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A Home in Common	By : Michalyn Category: Gundam Wing/AC > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 2658 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing/AC, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 2
- 3
- 4
I make no claim to any of the Gundam
Wing characters. This story is written for my, and hopefully others' enjoyment
and not for monetary profit. A
huge thanks to Diane for the beta.

A Home in Common

by Michalyn

Warnings: 13x5, 2+4

Rating: MA

Chapter Three of Five

"Baba, can Marie come with us to
the aquarium on Saturday?"

"What's that?" Wufei asked,
reaching for another shirt. He and Yi Jie were in the living room folding laundry.
The clothes were hot out of the dryer and the sweetness of fabric softener rose
up as Wufei shook out a yellow tee shirt of Yi Jie's and began folding it into
a neat square.

"I told her we were going to the
science museum too, and she really wanted to come. Is it okay, Baba?"

Yi Jie shared Wufei's love of learning
and every weekend they planned a new expedition. Last week they discovered the
Impressionists. The week before that had taken them on a seaside tour of the
area's old lighthouses, where they marvelled at the workings of the bee-hive
Fresnel lenses [1]. None of their outings were expensive since most of the museums
offered free or discounted admission for students, as did the educational tours.
Sometimes Wufei and Yi Jie packed a picnic lunch and simply lounged in the park,
practicing on little watercolor pads for the painting class they took together.
They always had fun and Wufei suspected he enjoyed their little excursions even
more than Yi Jie for the time it allowed them to spend with each other. If she
wanted to invite a friend along it would only make the experience richer, and
Wufei told her so.

"Thanks, Baba." Yi Jie grinned,
clearly excited.

"You and Marie seem to have become
good friends."

Yi Jie nodded sagely, "Uh huh. Marie's
really cool. She knows all sorts of stuff. Did you know she's been to Paris,
Italy and Greece?"

"Is that so?" Wufei reached
across the table and Yi Jie handed him the towel he was looking for. "She's
a lucky girl."

"Mm hmm, I thought so too. Plus she's
so pretty. She said her Dad travels alot so they get to go on lots of trips
together."

Wufei's heart skipped a beat at the mention
of Treize. It was more than two weeks since he had seen the older man. In that
period Wufei convinced himself that his interest in Treize was a passing fancy
and that the older man was of no importance to him other than as the father
of his daughter's friend. Wufei had had a long time to think about why Treize's
insinuation had so offended him, and finally, he emerged with a number of reasons
-- somewhat jumbled even in his own head -- but valid, Wufei felt, nonetheless.

That Treize could even speak of choosing
necessity over pleasure was at the heart of the matter. It highlighted the gulf
between their lifestyles and the utter absurdity of Wufei's attraction. Bringing
two single parents together was difficult enough without the added complications
of them being men and the fairly traditional town they lived in. After years
in Sunville, even an acknowledged couple like Duo and Quatre tended to be discreet.
Throwing class differences into the mix was a recipe for disaster.

For Wufei, the ease with which Treize
had spoken of transitioning out of his company had cut him to the quick. A good
deal of that pain stemmed from envy at the imperious control Treize could exercise
over his fate. Even at Wufei's most optimistic, he knew he had fifteen, at worst
over twenty years ahead of him at the insurance company before he could even
contemplate retirement. He did his best to be as attentive as possible, but
time would not wait for him. In fifteen years Yi Jie would be twenty-four and
Wufei's present difficulties a fond, but distant memory. Perhaps Yi Jie would
be considering a family of her own. And what of Wufei? What would become of
her aging, redundant father? There was a time Wufei had craved solititude, but
now it was the thing he feared most. Yi Jie was his world and put simply, Wufei
would have moved heaven to have Treize's flexibility -- to have more lazy Friday
afternoons like this.

Lastly ... lastly ... perhaps Treize's
comment hit a little too close to home. Weren't Duo and Quatre always pushing
him to be more social -- to go out and mingle? They claimed Wufei had too strictly
defined himself as a parent. "You are young," they insisted, "go
out, have fun." Was that what Treize meant by his question, or was he hinting
at something else? A jibe perhaps at Wufei's gaucheness?

For the first time in years, Wufei considered
the possibility of a sexual relationship. The thought alone made him uncomfortable.
He supposed it was possible to juggle work, fatherhood and a vibrant sex life
but Wufei had never been much of a social creature and given a choice among
the three it was easy to let the latter languish. He had not been entirely celibate,
but Wufei did not like bringing lovers to the house and many of the men he met
were equally uncomfortable with the fact that he had a daughter. In the end,
his encounters, always infrequent, became fewer and farther between. Truthfully,
aside from the occasional twinge of loneliness, Wufei did not miss it. Romance
only made his life more stressful instead of producing the happiness it was
supposed to bring.

They finished up the laundry and Yi Jie
bounded towards the phone. "I'm going to call Marie now, okay?"

"All right." Wufei lifted the
laundry basket and carried it upstairs. He set Yi Jie's clothes on her bed and
then moved to his room, where he placed his own items in the dresser. Returning
to the living room, Wufei was just in time to overhear a snatch of Yi Jie's
conversation.

"Yup." She twirled the phone
cord about her finger. "I just know we're going to have an awesome time!
Uh huh ... mm hmm. Your dad? Uh huh.... I mean if you feel bad leaving him alone
you can tell him to come. Yeah ... I know. Hmm mm ... of course I'm sure. My
dad said the more people the merrier so it'll be great if your dad can come
too."

Panic seized Wufei. "Yi Jie--"

"Uh huh ... okay. Well, I better
go. See ya." Yi Jie set the receiver back onto its cradle. "Yes, Baba?"

Too late, Wufei pressed a hand to the
bridge of his nose. What on earth had he gotten himself into? What was worse,
he could see no way around it. Yi Jie would only be confused if he suddenly
insisted that Treize could not come. And his reasons-- Wufei shook his head.
Well, needless to say, they were not explainable. He could only hope
the other man would be sufficently bored by the idea of spending the day at
a children's museum to want to stay away.

"Nothing, I just wondered if you
could help me in the garden."

"Sure thing!" Yi Jie raced to
get her cap and Wufei reminded her to put on some sunblock as she hurried past.
She joined him in the vegetable garden, breathless not so much from having rushed
as from her excitement.

"Marie can definitely come with us
on Saturday," Yi Jie panted. "She said her dad had invited her to
go for ice-cream and she felt bad turning him down to meet with us, so I told
her what you said about more people being more fun and she said she was going
to try to convince Mr. Khushrenada to come."

"Isn't that great, Baba? Now you'll
have a friend too."

"I suppose so," Wufei murmured.
A friend--if only it were that simple.

Wufei's trowel turned the dark soil aside.
He had begun the garden the previous summer to occupy him on the evenings Yi
Jie had violin lessons. At first, it was just a way to while away the hours,
but despite the strenuous work, Wufei found gardening surprisingly enjoyable.
Soon, it was more than an occasional pastime. Looking outside the window as
he washed the dishes, Wufei would think of planting one herb and then another,
until the dishes were forgotten and he was pottering around outside. Initially
only a few sparse sprouts of parsley pushed up from the dirt; now, tomatoes
and rows of carrots, lettuce, peppers and rose-like cabbages skirted the kitchen
fence. Wufei reached for the packet of seeds as Yi Jie brought him the hose,
still chattering about Saturday's adventure.

Sighing, he sprinkled a few seeds into
the ground and folded the earth back over them, hoping that here at least, the
fruits of his labor would be much more predictable.

o-o-o

Wufei packed the last of the spring rolls in the picnic basket. Looking into
its neat compartments, he pressed his lips together. He had cooked too much.
Sleeping badly and waking this morning gripped by nervousness, Wufei found himself
in the kitchen before dawn. He was a firm believer that one should never buy
food at movie theaters, concerts and tourist attractions because invariably,
it was expensive and not half as appetizing as something homemade but this was
excessive, even for him.

Wufei had contemplated cooking only for
three, as though he could compel the gods not to send Treize along. Should the
heavens decide to ignore him, however, the embarrassment of having to explain
to Treize why he had not been provided for quickly brought Wufei back to his
senses. At the very least, he would not give the other man the satisfaction
of knowing Wufei was affected enough by him to want to spite him, so he had
cooked. He prepared enough for four and his nervousness provisioned another
two. He deep fried spring rolls, and grilled chicken skewers. For snacks, there
were brittle rice cakes to be dipped in tamarind sauce, while for the main meal
he served up sesame beef on fluffy white rice. Wufei did not stop there. He
threw in sweet oranges for dessert, and packed water and juice in anticipation
of their thirst.

Surveying the meal a final time, Wufei
hefted the basket off the counter. For the sake of his pride it was probably
best to conceal it in the trunk until lunch instead of shocking his guests by
lumbering about with it now. It would do no good to announce to Treize just
how much he unsettled Wufei. Not that there wasn't a very strong possibility
Treize would not show, he reminded himself. Still, one should always be prepared.
Wufei stepped into the morning air and moved towards the car. Yi Jie was just
stirring when he returned to the house and he heard the shower go on as he began
to prepare breakfast. They were a little early, but Wufei thought they would
arrive just in time to avoid the lines.

"Morning, Baba," Yi Jie yawned
and rubbed sleepy eyes. For all her excitement, his daughter was not a morning
person and it usually took breakfast and the car ride to their destination before
she was fully awake. She tottered past Wufei, squinting like an old woman who
had lost her glasses.

"Good morning, Yi Jie. Your breakfast
is on the table and there's milk in the refrigerator. Did you have a restful
night?"

"Uh," Yi Jie mumbled something
unintelligible and bit savagely into her toast.

Shaking his head, Wufei took his seat
next to where she was hunched over the table. This close, he could see the faint
outline of the straps crisscrossing her shoulders and he was jolted. Oddly,
as demanding as the past weeks had been it was this subtle evidence of Yi Jie's
blossoming that brought home to Wufei that his daughter was growing up. Sitting
there at the table, with Yi Jie nodding over her breakfast Wufei knew with sudden
clarity that she would never be completely his. The blind umbilical cord connecting
fathers and daughters, always fragile for never having the solidity of mother's
flesh, and yet paradoxically more stubborn for its invisible root, was wrenched
away from Wufei then, leaving him gasping. The sensation was not unlike physical
pain. Still, Wufei was proud. To be proud he had spotted his daughter's bra
strap seemed so foolish, yet, that is exactly what Wufei felt. It was a moment
of recognition--the adult spirit in him had encountered its kin in Yi Jie and
acknowledged it. If there were a rupture between them, something new and healing
had also welled in its place.

Wufei's throat was burning. He wanted
to reach over and take Yi Jie's hand. Instead, he nibbled on his toast, poured
himself some coffee and hid behind the morning paper.

o-o-o

They had cleaned up downstairs and Yi Jie was checking to make sure that all
the doors and windows were locked when the doorbell chimed.

"That's Marie!" she shouted
from the living room and Wufei, who was closer to the entrance nodded.

"I'll get it." The bell chimed
again and he hurried forward, the house slippers he wore making soft flapping
sounds against the tile. "Sorry to keep you wait--"

"Mr Chang," Treize's grin was
dazzling. "I hope you have room for one more?"

Inside, Wufei muttered a litany of curses.
He even surprised himself with a number of hybridized expressions combining
Mandarin, English and the smattering of German he had learned as a youth. To
Treize, however, he said, "Of course, please come in," and welcomed
him and Marie (who was pretty in shorts and a pale blue tee shirt) into the
foyer. Her father, Wufei rankled to note, was actually the more fetching of
the two in a crisp cotton shirt and pressed slacks. Treize's feet were ensconced
in comfortable loafers which he left at the door.

Sunville had been given its name for a
reason. Even in mid-fall as they were right now, the sun was warm overhead and
a pleasant breeze rustled the leaves. Still, Wufei thought with annoyance, this
late in the year, there was no reason the bastard should be as perfectly tanned
as he was. Treize was as sun-browned as a sailor and in the darkness of his
skin, his blue eyes seemed even more brilliant.

"What a lovely home you have here,
Wufei," Treize observed with genuine pleasure. His hair was tousled and
it fell into his eyes as he turned to Wufei.

"Thank you," Wufei murmured,
and an awkward silence ensued. He was grateful when Yi Jie, who was practically
vibrating with excitement appeared and she and Marie, arm in arm, began chattering
like two magpies. More subdued, the adults ambled toward the cars, but Treize
was so attractive, so impeccably decked out that Wufei in his khaki shorts and
sensible running shoes felt self-conscious. Anticipating a day on his feet,
Wufei had favored practicality over style but now he wished he had given a little
more thought to aesthetics. Certainly, there was noting objectionable about
his appearance. His hair was neat, his shirt carefully tucked and his shoes
unscuffed. The problem was, while the white cotton and khaki shorts detracted
nothing from his appearance, they equally did nothing to compliment it. He was,
Wufei grimaced, shamefully ordinary. As he unlocked the car door, he thought
he felt Treize's mocking glance on his calves.

"Papa, can Yi Jie and I ride together?"

"Of course, my darling. Will you
ride with me or Mr. Chang?"

"Mmm," Marie frowned, considering,
"what do you think, Yi Jie?"

"Umm...," Yi Jie's eyes slid
over to Wufei. She was trying to be diplomatic, but Wufei saw the hungry look
she cast at Treize's gleaming BMW.

"Yi Jie, why don't you go with Mr.
Khusrenada?" Wufei offered.

"Can I ?"

Wufei nodded.

"All right!"

Treize opened the back door and the aroma
of fine leather enveloped them in its embrace. Yi Jie and Marie scrambled inside
and Wufei watched as they pulled out of the driveway.

Waving once, he walked back to his own
four-door sedan and slid into the driver's seat. He checked his mirrors and
pulled on his seatbelt as the car hummed to life. A sweet, nostalgic tune was
playing on the oldies station and Wufei turned up the music, humming softly
under his breath.

o-o-o

"Wufei, that was a fantastic meal." Treize stretched his legs out
in front of him with a sigh.

The girls, sprawled against the picnic
blanket like two puppies exhausted from play, made grunting sounds of agreement.
Marie patted her stomach. "Mr. Chang, that was great." She giggled.
"I don't think I can walk anymore."

Wufei laughed. "Well, I believe that
was a compliment. Thank you, Marie. I'm very glad you enjoyed it."

"Baba is the best cook in my entire
family," Yi Jie informed them proudly, "I want to be as good as he
is when I get older."

Marie turned over to peer at Yi Jie. "Can
you make anything yet?"

"Mm hmm," Yi Jie counted on
her fingers, "Brownies, pancakes, noodles, scrambled eggs, white rice ...
I even made a cake once."

Marie seemed to ponder this. "That's
great for a nine year old, but if you ever want to get as good as your dad,
I think you have a lot, a lot of cooking to do."

"You think so?"

"Pretty sure," Marie answered
and she and Yi Jie began to debate the finer points of cooking and "just
exactly" how long it took for one to no longer be considered a novice.
While they argued, Treize helped put away the dishes, an unobtrusive presence
at Wufei's side, for which he was grateful. They had had a long day and as much
as Wufei enjoyed it, he no longer had the relentless stores of energy Yi Jie
and Marie seemed to call upon. They had studied luminous jellyfish, learned
about the mating habits of seahorses and collected brochures and ticket stubs
for scrapbooks. In the end, Wufei realized these trips really were more
fun with other people, and Treize and Marie were genial guests. He had been
so uncertain about the entire excursion, but Wufei thought he just might ask
them to tag along next time. For now, however, he was thankful for the moment
of rest and he sensed Treize felt the same.

The girls stopped talking and they stood
now with pleading eyes.

"What is it?" Wufei and Treize
asked in unison.

"Geez, we haven't even said anything
yet," Marie muttered.

"Sixth sense." Treize tapped
his temple. "Now, what'll you have?"

"Well, there are a lot of shops around
here...."

"And we didn't have a chance to see
many of them," Yi Jie finished, "So...."

"I'm okay with it as long as Mr.
Khushrenada allows Marie to go as well, but remember we leave at four."
Wufei checked his watch. It was just after two.

"Papa--" Marie extended her
lower lip, eyes twinkling and Wufei was surprised when she grabbed Treize's
hand and spoke to him in rapid Russian. "Please?" she finished.

Treize laughed and kissed her. "All right, my love, you may go."

"Okay!" Yi Jie grabbed Marie's
hand and they wove through the crowd.

Wufei shook his head, watching them go.
"I didn't know Marie spoke Russian," he said after a moment.

"Oh, you recognized it?" Treize
asked in surprise.

"Not enough to understand it,"
Wufei rubbed a blade of grass between his fingers, "but I had some good
friends in college who were from Moscow. We lost touch though."

"Ah," Treize made a sympathetic
sound. "Marie's mother was Russian. I met her on a business trip to Saint
Petersburg. She was beautiful, I was still a bit of a playboy then and really
it was a disaster from the start."

Wufei crossed his arms over his knees,
not knowing why Treize was sharing this with him, but understanding all the
same. Something in the other man's voice told him that he needed to say it,
perhaps had never said it to anyone else and was tired of the weight of carrying
it alone. Wufei thought he knew what that felt like.

"I knew I was bisexual and had never
hidden it from her, so it wasn't that. Apart from the sex we just weren't compatible.
In fact, we mostly had sex after these terrible, terrible fights. The things
we said--" Treize shook his head. "Anyway, we were both there on business
and were both determined to go our separate ways after the meetings were over.
I left first and then two months later Leia called to tell me she was pregnant."
Treize laughed. "Well, needless to say, I was pretty devastated. I was
in the middle of a relationship with a male dancer at the time and a child was
the farthest thing from my mind. So I visited her, gave her a rather large sum
of money and told her I would stay in touch. I think back on it now, and I can
hardly believe I was that person." He sighed.

"Still, I kept sending the money,
she happily kept receiving it and I thought everything was pretty well taken
care of. Just before Leia was due to give birth I decided to go back to visit
her. I had to be in Dubai the next month and knew I wouldn't be there for the
birth. Neither of us was expecting her to go into labor then. Right away the
doctors could tell things were looking pretty bad. Still, they thought there
was a good chance for both Leia and Marie. Nobody had counted on eclampsia [2]."
Treize rubbed his eyes. "She died just after two in the morning, but, they
told me, the baby had survived."

"Leia didn't get along with her family
and they never approved of me, so when she told them she was going to have my
child, they were not pleased. Said they wouldn't lift a finger to help her.
Of course this was only about four months into the pregnancy, the news was still
fresh and tempers were pretty volatile. It was more anger talking than anything
else, but hurt and never one to be bested, Leia packed her things and left.
She was a business woman first and of course, knowing my assets arranged right
away for me to be declared the baby's legal guardian in case anything should
happen to her. Gruesome business, but practical and done in a bit of spite too,
for she told her parents as soon as we finished the paperwork. Of course they
had been expecting to play an important role in the baby's life in every way
imaginable. Time passed, things cooled down and she moved back to a condominium
near her parents' house. Things were going so well it seemed foolish to dredge
up the issue of guardianship and it was not like there was any rush. It could
all be taken care of after the baby was born."

"Well, it couldn't and it wasn't
and suddenly I was responsible for this tiny new life and I was so scared I
couldn't even think straight. Yet, the longer I held Marie, the more I knew
I wanted to take care of her." Treize sighed again, deeply. "And that's
the long and short of it. Of course her parents tried to take her from me, and
I guess I don't really blame them, but by then I had grown to love Marie and
there was no way I was giving her up. It turned ugly -- fast -- and took
a long time to heal, but now we visit regularly. I think we've finally developed
a kind of peace between us for Marie's sake and the sake of Leia's memory."

Treize smiled. "And I've been talking
your ear off for over fifteen minutes. Forgive me."

"Oh no," Wufei shook his head,
"I'm happy to listen."

"Thanks." Treize nodded, thoughtful.
"Would you like to go for a walk?"

"Sure," Wufei rose, dusting
off his pants.

Not far from the aquarium was a massive
wildlife exhibit managed by the same company, which was meant to mirror a real
jungle. Heavily wooded and with winding paths, hidden niches and animal exhibits
cropping up in the most unexpected places, it was the closest one could come
to the real thing. Treize and Wufei headed there now, not because they wished
to be part of the crowd of awestruck families but because they sought the privacy
of its simulated shade.

They walked, stopping in a sheltered niche
away from the press of the tour groups.

"So," Treize turned to Wufei,
"what's your story, if you don't mind me asking? How did you and Yi Jie
come to be together on this lonely raft called life?"

Wufei hesitated, looking into Treize's
eyes. He couldn't say why he felt compelled to share the deepest parts of himself
with this man, any more than Treize could probably explain why he had chosen
Wufei. Call it a sense of timeliness, perhaps a feeling of comfort he had felt
with no one else, but Wufei told him about the strictures of his family, about
Meiran, about Yi Jie and the life they had built together. When he was done,
Treize touched him on the shoulder.

"That's quite remarkable Wufei,
especially at so young. At twenty-three I still believed the world owed me everything
I wanted."

Wufei shrugged. Unable to help himself,
he said, "Not bad for an insurance man, right?"

Treize grimaced. "I did
offend you."

Wufei was silent, then he admitted slowly,
"Yes ... yes, I was offended. We don't all have the luxury of choosing
our circumstances and I was insulted you could not see that and instead described
it as a matter of pleasure." Wufei frowned. "I felt that you were
judging me, which you were, and had no right to do after only one meeting. I
would not try to tell you how to live your life or raise your daughter and you
should not presume to tell me how to live mine."

Treize flushed. "You are right. I'm
sorry, I just ... damn it!" He raked a hand through his hair. "I was
out of line that night, but by the gods I never meant to hurt you, Wufei. I
was just so nervous and you seemed so cool and collected, so I began babbling
like a dolt," Treize gave a short laugh, "rather like I am right now."
He shook his head. "I am an idiot. I sat there thinking, Khushrenada,
you're going to charm the pants right off of him." Wufei raised an
eyebrow at that and they both laughed, easing some of the tension between them.

"Well, I did not mean it figuratively
at all." Treize smiled. "I wanted you, hell, I still want you and
quite badly at that but then I opened my mouth and knew I'd said the wrong thing.
Before I could even think to repair the damage, you were bundling Yi
Jie up in that business-like way of yours and the two of you were out the door
like there was a demon on your tails. I felt horrible." Treize sighed.
"It's a poor state of affairs, Wufei when I hijack a children's outing
as an excuse to get close to my love interest. I'd been pining for you all these
weeks, then this morning, you were as cool as ever. Like you hadn't even given
me a second thought! It maddened me, you maddened me, Wufei."

It was then that Treize kissed him, gently
at first, then with increasing ardor. Wufei did not think to resist; all of
the past weeks' anger, frustration and nervous energy had been in anticipation
of this.

Treize's hands strayed to Wufei's bottom,
cupping him gently. He guided their bodies together, bending to meet Wufei,
while tightening his arms so that Wufei was forced to rise on tip toe to meet
the taller man half-way. So many men had tried to snare him into their beds
with invitations ranging from crude intimations of how well they would fit together,
to arch jokes, to the sestina he had once received from a tortured poet, but
no one, no one until Treize had thought to say it with touch alone, skin on
skin, breath hot against his temple. Wufei's head spun. Treize's thigh slipped
between his and their pelvises locked together. He was so close Wufei could
see the shadow's growth of beard on his cheeks, could smell the musky soap-sweat
scent of him after a day spent in the sun. Treize's body was like a brand and
it had been so, so long that Wufei found himself trembling. His own moan
ricocheted off the dark foliage, tangling with the panting of the beasts prowling
their cages.

"Mi ... Mr. Khushrenada," Wufei
gasped, pulling away on unsteady feet, "I'd like to know where we stand.
I think it is fair to say that I have been receiving a lot of mixed signals
from you and-- " Wufei took a deep breath, "and before this progresses
any further, I would like to know once and for all what your ... intentions
are." Wufei noted there had been no "if" to his statement. It
was as though he knew instinctively they would come together, perhaps separated
by days, weeks, months, even years, but nothing could prevent the slow turning
of the circle.

Treize took Wufei's hand. He traced Wufei's
soft palm and stroked the pulse point at his wrist. "If you're asking if
I'm courting you, then the answer is yes."

Something about the old-fashioned turn
of phrase plucked the bottom right out of Wufei's stomach. "Treize..."
he began. Wufei shifted, closed his mouth, opened it again....

And Treize claimed it. Wufei shivered,
anticipating the warm slide of the other man's tongue against his, but it never
came. Treize only traced the sensitive rim of his lips and nibbled on him as
delicately as a cat with its favorite treat. Wufei's knees wobbled and he tottered
in Treize's grasp like a child taking his first steps. He had never been so
overcome so quickly and Wufei could only think that he must escape and find
himself on sure footing again.

"We should go back--" he moaned
in desperation and Treize pulled him closer with a hand cupped behind Wufei's
neck. His eyes were dark as he lowered his head to Wufei's, keeping them both
trembling on the cusp of another kiss.

"Not yet," he murmured, "not
yet. Just let me hold you for one minute more, and then I'll let you go."

o-o-o

Notes:

[1] Fresnel lenses: The Fresnel lens is
the 1822 invention of French physicist Augustine Fresnel who invented a lens
that would make his name commonplace along the seacoasts of Europe and North
America.... The lens could be as tall as twelve feet high with concentric rings
of glass prisms above and below a center drum section to bend the light into
a narrow beam. Later designs incorporated a bull's eye design into the center
of the lens shaped like a magnifying glass, so the concentrated beam was even
more powerful. (http://www.michiganlights.com/fresnel.htm)

See also: http://www.lanternroom.com/misc/freslens.htm

[2] Eclampsia is a serious complication
of pregnancy and is characterised by convulsions. Usually eclampsia occurs after
the onset of pre-eclampsia though sometimes no pre-eclamptic symptoms are recognisable.
The convulsions may appear before, during or after labour, though cases of eclampsia
after just 20 weeks of pregnancy have been recorded. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eclampsia)
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A Home in Common