Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Love Lost and Found Again ❯ Interaction ( Chapter 3 )

A/N: I believe this has a little more sexual innuendo than the last two chapters, just a slight warning. Enjoy. Remember comments are welcome. But please don't kill me if you hate it. Just telling me would be nice.

Disclaimers: I think you get it. But if you don't I'll keep repeating it: I don't own them.

 

Chapter 3: Interaction

 

(Alex's POV)

 

She was staying in Quatre's room for the duration of her enforced “visit”. He had cleaned it out cheerfully, stating that he actually spent more time in Trowa's room anyway, so it wasn't such a big deal. He had leaned toward her conspiratorially and whispered, “We're getting married, someday when this whole mess is over and the peace is back. But don't tell the other guys. I think they're a little edgy when it comes to full commitment.” She found out that Trowa was the guy with the long bang. Alex couldn't help smiling when she saw them together, they seemed so opposite and yet they fit together like puzzle pieces, designed for each other.

 

She immediately liked Quatre the most, he seemed more like a brother she never had than anything. The other guys she was coming around to liking as well; Trowa with his quiet understanding of all situations and ability to keep a cool head, Heero with his silent and efficient manner of doing things, and even Wufei whom she had grudgingly accepted as her cousin-guardian with a fierce temper that could only be matched by her own. She had watched curiously as Heero and Wufei had danced around each other, almost afraid of hurting each other's feelings, and she could barely suppress her laughter. They were so cute, even if they would probably die or kill someone else before admitting that. With laughter in her eyes, she would often look to Quatre who would give her a smirk and a wink, or Trowa who would give his small half smile. But she couldn't so much as look at the last member of the small tight-knit group though.

 

Duo. He seemed always to watch her out of the corner of his eyes. He was unusually quiet, considering his tendency to be a chatterbox as she had experienced herself on her first day and as Quatre kept reassuring her was his real personality. She had heard him at times, joking and laughing through the wall with his comrades, and she couldn't understand why he avoided speaking to her now, and it had made her sad, as he had been the one she had been most attracted to as well as the first one she had met.

 

--

 

She sighed as she made her way out of her temporary room. She was dressed in hand-me-downs from Quatre, who was by far their smallest member. She walked into the living room with a book in her hand and slumped into the couch. This underground hideout was huge, just like a house, except that there were no windows. Yet, in spite of that, she wanted to give Trowa and Quatre some measure of privacy, that thin wall wasn't enough to cover their moans. She chuckled as she thought of how horrified they would be if they found out she could hear everything. She'd been in the hideout for four days and she could find her way in the dark.

 

“Running away from the noise?” a voice came from the inky blackness.

 

Alex smiled at the darkened corner as she recognized Duo's voice. “I think you are too, if my cousin and Heero are any judge.” She could swear she saw his eyes twinkle with amusement and sadden at the same time. “Did you… I mean, did you and my cousin…? And Heero?” She had heard snippets, but hadn't found a good way to ask.

 

“Yeah. A while ago.” Alex bit her lip at the clipped response. It wasn't as if she had meant for him to go into a long detailed explanation, but to hear a sentence of more than five words coming from his mouth seemed impossible. And she also felt the tightening in her chest as her heart dropped. So I was right. He is gay. “Sorry,” she heard him say.

 

Alex looked up, surprised. Then she wryly noted to herself he had probably seen the hurt flitting over her face. “No need. I just came out to read a book anyway. Could I turn on the light, or do you want to stay in the dark?”

 

Duo didn't move for a couple seconds, then he reached over and turned on the lamp. Alex had to keep herself from staring at him, he was beautiful. He had a strong lithe body, now encased in a deep blue dress shirt that brought out the same color in his eyes. His long legs were covered by straight black pants and crossed. His eyes looked a bit tired, and his hair in a mussed braid.

 

She smiled and tried to keep her voice light. “Why are you all dressed up? Going somewhere nice tonight? Who's the lucky guy?” The questions rushed out of her, before she caught herself.

 

He had the ghost of a grin playing on his face, and for a moment she thought he looked a little awkward, but then it vanished. “Nowhere. But thanks, nobody's said I look nice for awhile.”

 

Alex smiled, and started chattering about anything and nothing, secretly hoping he would join the conversation. But he only offered a couple comments, and even though it was obvious that he was listening, he didn't seem too interested in conversation. So she stopped and looked at her hands. Then she abruptly got up, and went to the kitchen.

 

--

 

(Duo's POV)

 

He was a little sad when she walked away, but he wasn't surprised that she did. He hadn't known what to say, and it was killing him. He hadn't felt this unsure about speaking ever. Even with Heero, who he had thought to be the love of his life. But he was surprised that she had seemed upset, so he got up and followed her.

 

“Sorry.” That was all you could come up with? Sorry excuse for a guy, Duo!

 

She looked at him for a second. “You could talk you know. I know that you do, with your friends. Or, did I do something to make you mad?”

 

Duo looked at her, a bit shocked. “N-no. Sorry. I just… I don't know what to say around you. You're, well…” He trailed off, not sure of how to explain.

 

Alex laughed. “I'm a girl. That's it right? Alright, I get it, I'll stop bothering you.” With that she turned around to regard the contents of the refrigerator again.

 

“NO!” At Alex's startled look, Duo looked down sheepishly. “Sorry, I mean, no that's not the reason.” He took a breath and then blurted out, “You're really pretty, and well, I haven't had much experience with pretty girls. But I don't really get it, I mean I'm okay with pretty boys, look at Heero. Oh wait, I didn't mean to say Heero's—” He broke off, not wanting to dig a deeper whole than the one he was already in.

 

Then Alex started giggling and Duo went reeling into bewilderment. He'd finally understood and gotten his feelings out toward her, and she was laughing at him? She gasped between her giggles, “Thanks, but you don't have to tell me lies just to make me feel better. You don't even have to give me an explanation. Just… talk to me sometimes, okay? Now, I think Quatre and Trowa might be done soon.” She gave him a blinding smile, before taking out a bottle of water and walking back to her room, book in hand.

 

She thought he was lying. His thoughts registered that it was actually truth—especially considering he didn't tell lies—but he felt relieved that she hadn't thought of it as more than a prank. Well, I guess that's how things go. I bet Heero and Wufei are finally done as well. I'll go back too. Then he turned out the lights.

 

--

 

(Alex's POV)

 

The following morning Duo talked everyone's ears off about nothing at all, including Alex's. Alex couldn't help grinning. She'd asked for it, and she was glad he put aside what had held him back before.

 

“So what did Wufei call you anyway? Ya know, that time when you first came.” Duo was settled into the couch holding the largest bowl of popcorn Alex had ever seen and munching slowly away. He could probably finish all of that pretty quickly too, Alex thought wryly. The others were busy with other stuff: Quatre had business calls to make, Trowa was helping him with the paperwork, Wufei was talking to a friend named Sally Po about some reorganization she could do with her group the Preventers, and Heero was hacking into the computer systems trying to make their jobs a little easier. Duo opted out of that, preferring to “keep our guest company” as he liked to put it.

 

“Oh, you mean when you thought I was a boy,” smirked Alex. Duo blushed and nodded slightly. “He called me Chi. It's my Chinese name, and sort of complicated. It's the word for “luck” and they both believed that they were lucky I was born and believed that luck would always guide me.” Alex paused in thought for a moment and then continued with a slight smile. “I guess it was also a joke for them. My parents were both the seventh children of their families and I was the seventh to be born of the children in our familial group. And well, chi could also be pronounced to sound like the number seven.”

 

Duo laughed and almost choked on his popcorn as he exclaimed, “So you were born to be one of us!” At Alex's questioning look, Duo grinned and said, “Look, have you ever noticed it was a little weird we all had number-names?”

 

Alex thought it over. Number-names… Oh of course! Heero is one, Duo is two… “I guess I am.” The thought made her feel warm. She belonged somewhere, not because of some silly necessity but because of herself. It made her feel a little happy.

 

“But where'd the name Alex come from?” Alex turned her eyes back to Duo. He was looking at her quizzically, adorably playing ever so slightly with the end of his braid. “I mean, no offense or anything, but it doesn't seem like a very girly name.”

 

“Well I was named after my father of course, Alexander Smith, who was a European businessman, but also the city where that famous lighthouse is.”

 

Duo looked absolutely confused. “There's a city named Alex?”

 

Alex couldn't help but laugh. “No, but there's a city called Alexandria in Egypt, and they used to have this lighthouse there that was famous because it was so old. When my mother was a child she loved the water and always wanted to see an ocean. She told me when I got older that my father was her guide in life, in essence her lighthouse, and she always knew where to come back to. My mother suspected I'd be like her and wanted to remind me that I should always look out for someone to be my guide.” Alex smiled softly. “That's my name, though. Alexandria.”

 

“Alexandria. Hm, I like it!” Duo declared, polishing off the last of the popcorn. Alex laughed, and they got up to prepare lunch as Duo had declared himself hungry again.

 

Five days she had been there. It seemed like a lifetime.