...

Raul blinked as he realized it was Saturday.

He rubbed his hands along his shoulders, feeling the disappointment work more into his stomach.

He couldn't do this right now.

His stomach lurched slightly with the emotion of it and he dropped over sideways on the crappy couch and considered the table in front of him. It was severely overly used. It had about four nails holding it together, and the set nearest him looked about to fall apart. The wood was worn and warped, stained...the carpet looked greasy, and the entertainment center wasn't in much better shape.

He didn't want to be in Russia. He didn't want to be chasing after some random colonel who'd fucked over the idea for peace to line his pocket.

The phone started ringing.

Raul shoved himself up from where he was collapsed and grabbed the thing, setting it against his ear. "What?" he asked tiredly.

"Kody?" Vlad asked, sounding uncertain.

"Yeah?" Raul returned in a less pissy tone.

"What's up your ass? Or should I call back later?"

"What, Vlad?" Raul asked, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Don't sound so enthused to see me," the man muttered dryly.

"We're on a phone, the word you mean is hear."

"Hear, see...it's all the same difference. You coming down to the bar or not?"

"Why?"

"Because I've got David coming and he'll be tired and might listen to you."

Raul sat up. "Really?"

"Sound so enthused for an insult," the man muttered in vague amusement.

"I take you at your word," Raul retorted, climbing off the couch. "I'll be there in five."

"He's in a bad mood," Vlad mused almost to himself. "Something about fees from some guys in China. Bunch of damn dandies, you know? They raped his wallet and there was nothing he could do about it."

Raul snorted slightly, tucking his own wallet into his pocket. "I'm out the door."

"Eager," Vlad noted in amusement.

Raul snorted into the phone properly, then ended the call, tossing the thing onto the couch as he started for the hall.

Maybe this wouldn't be another failure after all.

- -

February 6, A.C. 205. Fuzhou, China. 10am

Xane opened his eyes tiredly to blink at the empty spot on the bed next to him, then rolled onto his back to look at the ceiling. It only took him a moment to realize he was in Chao's bedroom...and only a moment after that to realize he had moved in with the guy.

It was a strange thought. James had moved in with him...

He looked to the door as Chao moved into the room in jeans. He had some sort of book in his hands, but he was heading into the bathroom on quiet feet.

He was eerily quiet...how hadn't Xane noticed that before?

The spy rubbed at his eyes as the other pissed, pushing himself up as the water ran.

"Hey, sleepy," Chao muttered, moving from the bathroom to kiss him briefly. "I was wondering when you'd wake up."

"I haven't gotten good sleep in a while," Xane retorted. "How are you up?"

"I didn't really sleep," Chao noted, dropping next to him and leaning against him. "I have some shit to do today."

"You want me to come?"

"No," the man had no hesitance in his voice. "I'll leave you some money so you don't get bored while I'm gone."

"I don't need your money, Chao," Xane noted pointedly, smiling slightly at him.

The guy guffawed at that, standing up. "Right, you've been here how long without getting a job? If your family had money your visa wouldn't be a problem."

"When I realized I was staying longer, I budgeted my money," Xane frowned at him.

Chao considered that a moment, then leaned down to kiss him again. "You hungry?"

"Not yet, no," Xane returned, throwing back the blankets. "I'm showering."

"You should get more of those pants," the guy muttered, pulling Xane to him before he could pass. "Like you wore to the interview?"

Xane blinked at him.

"I'll meet with you at two?" the guy offered, studying his eyes sincerely. "We can find some good shirts?"

If he hadn't needed to keep the man happy, Xane would have denied the idea. It wasn't like he minded wearing slacks at all, he knew he looked good in them. The issue with slacks was that they were uniform, or similar. He didn't need the guy to realize he was a marksman with his handgun...or the rifle...or...well, any projectile weaponry.

"No?" Chao protested, turning on his charm. "If you have more of them, you'll wear more of them," he noted, nuzzling Xane's ear. "And if you wear them more you'll keep my attention..."

"Do I have to worry about your attention wandering?" Xane retorted in amusement. Chao had started rocking them at some point...

The guy laughed a bit wickedly at that.

Xane noticed the book again and leaned into the man's embrace, tucking his head under the guy's chin so it wasn't strange for him to be looking down.

Chao sighed, wrapping his free arm around Xane, but not moving the book.

Shire, Pelbrook, Smirnov, Tsai were the column names...and underneath that were various numbers.

"We need to get you a job," Chao noted, nuzzling at his ear. "Tomorrow morning, huh?"

"All right," Xane agreed, pulling away. Considering that Shire was the surname of the man from the day he'd called Jordan, he assumed those were all last names. None of them meant anything to him, but it was more information to send back to Jordan anyway. Maybe Judas or Raul had come up with more names.

"Mm," Chao muttered, kissing him. "You shower, I'll finish this up..." he dug into his back pocket a moment, pulling out his wallet without letting Xane pull away.

"Chao," Xane protested as the guy pulled out a handful of cash. "I told you..."

"I'll spend it on you anyway," Chao noted, meeting his eyes.

...

Xane smiled back at him slightly, realizing he genuinely liked the man. He could be a complete asshole, but he did care.

Chao smiled his triumphant little smile and kissed Xane again before shoving him at the bathroom. The thump on the bed behind them suggested to Xane that he'd dropped the money on the mattress. "You sure you're not hungry?"

Xane leaned slightly against the doorjamb, considering the guy for a moment before smiling and shaking his head. "I won't be hungry for another hour or two."

"So if I made you something, you wouldn't eat it?"

"Probably not," Xane noted, smiling even more at him. "And then I'd feel guilty."

Chao flashed him another of those genuine smiles and disappeared from the bedroom.

Xane shoved away from the door and flicked the bathroom light on, considering his throat. For some reason, Chao felt the need to cover it in hickies. That little possessive streak of his was a bit annoying, and if he could be in uniform he could say something to the guy and get him to quit, but until Alvaro and Junjie lost interest in him, Xane was going to have to put up with being tagged as property.

Really, he wasn't used to submitting in the relationship. Obviously Chao didn't even consider it an option, but Xane never had before either. He didn't really like being allowed to sleep in and teased about it. He didn't like being the one to take the money...and he really didn't like that he wasn't in control of the situation.

But it was only two weeks...and maybe he could leave without betraying the guy. If he could just go he could end the relationship without upsetting Chao at all, and that would quell Jor's fear of him being a bounty-head.

Though, really...Xane didn't figure Chao'd have someone else do it for him. With how close he saw the two of them, Chao'd want to do it himself.

The spy shook his head as he started the water.

It wasn't his ideal situation, but then again he was fully intending to give Jordan the four names on that sheet of paper, and the next chance he got of Chao being gone, he was totally going to dig through the guy's files. If he got the chance, he was also going to get into the guy's call record for his cell and send that back home, too.

Xane smiled slightly to himself as he started the shower and turned to dig out a towel. There was no point dwelling on what couldn't be changed. He just needed to go with it.