by Hex
Disclaimer: No I don't own them. I wish.
Special note: When I originally started this fic I had one goal in mind. I wanted to make Trowa a lifeguard. I had never read a fic where Trowa was a lifeguard and I felt that was a true injustice within the fandom. I mean doesn't Trowa's body just scream to be put in red swim trunks and have the silver whistle around his neck? OK maybe it's just me....... This is the part of the story where well, Wufei takes over. Actually it was more like this, "Pay attention to me!! I'm Chang Wufei! Pay attention to me! Chang Wufei!! Attention to me!" so yeah my simple, fluffy 3X4 turned into the Wufei angst-a-thon for no apparrent reason>.< Oh well he wanted attention and I gave it to him.
Warnings: Let's see *ahem*; bad language, WUFEI ANGST!!!!, Pervy type humour. Now before anyone reads any further *please* pay attention. Although no NCS occurs in this part of the fic there is a *lot* of discussion of it. If this bothers you in any way don't read this. I have to stress this point, it's discussed a lot. Not described in detail or anything but it is a major focus. If that is going to bother you skip over it.
"So do you like my drained pond? Lovely huh?" Quatre asked, grinning as he walked happily from the house.
"Exactly as I wound imagine a drained pond would look." Trowa replied dryly.
"Well thank you Mister smart ass!" Quatre sang as he stepped gingerly down the icy steps.
"You started it." Trowa retorted and followed the chipper blonde.
"Yes well," Quatre said and smiled. "Do you like working at the beach? Do you work during the winter?"
"The beach is a little more stressful then a pool because you don't have as much of a say in the environment but I like it better I think. This year I'm not working but the last two years I was teaching swimming lessons on weekends." Trowa told him. His eyes scanned the backyard and light up as they settled on a structure up a tree. "Hey! Wow! Is that a tree house? I never had one when I was a kid but I really wanted one."
"Yeah. It's mine. I prefer the term tree fort. Come see." Quatre said grabbing Trowa's hand and pulling him along. Trowa interlaced his fingers with Quatre's as the blonde tugged him towards the tree. The pair climbed up the ladder and sat in the little tree fort. They sat for a long time talking a good deal until they became unbearably cold.
"I'm cold. So I'm definitely sobering up. Let's go back to the house before we get frost bite on our butts." Quatre said, turning to Trowa. Quatre was caught off guard for a moment by the way Trowa looked. He was staring off into space frowning slightly lost in another world. He just looked far too serious and pensive after a night at the bar. Quatre did the only thing he could think of; he swatted Trowa's unusual bangs out of his face.
"Now, now. There's no reason to make such a serious face after we've been boozing it up. Now smile!" Quatre said, grabbing each of Trowa's cheeks. "See now doesn't this hurt a lot more then actually smiling."
"You're strange." Trowa's stated flatly.
"It's a rare and special gift, I know." Quatre said, failing to look humble. Trowa gave Quatre a genuine smile for a moment then he looked pensive again.
"Grrr don't do that! Be happy." Quatre growled and lunged, grabbing Trowa's cheeks again.
"Would you like to go to a movie next Saturday night? Just the two of us." Trowa rushed out.
"You mean like on a date?" Quatre asked incredulously. Trowa nodded in answer and swallowed thickly. "Ummmm.. yeah sure." Quatre blushed and quickly let go of Trowa's cheeks. The blonde looked away and shivered.
"Let's get back in the house. You're cold." Trowa said, trying to analyze Quatre's profile.
Quatre was gnawing on the inside of his lip and - if the dim lighting wasn't lying to him - the blonde was blushing. Trowa wasn't sure what to make of that. Did the date idea make Quatre uncomfortable? Then why did he say yes? A realization struck Trowa that shouldn't have been a realization at all. 'Quatre's never dated anyone and he's not sure what to do.' Trowa thought to himself as he descended the ladder. 'Well of course not you idiot! He barely has any friends, how is he going to end up with a variety of lovers. Dumbass!' Trowa was jolted from his self reprimands when Quatre's hand found his. Trowa intertwined their fingers again and let Quatre lead the way to the house. It was comfortable holding hands with Quatre. Trowa just prayed his hands didn't start to sweat.
"Well this is my room." Quatre said, standing outside a door. "I don't think anyone is in there so you can take it if you want."
"I think I will." Trowa replied and turned to enter his room.
"Trowa?" Quatre asked.
"Yes?" Trowa began as the blonde walked towards him and covered Trowa's lips with his own, just pressing lightly. The pressure was gone quickly and Quatre had bounced back across the hallway and disappeared into his room. Trowa's shock lasted for only a few minutes.
"Goodnight Quatre." Trowa said softly, smiling to himself. He was speaking to no one in particular since Quatre's door had been quickly shut. Trowa put his fingers gently to his lips, smiled a little more broadly, and turned into his room for a pleasant nights sleep.
"Heero. What side of the bed do you like better?" Duo asked as they walked to "Duo's room" together.
"The side you want to sleep on." Heero replied.
"What the? Why?" Duo asked. That answer made no sense in his mind.
"Because that way we can fight over it and then end up just both squished together there. That way I get to sleep as close as possible." Duo blinked a few times at that answer from Heero. He thought about an approach to everything.
"Man, and I thought I was demented." Duo stated and blinked. "I wish the room would stop swaying it's making me dizzy."
"I'm not demented, I'm over analytical. You're swaying not the room. So get naked and lay down." Heero said, stripping himself of his shirt.
" 'Get naked'? Since when do you say 'get naked'?" Duo demanded and he proceeded to do exactly as Heero instructed.
"Since I spent the whole damn night drinking Tequila which by the way I don't drink because it makes me way too drunk way too fast." Heero replied.
"You know what Heero. You're a smart drunk." Duo stated.
"A smart drunk?" Heero asked incredulously. "OK. What kind of drunk are you?"
"A horny drunk!" Duo declared and flopped down in the buck on the bed.
"Move over Duo." Heero said as he crawled onto the bed. "I want to get under the covers."
"OK." Duo muttered, shifting around to help Heero crawl under the thick comforter. The Japanese boy dragged Duo under the blankets with him spooning up next to him.
"Are you comfortable?" Heero whispered into Duo's ear.
"Yeah." Duo said, cuddling in closer to Heero and closing his eyes. "Night Heero."
"Night Duo." Heero replied.
Wufei blinked rapidly at the irritating light streaming into the room. He groaned and covered his head with a pillow. He shifted in the bed and noticed the stickiness. Stickiness? Wufei bolted up right. He threw the covers aside to find a dark crimson staining himself and the sheets. Panic welled inside of him. He sat for a moment closing his eyes and tried to make sense of everything. He remembered Sally coming in and then fighting. He remembered Sally under him and the small whimpering sound she had made and the slight sheen of tears that had come to her eyes. Wufei opened his eyes slowly and looked down at himself.
The Chinese boy sprang up from the bed, hurtled himself into the bathroom and began retching into the toilet. After the nausea that had nothing to do with a hangover had passed, he lay down on the floor and shut his eyes, trying to not take in the evidence that was pounding him in the face. The blood on the sheets, the tears, the disheveled state of the bed, and his few vague memories of pinning Sally down. He had forced her. He had raped Sally. The nausea returned with a vengeance. Wufei spent another half hour draped next to the toilet emptying his stomach of the little that was in there. Wufei wisely kept drinking water to make sure he at least still had something in his stomach. He cleaned himself quickly and dressed.
Wufei then pulled the sheets off the bed scrubbing them with the hand soap. When they were finally clean, he dried the with the hair dryer that was there by some strange, merciful coincidence. Once he was done he made the bed again. He noticed something white out of the corner of his eye. He picked it up and blushed seven different shades before stuffing the cloth into his pocket. He managed to make a hasty exit from the house - claiming he needed to get the car home right away - and left, barely saying good bye to Quatre or the others
Sally lay down on her bed curled up facing the wall. She had never done anything like that before. Well obviously! Sally self-chastised. You were a freaking virgin. The blonde girl pressed her face into a pillow. She couldn't believe she had done that. Sally still had no idea what had possessed her to sleep with Wufei. Sure he was hot. Really hot, she amended. He was also arrogant, unpleasant and condescending.
Sally groaned and buried her face into her pillow. He was also smarter than most of the guys she had tried to tolerate. Most guys just didn't turn her crank to be quite honest. Wufei was one of the first guys that she hadn't found herself mind numbingly bored after an hour of talking to them. Most guys ran out of intelligent things to say after a while and resorted to lame stories about how great they were. Wufei completely lacked anything resembling self-flattery aside from that superior look he gave everyone. She had drunk too much, then she had thrown herself at him. Surprisingly Wufei had thrown himself right back. Sally didn't know what to think. Wufei would probably be totally ashamed of himself. A guy like Wufei definitely didn't go for sluts.
God that's what she was, wasn't she? A slut. She had slept with a guy she barely knew. A guy she hadn't even met 24 hours earlier. Wufei probably thought she was a slut. Sally felt tears prick the back of her eyes. Shame beat on her senses allowing her the opportunity to ignore the fact that she was more concerned about what Wufei thought about her then what anyone else did.
Quatre blinked after Wufei's hasty exit. First Sally, then him? What was going on? Quatre felt his eyebrows draw together for a moment but completely dismissed the idea that there was something amiss between the two. That just didn't make sense. Quatre grinned out the kitchen window. He had *definitely* had a good night. Trowa was charming, very charming. And HOT! Quatre definitely couldn't forget hot. His grin widened if that was possible. Quatre had a boyfriend LALALA!! Well at least he thought he had a boyfriend. He supposed they were just seeing each other, whatever. Quatre had a boyfriend LALALA!!! Quatre turned on the radio and cranked it. He danced around the kitchen as he stuffed toast in his face.
"Oooo!! Shake what your Momma gave ya!" Duo catcalled from the doorway. "Had a good night?"
"Like you didn't!" Quatre retorted and smiled at his friend.
"Hey, never said I didn't." Duo grinned and waggled his eyebrows at Quatre.
"You're such a horny little bastard, you know that Duo. You better not have soiled the sheets." Quatre declared, stabbing the air in his friend's direction.
"Like I'd screw in your house." Duo said, feigning great emotional injury with his hand clutched to his heart.
"More like you had whiskey dick." Quatre retorted, sticking his tongue out.
"OI! Come here you little blonde FAG!" Duo bellowed and pounced in Quatre's direction. "You say that like it's an insult." Quatre said as he dodged his friend and made a dive to get out of the corner he was in.
"Actually I guess its fact." Duo said, pulling up short and tapping his index finger against his lips. "You are kinda small and you are a homo."
"We're the exact same size." Quatre said pointedly.
"Not where it matters. I'd like to point out I'm the big man on campus." Duo said, his eyebrows waggling at Quatre, who rolled his eyes.
"You're only the big man on campus because I'm not there." Quatre replied, lips fighting a grin.
"Why don't you guys whip them out and compare?" A soft voice said from the doorway as Trowa leaned there a smirk playing at his sensual lips.
"I think that would be a good idea." Heero said from behind Trowa. Quatre's face quickly resembled a tomato while Duo's grin widened.
"Only if you guys play too." Duo said and Heero snorted.
"I have plenty to show but nothing to prove." Heero stated flatly.
"Breakfast?" Quatre asked, burying himself into the fridge. Heero, Trowa and Duo chuckled.
"I'll make it. If what you said last night was any indication of what you're capable of in the kitchen it's better if I do this." Trowa said, coming up behind the blonde and running a finger down Quatre's spine. Quatre let out a little squeak and buried himself further into the fridge.
"I'll help you. Omelets?" Heero asked. Trowa nodded as he grabbed a hold of the belt loop on Quatre's jeans and tugged out of the fridge.
"Yes Quatre, make way for the cook. I'm all for that!" Duo said as he bounced to the table and plunked down into a seat.
"You're all for anything that goes into your stomach you bottomless pit!" Quatre declared, the redness of his face having faded.
"Of course, just like anything else that goes in me and makes me feel good." Duo said, leering in Heero's direction. The Japanese boy merely grunted while Quatre smacked himself in the forehead.
"You'd think after who knows how long I'd be used to that!" Quatre declared, pointing at Duo.
"I don't think anyone can ever get used to that." Heero replied.
"Hey! Yo! I have a name ya know." Duo stated, making a vaguely annoyed face. The other boys laughed.
Wufei had been ditching on anything Duo or the others invited him to, especially if Sally might be there. He didn't know what to do. He didn't even know how to approach her. He spent most of his nights obsessing about it. He dreamt about her too. Sometimes he'd wake up feeling better but he couldn't remember what the dream had been about just the general feeling of comfort clung to him for a while before he really actually started thinking. Other mornings, like this one, were absolute hell. He was having nightmares. He couldn't remember that last time he had one before this started.
They weren't normal anxiety dreams these were the product of a very agitated conscience. Usually, they were about Sally and she hated him. She'd call him a rapist bastard and smack him. All of his friends would look at him in disgust and Sally would glare at him in pure hate. She would look at him like some sort of loathsome creature. That wasn't the worst of them, although it was the most frequent. The other dream, the one he had last night horrified him. He was raping her again and again and he was enjoying it. He woke up this morning and barely made it to the bathroom before he vomited.
Wufei was even skipping class. His mother had forbid him to go to school when she caught him hugging the toilet at 4 am. He had argued quite feebly with her for almost and hour before giving up and saying he'd stay home at least until lunch time. Wufei really didn't want to go to calculus, his class after lunch. He didn't want to talk to Duo. The braided boy meant well of course; showing-growing concern with Wufei's distracted air and slight slump in grades. Duo had surprisingly enough had not pestered him for reasons behind it, merely tried to take him mind off of whatever was bothering him. It didn't work. Being near Duo made Wufei's thoughts stray to Sally and those thoughts just stabbed at him. Wufei had taken to hiding from his friends. In the long run it didn't matter. Once they found out what he had done they'd hate him. Wufei was so busy mentally damning himself he didn't hear the back door to his house opened or the light footsteps that padded on the carpet.
"Wufei?" Came a soft voice. The Chinese boy nearly leapt out of his skin.
"Trowa! What they hell are you trying to do to me?" Wufei snarled as he sprang up from the couch he had taken refuge on.
"Trying to find you, which - at present - is like finding the needle in the haystack." Trowa stated, leaning his hip against the back of the couch.
"I'm sick." Wufei said and laid his head back down onto the couch.
"Bullshit. So you've been sick what two weeks? What the hell is going on?" Trowa demanded. "What the hell is with you?"
"I feel like shit." Wufei replied and closed his eyes. Pain pricked there and Wufei knew from prior experience it would upgrade to stabbing in a quarter of an hour.
"Wufei, I've known you since we were little. I mean I love your mom like I did mine and you're like a brother. I want to know what's wrong. Are you depressed?" Trowa asked gently.
"I don't know." Wufei replied.
"You can talk to us about it." Trowa's said softly.
"It's nothing." Wufei replied. 'Nothing I ever want you to know that is.'
"Wufei......" Trowa trailed off and sighed. "We're going out to play pool tonight and you're coming. If you say no, Duo will just show up with Heero and they'll carry you out of here. You're staying home too much; it's not healthy. Besides you're probably driving your mom nuts. You know she doesn't like to gamble at mahjong when you're home. She seems to think her genius son can't figure out she likes to spice up her game."
"Fine whatever. I'll go. I promise to be perfectly miserable company." Wufei muttered.
"I'd expect nothing less." Trowa replied and stood to leave. "Don't mind me; I have to get ready."
"Yeah you wouldn't want Quatre to see at your less than best." Wufei snorted and curled up tighter to himself. Tonight was going to be hell. Wufei sighed and tried to sleep a little before the pain in his head got unbearable.
"Well the Chinese disappearing act is here! How's it going Ditchy?" Duo said as Wufei and Trowa approached the stools they were set up in. "We got two tables since it's student night and they're dirt cheap."
"Me, Heero and Wuffers will play one table. You, Kumquat and Sal can take the other." Duo chirped. Wufei sighed with relief. He had been afraid they would be playing teams and he and Sally would end up together by default. Praising whatever god for small mercies, Wufei nodded and caught a glimpse of Sally. He quickly averted his eyes.
"You're up first Wuffers." Duo said, handing Wufei a pool cue. He took it distractedly and watched as Sally leaned over the table to break. He could see that Sally was good, really good at this game. Her break scattered the balls all over the table. He was lucky if he moved four into somewhat separate areas of the table. She consecutively sunk balls. She had taken solids. She was systematically clearing the table while Quatre just leaned on his pool cue, looking bored. Wufei's break had been nothing short of pathetic. Then again he had never claimed to be good at this game.
"Sally's good huh?" Duo said from behind him. Wufei hadn't realized he was staring until Duo words brushed his brain. Wufei glared at the copious number of stripes he had to sink and the lack of Heero's solids on the table.
"Hell of a lot better than I am at this." Wufei grumbled.
"Sal's just short of amazing. She has a table in her basement. You should see her Dad play man. He's awesome." Duo said.
Wufei's eyes drifted over to the only girl in their group again. Sally caught him this time and stared back. Wufei wasn't sure what to do. He stared at the girl her lips were glossed; there was a faint pink to her cheeks. Her eyes sparkled when she laughed. Her hair was blonde but more like a honey color. Wufei licked his lips absently. Sally finally broke the mind numbing contact when she blinked. Wufei turned to sit down on a stool while Heero set up for Duo to break. The pain was back behind his eyes. He made sure that he turned his chair slightly so he wouldn't be tempted to stare at her some more. Duo and Heero played a relatively close game. Duo lost in the end, scratching.
"Why don't you play Duo." Heero said as he plunked down on the stool.
"Might as well. Just one more person for me to lose against." Wufei muttered. Heero glared at him but said nothing.
"You break." Duo said, leaning against the table.
"Why don't you? It's pretty pathetic when I do it." Wufei said.
"The only way to get better is to practice." Duo stated, waggling his finger at Wufei.
"Yeah, whatever." Wufei muttered, leaning over the table. Suddenly warmth wrapped itself around his shoulder and folded over his arms.
"Lean closer to the table. The more level your are to the ball the better you'll be able to judge your shots. Aim for the middle of the ball and follow through. It helps." Sally's voice tickled his ear.
Wufei felt a little off balance. What was she doing? Suddenly it all clicked. She doesn't remembe! Wufei's mind screeched. She doesn't remember! Wufei let Sally help him with his shot then pulled away. He felt elated and nauseated at the same time. She didn't hate him, but that was only because she couldn't remember. How in the hell was he going to tell her? He didn't want to. It would be so easy not to but then what? Could he pretend it just didn't happen? There was no way. Wufei's headache beat in his brain with a vengeance. Wufei managed to finish the game. How he wasn't even sure.
"Wufei? Are you all right? You're eyes are blood shot." Sally asked, tipping his face so she could look at him more easily. "Do you have a headache? You should go home." Wufei could manage nothing more then a simple nod. The pounding was getting unbearable.
"How about Trowa drives your car home and we'll follow behind and take him home from there?" Sally asked, touching his forehead with her wrist. "Well you don't have a fever."
"You OK Wuffers?" Duo asked.
"He's sick. He needs to go home." Sally stated and picked up her purse. "Trowa, can you drive his car? I don't think he can. I'll follow you and pick you up."
"That sounds like a good idea." Quatre said, taking a look at strain on Wufei's face.
"Let's go." Duo said. They paid their bill and left.
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