Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Devil's Due ❯ - 46 - ( Chapter 46 )

— 46 —

February 23, A.C. 205. Base. 12:30 pm

Jordan frowned as he listened to his house. He didn’t want to be chauvinistic or an ass in any general sort of way, but Chai was usually cleaning the kitchen up when he came home for lunch…either that or at Shin’s.

Shin was meeting Chance for lunch.

“Chia?” Jor called, closing the front door. “Chai?”

It remained quiet, and Jordan frowned as he moved into the kitchen, looking toward the garage. The door was closed, and she left it open when she was there…so…

“Baby?” Jor asked, finally spotting her on their bed. “You okay?” He moved into the room, studying her uncertainly.

The kitchen was still a mess from breakfast, and his wife generally cleaned up right when they were done.

“Hey, honey,” she muttered, sitting up quickly and wiping her eyes. “Is it already noon?”

“Twelve-thirty,” he agreed, moving to stand in front of her so she didn’t move off the bed.

She gave him an amused look. “You’re impossible…”

“What?” he asked, then sniggered and leaned down to kiss her. “That’s not what I was about.”

“I don’t believe you,” she teased.

He ran his thumb under her eye, then rubbed it against his index finger to dissipate the water on it before raising his eyes to hers again.

She laughed embarrassedly, rubbing at her eyes again before pressing up into his arms, kissing him.

“That’s not going to work,” he noted, pulling away to study her eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“Wrong?” she asked lightly, starting to pull away.

“Chia, you were crying,” he noted, raising an eyebrow.

“Only Nick can call me that,” she retorted, starting to climb off the end of the bed.

Jordan grabbed her arm before she could move, studying her face seriously.

“Don’t manhandle me,” she retorted, starting to brush him off as she avoided his eyes.

“Look at me,” he retorted, trying to figure out what was wrong. As far as he was aware, he hadn’t made any errors of gross stupidity…but that didn’t actually mean he hadn’t done something wrong.

She stopped, her eyes filling with tears again, then started shaking her head hard.

“What did I do?” he asked, taken aback. “I did something wrong…I know I did…”

“No, you didn’t,” she retorted, wiping her eyes hard and pulling away from him. “I’ll make lunch…”

“Chai,” he protested, grabbing her arm again and frowning at her…and she started crying harder, pulling herself to his shirt. He pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her as she calmed herself again and rested her weight against him. “What’s wrong?” he asked quietly.

“I don’t think I can have a baby,” she burst out, pressing her face into his throat. “I don’t think I can be a mommy…”

“What?” Jordan protested, pulling away slightly from her to study her face. “Why not? You’ll be a good mother…”

“I don’t think I will be,” she pressed herself into his arms again, starting to cry.

“Baby,” he protested, moving to pull himself onto the mattress and her with him. “What happened?”

She studied his eyes a moment, then looked away as she started rubbing her eyes.

“Baby…” he muttered, running a hand through her hair as he studied her face.

She met his eyes, then looked down. “I’m scared.”

“Having a baby is like that,” he muttered, considering her eyes. “But Shin’s done it, and she’ll help us…”

Chai started shaking her head, rubbing her eyes harder.

Jordan’s stomach clenched and he sat back slightly as he studied her. “You…don’t…want to have a baby?”

She started crying again, looking away from him and starting to shake here head.

Jordan…didn’t know what to do. He watched her as she shook her head more, then met his eyes. “Uh…”

“I want to give you a baby,” she returned, not looking at him. “You want a baby…”

“I can wait,” he protested, moving forward and pulling her to him again. “I can…I thought you wanted…”

“I don’t think I’m ready,” she whispered, studying his eyes and swallowing. “I…”

Jordan pulled her to him again, hugging her tightly as he thought that over. “I never meant you to…I…” He was feeling seriously guilty…he’d thought she’d wanted a baby… “I want you to want to have a baby before we have one,” he muttered, pulling away to meet her eyes again. “I just…I thought you wanted one.”

“I do,” she muttered, looking down. “But I’m scared.”

He sighed, then pulled her to him again and nodded.

“What?”

“It’s okay,” he said quietly, pulling away again and touching her face. “It’s… all right.”

She stared at him.

“I’m sorry,” he muttered, studying her eyes. “I didn’t realize how much it really upset you.”

“You’re always so perfectly reasonable,” she snapped at him irritably, yanking away and storming from the room.

Jordan stared after her in disbelief. “What?”

“Why don’t you ever get mad at me?” she snapped, looking back at him over her shoulder.

“Because I have no reason to get mad at you,” he snapped back. “I’m the one who was pressing about having a baby without actually asking you what you thought about it…”

“You wanted a baby, and I want what you want,” she retorted.

“Then why should I get mad at you?” he demanded, leaning against the door-jamb.

“Because you’re not normal…I’ve been freaked out all morning about telling you,” she gestured toward the bedroom. “Thinking you’d get pissed and tell me not to be stupid…”

“You’re being stupid now, does that count?”

She glowered at him.

He uncrossed his arms and moved around the counter, studying her seriously. “You seriously want me to get pissed at you because you’re not ready to have a baby? Does that seem fair to you?”

“You want one,” she retorted.

“Yeah, with the woman I love,” he retorted irritably, leaning against the counter. “And since I love her, doesn’t it make more sense to wait until she’s ready?”

She glowered at him.

“I wish…you could trust me,” he muttered, looking away tiredly.

“What part of my life did you miss?” she demanded of him in irritation. “You know where I grew up…”

“More’s the pity,” he retorted, moving away into the living room.

“Asshole.”

“Bitch,” he retorted…as Quatre pushed into the front door.

Quatre blinked at him.

“Hey,” he greeted his friend, dropping onto the couch.

“Hey,” Quatre returned, studying him with interest before moving across the living room to look in at Chai.

“Is it just us, then?” Chai asked him curiously, giving him a pointed ‘leave it lie’ sort of look.

“As far as I know,” Quatre returned, moving more into the room as he noticed that the morning’s dishes weren’t cleaned…and Chai had red eyes. On top of that, she was annoyed and upset and Jordan was annoyed and guilty. “Uh…”

“Don’t ask, please?” Chai asked, studying his face seriously. “Put the necklace back on and I’ll make us all lunch.”

Quatre considered her face and emotions a long moment, then shrugged. He didn’t like it, but it wasn’t really his business. He pulled the necklace from his pocket and clipped it around his neck, then raised the magnet to it. It was a marginal relief to be removed from their annoyance, but he really preferred being able to sense them in his own house…which they did both know.

“How has your day been?” she asked, turning to the fridge.

“Not bad…got a call from Margrite suggesting I come for Easter. I guess they’re having a family get-together…with anyone who can make it.”

“Sounds like fun,” she noted, pulling food out. “Are you going?”

“Depends,” he returned, shrugging as Jordan joined them and gave him an interested look. “Are you coming with me?”

Chai turned to look at him blankly.

“I don’t mind my family, but it’s not fair that you’re all here together and I’m stuck out there.”

“I’ve never been to the colonies,” she noted, looking to Jordan curiously before remembering she was annoyed with him and looking away again.

Jordan shrugged. “Anything she wants to do, I’m game for.”

Chai snorted slightly, moving back to the fridge as Jordan rolled his eyes.

That was…awkward. Quatre raised an eyebrow at his friend, who rolled his eyes again, then shrugged. “I figure if I can get you and Chance on board, then Wufei and Trowa will fall in line.”

“Sound thinking, I guess. You gonna tell Shin?” Jor grinned slightly.

“What?” Chai asked blankly.

“If Shin wants to go,” Jordan returned, meeting here eyes, “then Chance will want to take her…see, he loves her and wants her happy. The little facts instances along the way are just details.”

She set the loaf of bread down hard, glaring at him.

“Don’t squish it,” he protested, gesturing at the thing.

“I’m going to hurt you,” she informed him, then spun to pull out a knife.

“Hey now,” Jordan protested, “we don’t want the MP called on us for domestic dispute.”

She slammed the knife back into the drawer, turning to glare at him.

“What?” he demanded levelly. “You want me to be an ass, I’ll be an ass. I can be an absolute dick again…you didn’t seem to mind when we were in the apartment, anyway.”

“Fuck you!” she squeaked as Quatre flinched back from the pitch the word hit…well, that and it was obviously whatever he’d walked in on.

“Well shit,” he shouted back, rising to his feet. “I can’t do anything right, can I?”

…and he stormed from the kitchen…and left the house.

“Bastard,” Chai snapped, turning back to the bread.

Quatre was staring at her in disbelief.

They’d never had a fight since he’d been there, not in any serious way…and he hadn’t heard Jordan yell in several months.

He was really happy he had the necklace on.

“What?” she snapped at him irritably, then stopped as she realized she still had the bread out for her husband’s sandwich…she stared at that a long moment, then tears filled her eyes…and she darted into their bedroom, slamming the door behind herself.

Quatre half slid off the stool, wanting to comfort her…but she’d all but told him to mind his own business. He stood there a long moment, torn, then decided not to bother her…but he wasn’t leaving her with the messy-ass kitchen like he didn’t give a damn.

He moved around the counter, and started to make his lunch.

He’d take care of that first, then go find Jordan.

- -

February 23, A.C. 205. Base. 2pm

“Hey,” Trowa muttered happily as he moved to slide in the booth next to Quatre. The blond had hunted down Chance after lunch and then grabbed Wufei before calling Trowa and telling him to meet them for a coffee break. “What’s going on?”

“I’m not entirely sure,” Quatre returned, looking to them all seriously. “I just wanted to warn you that Jordan’s in an extremely bad mood…something happened between him and Chai before I came in at lunch and they were actually bickering…like, Jor yelled at her.”

The three frowned.

“Other than that, Margrite called me,” he added, taking a drink from his cup. “She told me I should come up for Easter, she’s getting together whoever can come. I don’t want to go alone, and Chai seems to want to go. I think we should all do it.”

“You want us to go to your family gathering?” Chance asked him blankly.

“Hey, man,” Quatre shrugged, “they might be blood, but you lot have been with me a long time. I figure I may as well integrate you into these things so I don’t get so damned bored when I have to go do them.”

Chance looked to Wufei, then over to Trowa.

Trowa shrugged.

“I’ll see what Shin says,” Chance agreed, then looked to Wufei.

Wufei shrugged almost indifferently. “I’ll go with the majority on this one. Meantime, we should have a movie-night, get tipsy, then all go pile into Une’s office and beg a house off her for me and Tro.”

“Huh?” Quatre and Chance asked him blankly.

“If we’re having a movie night,” Tro countered, “Une won’t be in her office.”

“Hm,” Wufei frowned, thinking about that before looking to the others. “What?”

“A house?” Quatre asked.

“That apartment is damn big,” Trowa noted, focusing on the plate of fries the others had ordered and grabbing some. “It’s too much space for just two of us…and if we’re lucky, one of the places by you guys will be available and we can live near each other again.”

“Evidently someone,” Wufei noted, leaning toward Chance and lowering his voice, “and I’m not saying any names here…but someone has issues with being home alone.”

Trowa flashed him a grin and threw a fry at him.

“I didn’t say any names,” Wufei added, gesturing in a vague way at the other two pilots.

Quatre grinned at him, then raised an eyebrow at Trowa.

“What’s your suggestions for breaking bad habits?” Trowa asked him curiously.

“Mm, get a rubber-band,” Chance returned as Wufei ate the fry that had hit him, “and whenever you catch yourself doing it…or thinking about it…flick it.”

Trowa blinked at him–his words had been accompanied by a gesture.

“Distraction usually works,” Wufei added, tilting his head. “I had to figure out something else to do to keep my hands occupied…I still have to sometimes. It’s not even like I want the nicotine anymore, but the habit,” he raised a hand to his mouth and then rolled his eyes.

“And then maybe get a buddy,” Quatre agreed, picking up a fry and considering it. “Someone who you can call when you’re feeling the need.”

“That’s an addiction thing, though,” Chance noted, blinking at him blankly. “You’re not addicted to anything, are you?” he asked Trowa.

Trowa grinned briefly at him, wondering if the issue’d be pressed.

“If it is,” Wufei noted, taking a few fries from the plate and dipping them in the sauce, “then you could probably find a support group for it online or something…keep you anonymous.”

“Until they decided they wanted to know what I was up to,” Trowa retorted, gesturing at Chance.

“I’m two people now?” Chance asked him curiously.

“Heero and Chance Yuy,” Wufei agreed, grinning at him. “If you recall, Heero kicked ass at hacking…Chance…not so much,” he used his hand to indicate unbalance.

Chance laughed and smacked at him.

“I meant Jor, anyway,” Trowa retorted.

Chance grinned at that. “What’s your bad habit?”

Trowa’s eyes sparkled as he looked back to the man, taking more fries and putting them in his mouth. He had no intentions of telling any of them anything. He didn’t have the immediate addiction to the vrit anymore, but the habit part of it, and the part that made it an escape, made him want it more. He hadn’t even thought of looking for any sort of buddy system.

“No?” Chance asked, pouting at him. “You’re mean, I thought we were friends.”

“What gave you that idea?” Trowa asked him, then grinned more.

Chance snorted and went back to the fries, noting they were mostly gone.

“You could probably run it by Jor,” Quatre noted, tilting his head at his friend. “I’m pretty sure he’s had bad habits he’s had to break from.”

“Or maybe Xane and’em,” Wufei agreed.

“You lot are full of useful information,” Trowa informed them all sarcastically.

“You just have to ask,” Chance agreed as Quatre took the last fry. He sighed, then took a large drink from his glass and stood up. “Une was saying something about possibly needing my guys,” he noted, tossing some bills from his wallet on the table. “I should go talk to her more about that and mutter to her that it’d be kinda cool for you two to get a place near us,” he gestured with his head at Wufei. “Later.”

“Later,” Quatre returned as Wufei nodded.

“Thanks for lunch,” Trowa added, watching the guy move off down the isle.

“You didn’t take lunch?” Wufei asked Trowa blankly.

“I thought about it,” Trowa returned, grinning more.

“Get more food,” Quatre muttered, pulling his own wallet out and tossing bills onto the table. “Let me out.”

Trowa moved from his way, frowning at him as he waved at Wufei and wandered off.

“Well,” Wufei started.

“You’re leaving me, too?” Trowa snapped at him irritably, then shook his head in disgust and stood up, moving to the counter.

Wufei blinked at that, then tossed his own pair of bills onto the table…he waited a moment until he realized that Trowa was ordering from the waitress, then looked around.

There wasn’t really much left to do though, really.

He headed for his car.