Remember When Arc
Life loves a tragedy part 3
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
line-height:300%">We do not own the rights to GW! Never have and never will!
Warnings:
Angst, language, slight OOC
Archived
at: AFF, MM, and www.templeofthegoddess.com
Part
three of ‘Life loves a tragedy’ by Sparkling Diamond PG-SSM &
Saiyajin_Raven69
Quatre stalked down the corridors of Winner Enterprises’
headquarters, the intense look on the young CEO’s face causing employees to
skitter out of his way. He was a man on a mission, and nothing was going to
stand in his way as he confronted one of his lovers.
Trowa had just arrived at the building, having an hour free
before his first class started. He hoped he could spend his time with at least
one of his lovers; both if he were lucky. Upon opening the doors, he caught
sight of the blonde Arabian, storming through the main lobby.
“On second thought, I could always grab something to eat
before classes.” The tall acrobat mumbled to himself, turning back to escape
through the large glass doors.
“Trowa Barton, you hold it right there!” Quatre’s
voice boomed through the atrium, making his taller lover stop in his tracks.
“Shit. Almost got away, too.” Trowa whispered to
himself before forcing a small smile onto his lips, and turning to face his
irate partner.
“Something wrong, Quatre?”
“I could ask you the same thing. Trying to avoid me for
some reason?” The blonde crossed his arms and glared up into startled green
eyes, his posture and expression screaming that he was close to going ‘Zero
system’ on someone.
“No! I just forgot something in the car.” Trowa jabbed
a thumb toward the parking lot, hoping that his quickly made up excuse would be
enough to ensure his escape.
“Lying is very unbecoming of you, Trowa.”
angrily into a muscular chest. “Where
is Heero? Is he hiding from me, also?”
“Ow! That
hurt!” Trowa frowned, as he
rubbed the spot that the blonde had jabbed. “Why do you think that there is a
conspiracy to hide from you today? When have I ever avoided you?
“Has Heero talked with you about Duo, lately?” Quatre
demanded, ignoring Trowa’s question. His
aquamarine eyes were flashing with indignation as he scanned every face in the
busy atrium, looking for the object of his fury.
“He mentioned in passing yesterday that Duo had called,
but said it wasn’t anything important. I just figured it had something to do
with the conversation you had with him the other day.”
“That son of a bitch!” Quatre clenched his hands, the
forgotten reports he was holding being crumpled in his grip. He pinned Trowa
with a piercing blue glare, turning to s his his way toward the security
department down the hall.
“Since you’re obviously not doing anything, I suggest
you put in a request to have my shuttle ready to leave by 9 p.m.. We’re going
to Earth.” The blonde tossed the comment angrily over his shoulder,
disappearing around a corner. Trowa
blew out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Something had really pissed
his blonde lover off, and by the sound of it, matters were only going to get
worse.
_____________________________
It had been two hours since Duo had left the small
apartment, and Wufei found himself feeling agitated. He felt the need to do
something constructive; he wasn't the type to remain stationary all day long.
kitchen with Duo that morning, that while there was plenty of formula and baby
food, the cupboards were almost bare, and the refrigerator was empty of anything
to cook a decent meal with. He knew
that Duo would neglect his own needs to make sure that the girls were well fed
and cared for, and he obviously hadn't been taking care of himself properly.
“I don’t think he would mind if I cooked for him.” He
said to himself as he gave a nod of his head, picking up the house key that Duo
had given him. He wasn’t sure when to expect the braided teen home, but
figured he had at least a few hours to grab some groceries from a nearby store.
The area Duo lived in wasn’t the slums, but it wasn’t
far from it. Mostly low-income apartment buildings populated the area, with
small Mom and Pop stores on the corners. He shook his head as he surveyed his
ramshackle surroundings, sighing as he thought about the state of his friend’s
life. Wufei was not a rich man, by
far, but he had been able to put a gooountount of his salary from the Preventers
in the bank, saving for the proverbial ‘Rainy Day’ that would no
doubt come along.
There was a small shopping center about six blocks from
Duo’s apartment complex, and Wufei felt that the walk might help him to clear
his mind. A path was made for him
on the sidewalk as people stepped aside as the teen passed, many looking at him
nervously, some seeming prepared to run. He
was puzzled by the reactions he was getting from the inhabitants of the
neighborhood, until he realized that he was wearing his Preventers jacket. He
smirked inwardly, knowing it was probably not a good idea to walk the streets
intimidating everyone in sight, but in his haste to leave, he did not pack many
clothes. He hadn’t expected to be here very long.
relieve Duo of his distress, and then go back to his own life.
didn’t want to leave his friend too soon.
____________________________________________________________________
Considering the consequences he might face if he turned
tail and ran for the exit, Trowa sighed and followed Quatre. His curiosity of
what Heero could have done to make the blonde so angry, and the thought that he
just might be needed to break up a fist fight after Quatre unleashed his fury on
their other lover made the tall boy quicken his steps. He had just turned the
corner as Quatre threw the security department’s door wide open, slamming it
against the wall so hard that he was surprised the glass didn’t break.
Inside the main security office, startled guards gaped in
confusion as the owner of the company charged into the room.
office inside the department, belonging to Head Security Chief, Heero Yuy.
“I think it would be a wise idea for everyone to
leave.” Trowa suggested, standing quietly against the wall until the last
guard left the room. He secured the
door tightly before going to the small office on the other side of the room.
From the note of outrage in Quatre’s raised voice, he knew that this argument
wouldn’t have a pretty outcome.
“Why in Allah’s name didn’t you tell me that Duo had
tried contacting me the other night? Did it ever occur to you that something was
wrong?” Heero looked up from his reports at the ranting blonde, eyes narrowing
when Duo’s name was mentioned.
“All he wanted was money, or the use of your name. I
didn’t see the need to wake you for something so petty.”
“Petty? Petty?” Quatre slammed his hands down on the
desk, his temper burning brightly in his eyes. Heero remained motionless, his
expression saying nothing.
“Yes, petty. He needs to learn to take care of himself,
not just expect you to come to his rescue every time he runs out of money.”
“Son of a bitch!” The smack of Quatre’s open hand
against the side of his face happened so fast, Heero was more shocked by the
sound than the pain that accompanied it.
“You’re the petty one, Heero!
yes"> A child died
because of you and your damn grudge against Duo! An innocent baby lost her life
because of you!”
“So that’s what he meant by that.” It was nothing
more than a mere whisper, but Quatre heard it, and his anger blazed even higher.
“You knew? You knew that a child’s life was hanging in
the balance, yet you just ignored it?” Quatre all but spat the words in
disgust, his face twisting in fury. “Damn
you, Heero Yuy! I don’t know if I
can ever forgive you for that!”
Trowa stood in the doorway, flabbergasted by what was being
revealed. He hadn’t seen his blonde lover so furious since the wars. He dashed
across the small office in an attempt to catch Quatre as he leapt over the desk
at his other lover. Punches flew
between the two, a few of them connected, before he could haul the combative
teen away from Heero.
“Quatre!” Trowa shouted as he tried to subdue the
hostile blonde. “Damn it, Quatre!
Calm down.”
“No! Let me go, Trowa! Let me go, now!” The blonde
shrieked, kicking his legs to gain some footing in attempt to get himself out of
his taller lover’s grasp.
“I thought that he was exaggerating again! How was I
supposed to know that there was something seriously wrong?”
of blood from his split lower lip.
“Duo never lies! You of all people should know that he
would never lie to us. Never!” Quatre roared, finally twisting his way free of
Trowa’s restraining embrace.
“He did to me!” Heero shouted, spinning on his heel to
face Quatre. His deep blue
eyes shimmered with long suppressed pain. “He lied to me when he said that he
would love me forever. He does lie, Quatre.”
“That’s why you denied him? You turned your back on a
friend in his hour of need, because he broke your heart two fucking years ago?
Damn it! Do you know how that makes us all look?”
yes"> “By Allah, I love you, Heero, but you have to realize that
things just didn’t work out between you and Duo. You have Trowa and me,
now…I just…”
“I’m sorry, Quatre.”
Heero closed his eyes, and hung his head.
“Well, sorry isn’t going to heal his broken heart right
now. Sorry won’t bring that innocent baby back to him. It’s not good enough,
Heero!” Quatre lowered himself
heavily into the chair behind him, his anger having died out, leaving him
emotionally drained.
“Wufei will be calling sometime this afternoon with the
details of the funeral. I told him to expect all of us to be there.”
“I’m not going.” Heero crossed his arms petulantly
across his broad chest; his eyes gazing at the floor. Trowa sighed, preparing to
restrain his blonde lover once again.
“Not only are
you going, Heero, but you will apologize to Duo for not helping him. I mean
it!” Quatre stood abruptly, and stomped out of the office, leaving both of his
lovers behind.
Heero shook his head, stuffing his hands into his pockets.
Trowa remained silent, still a bit confused by what had happened, debating with
himself whom he should side with. He knew that Heero had been wrong to deny Duo
like that, especially since it had resulted in the death of a baby, but he also
understood that Heero had reacted with his heart, not his head.
still felt, two years after Duo had broken off their relationship.
following his emotions.
“This just isn’t my day.” Trowa whispered, slipping
out of the office to make sure the shuttle would be ready for their departure in
nine hours.
________________________________________________________________________
Wufei was walking back to Duo’s apartment when he spotted
a small clothing boutique that he had noticed on his way to the supermarket.
surrounding store fronts like a gleaming jewel in a junk heap.
painted in cheery pastels, and the window display featured a family of
mannequins with happy expressions, dressed in clothing far too fine for the
neighborhood the store was located in.
A bell chimed softly as he entered the small, but
attractively laid out store, calling forth a small, older woman from behind a
tall rack of evening gowns. She
peered at him over the tiny spectacles balanced on the tip of her nose, before
swiftly scurrying across the sales floor to greet him.
“Is there something I can do for you today, young sir?”
turning in her head, wondering what would bring a Preventers agent into her
boutique.
“Yes, actually. I’m
in need of two dresses.”
“Dresses?” She
sputtered up at him. That was
clearly not the response she had expected from the handsome young peace keeper.
Wufei fought against rolling his eyes at her, and made a
mental note to always pack an extra civilian jacket when he traveled from now
on.
“Yes, I need dresses for two little girls, and they must
be appropriate for a funeral.”
“Oh, of course!” She
said, as she hustled to a rack of ruffled dresses in the girls’ department.
“I’m sorry, but I really don’t know.
old.”
“Well then, we’ll need to go to infants.”
round rack of much smaller clothing. “Here’s
what you’re looking for. How old
is the younger baby?”
“She’s one month.”
“Just a month old?”
The saleswoman tsked at Wufei. “Isn’t
she a little young to be taken to a funeral?”
“It’s her funeral.”
The young agent replied softly.
The startled clerk gasped, turning her head quickly to look
at the quiet teenager. “I’m
sure I have something special for her.”
________________________________________________________________________
Duo didn’t fare well at school or work, his mind was a
million miles away. He couldn’t recall any of the topics covered in his
classes, and he sure as hell didn’t remember clocking in or out at the café
either. Now, he stood in a showroom surrounded by coffins, listening to a
salesman sing the praises of each model. Duo
couldn’t fathom why people needed such fancy boxes to be laid to rest in,
considering that no one would see it again once it was lowered into the ground
at the cemetery.
“This one is two thousand credits, sir.”
smile.
“Two thousand?” Duo choked, wiggling his little finger
in his ear. He was sure he didn’t hear the price correctly.
“Yes, sir.”
“Don’t you have anything cheaper? I’m working on a
very limited budget here.”
“Don’t you want the best for your daughter, sir?”
like he was on the Guilt Trip from Hell.
He did want something nice for Miranda, but how could he possibly
afford something that expensive, and still have enough money to pay the bills?
Surely he was too young to take out a small loan, and he sure as hell wasn’t
going to call Quatre again for any reason.
“Let me think about it. I’ll be back later.” Duo
jammed his hands into his pockets, exiting the store quickly.
“Maybe I have something I can pawn for money.” He
whispered to himself, as he scuffed his boots on the concrete, taking his time
on the way back to his apartment. He
hoped that Aleana would be in a good mood when he picked her up at the
sitter’s, and that Wufei wouldn’t be too upset at having been left alone all
day.
_____________________________________________________
Wufei turned the key in the lock, and opened the apartment
door. He was greeted with the sight
of Aleana sitting on a blanket in the middle of the floor, happily surrounded by
toys, but he saw no sign of Duo.
He went into the kitchen to deposit his shopping bags on
the counter, and he draped his jacket over the back of a chair, before returning
to the baby in the next room.
“Hey, baby doll. Where’s your Daddy?” He asked,
squatting down to her level. She grinned up at him, waving her arms.
“Da! Da!”
“Ok, but I’ll only pick you up if you promise not to
cover me in your food again.” He received a two-toothed smile, her chubby arms
still waving wildly.
“I’m going to take that as a yes, hmmm?” He hoisted
her up, balancing her on his hip as he had seen Duo do that morning.
“Ok, let’s find your Daddy.”
It was all quiet in the kitchen, and the bathroom door was
wide open, so the only other place to look was the bedroom. As Wufei entered,
the chaos that greeted him made him take a step back. It looked as if a
hurricane had whipped through, leaving nothing untouched.
“Duo?” Wufei squeaked, as he took another step back;
hurriedly covering Aleana’s head as a tennis shoe came flying from the closet.
“Shit, Wufei! Make some noise or something, man! Scared
the crap out of me.” Duo emerged from the closet, wide eyed and holding a hand
to his chest.
“I was afraid that something had happened, Aleana was
alone in the living room.”
“Stinker butt was sleeping when I came in here.”
from the other teen. “Man, she
had a powernap, and that means another long night!”
“What exactly are you doing in here? I’ve never seen
such a mess!” The Chinese teen
said, as he shuffled his feet through the piles of clothing and shoes on the
floor, before seating himself on the equally cluttered bed.
“Sure you have Wuffers! I’ve made bigger messes in
Deathscythe.”
Wufei raised an eyebrow, surveying the room again.n
sn
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> “I disagree. What are you doing
ripping this room apart?”
“Nothing. Isn’t that right, Aleana?
doing anything!” Duo cooed, tickling the girl in his arms.
“Nice try at a diversion. Now spill it.”
“Fine.” Duo
sighed, plopping down next to Wufei on the bed. “I was looking for something to pawn.”
“Pawn? Duo, didn’t Winner just deposit money into your
account? What do you need more
money for?”
“Look, ‘Fei. I don’t even want to use that money,
after everything that happened. I’ve
got some old text books, the medal of peace that Relena gave us all, and I
don’t really use my laptop much anymore.
Those things should bring something.”
Duo sighed again, scrubbing his hands over his face wearily.
it on my own.”
Wufei shifted on the bed, drawing one leg up to turn and
face his friend.
“That’s what friends do at a time like this, Duo;
friends help you ‘deal with it’.” He
said with conviction. “You’ll
never have to go through something like this alone. No one should.”
“Yeah, well someone should tell that to asshole, then.
God, I was so afraid to…” Duo hesitated, rocking Aleana in his arms, his
eyes darting around the room, desperate to avoid Wufei’s dark gaze.
“Just forget about it, Wu. I really don’t wanna talk
about it right now.”
Not wanting to agitate Duo further, the Chinese teen
didn’t push for an answer, and thought it best to change the subject.
“Would you accept a gift from me to the girls?”
“That depends, what did you do?” Duo turned on the bed,
mirroring Wufei’s position, and cocked an eyebrow suspiciously at his friend.
“Don’t look at me like that; I didn’t do much.
Miranda’s services.”
Duo dropped his head, and clutched the baby in his arms
tighter.
“God, Wu. I
didn’t even think about that.” He
raised his eyes to look at the other teen, despair shining clearly in their
depths. “There’s just so much
left to do.”
The braided boy closed his eyes tightly, visibly shoring up
his resolve, then stood abruptly and walked toward the door.
“I’ll write you a check for them, Wu.
bedroom.
“I told you they were a gift.
yes"> I don’t expect you to pay me for them.”
Duo put Aleana back onto her blanket, and turned to go into
the small kitchen, closely followed by Wufei.
He spied the shopping bags on the counter, and looked at his friend
curiously.
“Wu? What is
all of this stuff?” He asked, as
he started looking through the plastic supermarket bags.
“What does it look like?”
yes"> “And here I thought you had to be smart to get into
college.”
“Don’t be a smart ass, Wu.
of the bags.
Wufei began taking the food from the counter, and putting
it away in the cabinets and refrigerator, silently pleased with himself for
having found a way to help his friend. He
was stunned by the unexpected reaction.
Duo snatched the bag of lettuce from his hands, and threw
it onto the floor. His face was a
picture of rage, ans has hands were clenching and unclenching angrily.
“Bastard!” He
spat. “Why did you have to go buy
food when I’ve got plenty here?”
Wufei looked at his irate friend, his dark eyes widened in
astonishment. “What food?”
the refrigerator, the shelves bare but for a couple bottles of soda, some
ketchup and mayonnaise, and two half empty jars of baby food.
“You call this fully stocked?”
“What I call this is none of your fucking business,
Wu!” Duo shouted, slamming the
refrigerator door. “How dare you
do this to me?”
Duo’s anger was contagious, as Wufei felt his own temper
rising. He stomped over to the
cabinets, throwing open two doors at once.
“Do what to you? Make
sure you take care of yourself?” He
said incredulously. “Look at
this! All you have in these
cupboards is baby food, and cans of formula!”
“Yeah, that’s right.
As long as my girls are fed, that’s all that matters!”
“But what about you, Maxwell?”
yes"> Wufei’s anger caused him to unconsciously revert to calling
his friend by his last name. “How
can you care for them properly if you collapse from not eating?”
“Don’t start with me, Chang.
yes"> pan>pan>You won’t like the way I finish it.”
yes"> He threatened, his voice low and menacing.
“You have nothing here to sustain you, Duo.
fix, so I did.”
“I eat at work! Why
the hell do you think I work at a goddamned coffee shop?”
“I’m FINE!” Duo
screamed. “I am not your little
charity project, Wufei!&nbStop
treating me like I am!”
“Charity?” Wufei
sputtered. “Charity?
about friendship if that’s what you think!”
“I ate out of garbage cans when I was a kid, Wu.
everything’s fine! Now get the
fuck off my back!”
Duo stormed out of the kitchen, snatching up a whimpering
Aleana from the floor, and stalked to the bedroom, slamming the door behind him.
“Fine, I will!” Wufei
grabbed his jacket, putting it on angrily.
He stopped long enough to toss the cold items into the refrigerator
before heading out the front door.
Once he hit street level, he started walking aimlessly, not
even noticing the neighborhood inhabitants clearing out of his way.
he was angry.
He couldn’t stay in the apartment with Duo for one minute
longer, the way he was acting. had just tried to do something nice for him, and he just had to be a stubborn,
pig-headed bastard about it. He
hoped that giving Duo some space would give them both the opportunity to cool
down.
________________________________________________________________________
The last of the suitcases were packed, and garment bags
hung over the back of the dressing chair. Quatre was bustling around, double
checking that he had everything he’d need for their trip, before leaving for
the shuttle port.
Trowa sat on the bed, watching through his bangs as his
blonde lover carried the bags to just outside of the bedroom door for the
servants to take down to the waiting limo. Since the argument at the company
that morning, Quatre had not spoken two words to either Heero or himself.
both Quatre and Trowa at every turn.
“Would you please make sure that Heero has finished
packing?” Quatre asked in a tired
voice.
Trowa blinked in surprise, turning faintly to see Quatre
raking his fingers through his tousled blonde hair. He could practically feel
the stress rolling off of his lover.
“Sure.” Trowa answered, moving fluidly from the room.
open.her her he had already packed, and was downstairs waiting, or he had
escaped to somewhere that no one would find him.
If the latter was the case, Trowa wished that he could join his darker
lover in his sanctuary, as he was not looking forward to the trip that they were
about to embark on.
“I’m already packed.” A voice sounded behind the tall
ex-pilot, startling him slightly.
“Good. I was not planning on taking the wrath of Quatre
by myself.”
“I made a mistake.”
Heero said flatly. “I need
to make it right.”
“That’s one tall order, Heero. I don’t think even you
could make things right this time.”
“If you two are done chatting, we have to leave for the
shuttle port. I would like to see Duo as soon as possible.”
voice laced with the subtle hint of anger behind the words.
yes"> Duo is planning on pawning his things, and I don’t want to
see that happen.”
“After you.” Heero said, picking up his bag. He was not
going to get close to Quatre until his temper had cooled off.
________________________________________________________________________
It was after dark when Wufei made his way back up the
stairs of the apart bui building, hoping that Duo had cooled down. He bowed his
head, feeling guilty that he had gotten so angry earlier. He had no right to do
so, but he felt that he did have the right to worboutbout a friend.
The Chinese teen thumbed the key in his hand, debating if
he should just enter, or knock first. Things sounded quiet from the outside, so
he tried the knob, finding the door unlocked. He raised an eyebrow, as the door
swung open. It wasn’t like Duo just to leave doors unlocked.
“Duo?” He called into the darkened room.
“I didn’t expect you to come back.” A timid voice
answered him from the vicinity of the couch. A small lamp snapped on,
illuminating the small living room. Duo sat on the couch, his hair hanging
loosely over his shoulders, knees drawn up to his chest, looking for all the
world like a very young boy.
“You know, I went and looked at caskets?”
to seek out his friend. “They
were so small, ‘Fei. So damn tiny, and so expensive. I still have to get a
grave marker and a plot. I still
haven’t even picked a funeral home. I’m
too young to be doing something like this, ya know?”
Wufei stood stock still, listening, his eyes meeting those
of Duo. Just the sight of the forlorn boy made his heart ache once again.
“Just so small, Wu.”
He whispered. “I don’t
think I can do this by myself.”
Wufei nodded, crossing the small room to sit next to him on
the small, worn sofa.
“As I said before, you don’t have to do this alone,
Duo. I’ll always be here for
you.”
Shimmering pools of blue-violet blinked, one tear escaping
to roll slowly down a pale cheek.
“Help.”
With that one word, Wufei’s heart broke.
up the other teen in a comforting embrace.