Remember When Arc
Life loves a tragedy part 4
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Warnings:
Angst, language, slight OOC
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Part
four of ‘Life loves a tragedy’ by Sparkling Diamond PG-SSM &
Saiyajin_Raven69
It
was just before dawn when the shuttle’s landing gear was lowered in
preparation to touch down on the tarmac in California. The luxurious cabin had
been quiet since take off, the three young men each keeping to himself on the
long flight.
Quatre
spent the majority of the flight going through reports that he had hastily
stuffed into his briefcase. Work seemed to follow him everywhere, and he often
took files that needed his attention on shuttle flights, not only to keep on top
of things at his company, but also to keep his mind busy. He often found his
thoughts wandering to his long-haired friend, though. He could only hope that
when they arrived at Duo’s apartment, they would find that the braided boy was
coping well. He also hoped that Wufei had talked Duo out of pawning his
belongings. Quatre made up his mind that his first mission of the day was to
make sure that Duo was all right, before heading to the hospital that had been
in charge of the care of the baby. He planned on making life very difficult for
them.
Trowa
chose to watch his lovers from behind the camouflage of his bangs. Quatre was
doing exactly what he’d expected him to do, immersing himself in business
dealings, so that his anger wouldn’t flare.
The acrobat could see the control that his smaller lover was keeping on
his emotions slip every so often, as pale blue eyes became unfocused from the
papers in front of him, and stared at nothing, pale brows furrowed above them in
frustration. He knew that it
wasn’t what was typed on the company letterhead that caused those frowns.
Heero,
on the other hand, sat away from them, his arms crossed and his eyes closed.
Trowa knew that although his lids were closed, he wasn’t asleep; he was
thinking of what lay ahead on this trip, and was probably formulating an escape
plan in the event that Duo’s grief gave way to rage, and he attempted to bring
him bodily harm. His jaw muscles were tense, and Trowa bemusedly wondered if any
teeth were in danger of breaking.
Trowa
himself was still torn over the events of the day. Deep in his heart, he
understood why Heero had done what he did. Every one of them had hoped Duo would
learn to make it on his own, and not lean so heavily on Quatre for money or
support, but letting an innocent baby suffer and die because Heero refused to
listen to him, it was wrong. Trowa had thought that his Asian lover was over the
grudge he’d held against Duo since their relationship had gone sour, but
obviously he had thought wrong.
Heero
didn’t need to see to know what his two companions were doing; it was always
the same when they’d had a lovers’ spat. Each of the three kept to himself
until they finally, as one, came together to resolve the issue, but this was one
situation that wasn’t likely to be easily overcome. He’d made an
unforgivable mistake, and now he was going to have to pay the price for it.
Heero had briefly considered running away, staying out everyone’s path until
the incident blew over, but he knew that it really wasn’t an option. This one
mistake would haunt him until the end of his days, and avoiding his lovers would
only make matters worse.
His
anger toward Duo had not waned over the two years since the braided teen had
ended their relationship. At the time, Heero had no idea that what they shared
wasn’t the ideal romantic partnership. His
understanding of love, of any of the tender emotions, was meager at best.
him, he was thunderstruck. He’d
never imagined in his wildest dreams that anyone would ever care about him, let
alone profess love. Admittedly, it
took him a long time to reconcile his disbelieving mind with his soaring heart,
but when he did finally respond to Duo, he pledged his everlasting devotion to
the braided boy.
Evidently,
Duo wasn’t satisfied with the relationship. After what Heero had thought was a
happy 14 months together, the American abruptly packed his belongings, and
disappeared to Earth. He rushed off
without explanation, and he left no way for Heero to contact him. It wasn’t
until Quatre and Trowa had brought him into their fold, still confused and
hurting, did he find out where the ex-Deathscythe pilot was, and what he was
doing. Duo had called Quatre several months after Heero had last seen him, and
begged the billionaire for money to make his rent. Quatre sent the money, no
questions asked. The ex-pilot of
Wing was disturbed by how easily his smaller lover had given in to the man that
had so completely crushed him only months before. That was the first of several
lovers’ spats between the two that had been spurred by Quatre’s ongoing
friendship with Duo.
_______________________________________________________________________
“We
will be landing in five minutes, Mr. Winner. Your vehicle is ready and
waiting.” The pilot’s voice cut through the cabin. Quatre was first in
packing away his things, and double-checking his safety belt.
“We’re
going to Duo’s first thing.” Quat announced, drawing the attention of two
sets of eyes.
“It’s
fairly early here, Quat. Don’t you think we should get settled first, and see
him later?” Trowa asked, bringing his seat upright.
“No.
I will feel better once I talk with Duo, in person. No arguments.” The blonde
growled, almost daring either of his lovers to convince him otherwise. Neither
did.
______________________________________________________________________
The
soft sounds of crying woke Duo in the early morning hours. His brain was still
too heavily fogged with sleep to notice that he was not in the comfort of his
own bed, but in the comfort of a warm pair of arms that were wrapped firmly
around his waist and chest.
“Mmm,
wha?” Duo stretched, his hands brushing against the smooth planes of Wufei’s
chest before he jerked away in shock.
“Shit!
I’m sorry, ‘Fei.” Duo gasped, lifting himself the rest of the way off of
his friend. Wufei blinked sleepily up at his friend, fighting a groan for the
loss of heat that Duo provided. The braided teen frowned when Wufei’s jacket
tumbled to the floor, slipping from around his shoulders. He didn’t remember
falling asleep, and he sure as hell didn’t remember curling up with Wufei on
the old worn couch.
“Sorry.”
Duo said again, a blush staining his cheeks as he swiftly turned, leaving the
room to find out why Aleana was crying so early in the morning. Wufei blinked
again, not sure what Duo was apologizing for.
Last
night, he had come back to the apartment to find Duo an emotional wreck, sitting
curled up in the darkness. He had quietly confided that he was afraid that the
dark haired teen wouldn’t return after their fallout. He called Hilde on L2,
asking for advice on how he should handle all that was happening, and she came
through for him, after she had first called him every name in the book for not
having called her before. He
had always loved her like the sister he’d never had, and hadn’t wanted to
trouble her with his problems, knowing that she had plenty of her own
Wufei
wasn’t a man of that knew much about comforting, but he did his best, letting
Duo sob against his chest like a hurting child, listening to the hitching voice
as he spoke about everything that seemed to be eating him alive. As the tears
soaked the front of his shirt, Wufei continued to rub Duo’s back, stroking his
loose hair soothingly to calm him. Before he knew it, Duo was sleeping soundly,
emotionally and physically drained. The other teen didn’t have the heart to
wake him to send him to his room to sleep, so he adjusted himself into a
comfortable position with Duo lying across his chest, and he draped his jacket
over his shoulders to keep him from getting chilled.
yes"> He knew that come morning, there could be some embarrassment,
but at that moment, he really didn’t care.
Cursing
to himself about the wretched hour he’d been jostled awake at, Wufei decided
it was probably for the best to stay awake.
With so many arrangements still to be made, he would hate himself later
if he went back to sleep. He
planned to take as many responsibilities from Duo’s shoulders as he could, and
there was the arrival of their fellow pilots to prepare for.
yes">
“Hey,
Wu? Could you hold Aleana for a minute? I have to warm up a bottle for her.
I’m afraid that I didn’t give her enough to eat before she went to bed.”
Duo frowned, the threads of guilt creeping up on him.
“Sure.”
The dark haired teen extended his arms, lifting the sniffling red head out of
Duo’s arms. Watery green eyes stared at the man in front of her, before she
let out another loud wail. Wufei cringed; trying to decide which way would be
easier for him to hold the crying girl.
“And
here I thought that you liked me.” Wufei smirked, liftinr agr against his
chest, rubbing her back as he walked around the small living room.
Duo
rushed around the kitchen, mixing the powder formula, while he boiled water on
the stove to warm the bottle with. He was mentally kicking himself for not
having at least a few bottles ready for Aleana in the refrigerator.
“Almost
done, give me two minutes.” Duo spoke loudly, trying to let both Wufei and
Aleana know that he wasn’t slacking off, while he shook the bottle one last
time before dropping it into the pan to heat.
Wufei
was on his fifth lap of the living room when a light knock caught his attention.
He raised an eyebrow, checking his watch once again. Who the hell would be
visiting at quarter to seven in the morning? Working one hand free, Wufei opened
the door, the safety chain stopping the door from opening all the way.
Quatre’s solemn expression greeted him.
“What
are you doing here at this time of the morning?” Wufei hissed, switching
Aleana to his other arm.
“Can
I come in? I did come all the way from L4.” Wufei nodded, unchaining the door,
and opening it wider to let the blonde in. What he didn’t expect to see was
Trowa leaning against the far wall of the hallway, and Heero a short distance
away from him.
“Quatre,
I don’t think it’s a wise idea for Heero to be here.” Wufei’s eyes
narrowed, staring down the chocolate haired teen. “Especially not around
me.” Heero met that gaze, but
quickly bowed his head, knowing full well that he would have Wufei’s wrath to
deal with.
“He
needs to apologize for his actions, Wufei. That’s why he is here.” Quatre
answered curtly, entering the small apartment to seek out his other friend.
“I
thought I heard voices…Quatre?” Duo stopped midway from the kitchen, bottle
in hand. His eyes widened with disbelief as the blonde teen rushed towards him,
wrapping him up in a warm embrace.
“I’m
so sorry, Duo. I’m so sorry.” Quatre whispered, his arms tightening around
his friend, the anger he’d been harboring for almost 24 hours finally giving
way to the myriad of emotions he felt coming from Duo. It made his chest
physically ache.
“I
wasn’t expecting you. Why? I mean…” Duo stumbled, his body starting to
quake with a wave of relief. He honestly hadn’t expected to see Quatre again,
at least not for a while. He had been afraid that the other two pilots would
turn their backs on him, after what had happened with Heero. The knowledge that
at least Quatre hadn’t forsaken him overwhelmed him with happiness.
“I
had to be here, Duo. A fleet of Gundams couldn’t have kept me away.”
remorse. “Are you ok? Damn it,
Duo, I’m so very sorry.”
“I
was going to pawn my things.” Duo whispered, burying his head into Quatre’s
shoulder. “I didn’t want to use the money that you sent.” His voice
hitched slightly, but he reined in his emotions once again, trying to keep the
old ‘cheer’ mask in place. Quatre pulled the longhaired teen away, looking
into those blue-violet eyes.
“Don’t
you dare. Don’t you dare sell your things, Duo! I feel responsible for most of
this, and I want to make amends. Do you understand? We left as soon as we could.
I wasn’t going to wait for Wufei’s call.”
While
Quatre was consoling Duo, Trowa entered the apartment, eyeing the room before
settling his gaze on the small girl in Wufei’s arms. He was mildly surprised
when the baby looked up, her green eyes so much like his own locking with his.
Duo couldn’t turn her away. Trowa
himself couldn’t bear to part with any of his strays that he saved by bringing
home to his own private zoo, as the staff members were prone to call it.
face, and hand her over to the custody of an infamously inadequate government
agency?
Heero
walked in on silent feet, staying as far away from Duo as possible. He hadn’t
seen his ex-lover since the day he had run out of his life, just days after the
Mariemaia incident ended. Even after all that time, and all the love and
understanding he’d received from Trowa and Quatre, the sight of Duo still made
his heart hurt. He couldn’t bring
himself to look at the braided teen for long.
Just being in his presence was bad enough, but the aura of despair that
surrounded the boy; the emotion in his voice, and the grief stricken expression
on his face made the ache that he felt so much more intense.
felt toward his ex-lover seemed to turn inward; even though Duo had caused him
more pain than self-destructing Wing had, the knowledge that it was his own
fault that the braided boy was suffering now made him angry with himself.
Looking
around the apartment made him see things differently than the images that his
resentment-clouded mind had conjured up for him. The furniture, what there was
of it, was obviously second hand, he could find nothing frivolous anywhere in
the room. He had long imagined that
Duo’s need for money came from reckless spending, and his vision of how the
boy must have been living was shattered by the poor surroundings.
girl that squirmed in Wufei’s arms. He closed his eyes, letting out a long
slow breath. There would have been two babies here if it weren’t for his
denial of Duo’s pleas the other night. He realized that he’d been taking for
granted the security that came with having Quatre as his lover; he and Trowa had
no worries about money. Wufei made a good salary with Preventers to keep himself
afloat, but Duo? Gods, Duo.
“What
the hell is he doing here?” Heero’s eyes snapped opened, and landed on Duo,
who was detangling himself from Quatre’s embrace.
“I
came to…”
“Get
out!” The braided teen bellowed.
invite you…you asshole!” He stalked his way around the couch before Quatre
caught up to him, wrapping his arms around the teen’s waist to stop him. Wufei
stepped back, tightening his hold on Aleana. He didn’t want the baby to be in
the line of fire if the situation got ugly.
“Yuy,
I think it would be wise for you to leave.” Wufei interjected, hoping that
Heero would just leave before Duo got too worked up by his presence.
Heero
ignored the Chinese teen, his eyes still focused on his ex-lover, struggling to
break free from Quatre’s grasp.
“Will
you listen to me? I want to apologize for…”
Heero began, his voice as emotionless as it always was.
“I
don’t give a fuck what you have to say! You are not welcome here, period! Get
out god damn you!”
“Still
fucking stubborn.” Heero snapped.
his heels quickly to leave, the door slamming behind him. Aleana screeched, fat
tears rolling down her face, terrified by all the shouting. Duo was there
immediately, scooping her out of Wufei’s arms, bouncing her and rubbing her
back to calm her.
Trowa
stood perplexed; he was warring with himself, one part wanting to stay in the
small apartment, to show his support of his distraught friend, the other part
wanting to run after Heero, fearing that he would do something stupid. Making up
his mind swiftly, Trowa moved around his blonde lover, and gently wrapped his
arms around Duo and Aleana.
“I’m
sorry, Duo.” He whispered, and placed a light kiss on the braided boy’s
temple as he pulled away. He caught Quatre’s eye, gesturing his head toward
the door. The ex-Sandrock pilot understood. He would be looking after their
other lover while Quatre visited with Duo.
________________________________________________________________________
Heero
was already part way up the block from the apartment building when Trowa caught
up with him. The taller teen remained quiet, observing the tense muscles in
Heero’s jaw, and the stiffness in his posture. Maybe it was a good thing that
Heero left when he did. He was a firecracker, ready to explode, and now was not
the time or place to let that happen.
“I’m
glad you kept your composure back there.” Trowa spoke when they entered a
rundown park a few blocks away. Heero whirled on him, cobalt eyes blazing with
anger.
“I
was so close to just smacking him! He’s still so damn stubborn!”
“What
did you expect, Heero? Did you think Duo would just fall into your arms, weeping
his forgiveness?”
“No!
I expected him to listen to me!”
“You
didn’t listen to him when he called. Sounds like fair play to me.” Trowa
answered quietly. The green-eyed
teen settled into a gently swaying swing, tossing his head at the one next to
him in invitation to Heero. “Sit
with me.”
“You’re
right. I guess I deserve that.”
Heero sighed, scuffing his shoes in the wood chips before taking the offered
seat.
“And
then some.”
“Do
you think that he will ever forgive me, Trowa?”
“I
don’t know Heero. I really don’t know.”
He reached his hand across the space between the two swings, and Heero
reached back, clasping their hands together.
“I think that you have to forgive him, first.”
_______________________________________________________________________
Duo
disappeared into his bedroom once again after Trowa left the apartment. It took
every ounce of strength he had to keep from handing Aleana to Wufei again, to
chase after the ex-Wing pilot. Would the fight be worth it?
Aleana
lay quietly in her crib, drinking her bottle, while Duo paced the room. This was
all too much. It was like he was on a freaking roller coaster with no end in
sight. He was surprised and happy to see Quatre, but Heero? What the hell was he
thinking when he showed his face here? Did he mean to rub Miranda’s death in
his face again?
“God
damn him!”
________________________________________________________________________
Quatre
stared at the closed door, feeling more and more like an intruder. Maybe it
wasn’t the best idea to just show up unannounced, with everyone in tow, but
Duo needed to know that Heero was extremely sorry for his actions.
“Might
as well have a seat, Winner. He’ll probably be in there awhile.” Quatre
nodded, slipping his jacket off, draping it over the back of the couch.
“He
may run and hide…” Duo’s infamous quote floated from his lips as he sat
down.
“And
it’s catching up to him. He can’t hide from things anymore.”
voice. “The more he runs, the
more it tears him apart.”
“You
know, Wufei, during the war, I always thought Duo was our weakest link. Not as a
pilot, don’t get me wrong, he could fly his Gundam better than any of us!
always getting into trouble. It seemed like there was always one of us looking
out for him, protecting him.” Quatre
looked the Chinese youth in the eye solemnly.
“I came to realize on the flight here that I was wrong.”
“He
is stronger than any of us.” The
blonde continued. “I thought we
were protecting him, but in retrospect, he was the one taking care of us.
always there to lift our spirits, he was always the first with the med kit when
someone was hurt, he was always there to listen when on us us needed to talk.
stability, we look down on him for needing our help.
yes"> He is the only one of us who has nothing to fall back on.
no money to his name, struggling to make something of himself.
Wufei. How ‘Duo’ is that?
can.”
“You’re
absolutely right, Duo is a rare breed.” Wufei
nodded. “Is it any surprise that
he has taken in these children? We
thought him obnoxious and frivolous for making friends everywhere he went, when
the truth was, he just truly cares about everyone he meets.
doesn’t hesitate to offer it. I’m
as guilty as anyone else in not seeing him for who he really was.
Mariemaia, and I find myself to be humbled by him.”
Quatre
hung his head, and ruffled his blonde hair with his fingers.
he called me for money. I’ve
never denied him, but every time he calls, he falls all over himself to
apologize for needing my help. I
know he only calls when he’s desperate.”
“He
does have his pride, Winner. He went ballistic last night because I brought food
into this apartment. He doesn’t want to be a charity case. Hell, he was gung
ho about making out a check for the dresses I purchased yesterday, even after I
told him that they were a gift. He told me not to cash it until later.
his bedroom, looking for things to pawn, because he didn’t want to use the
money you’d deposited.”
“I’m
going to the hospital after I leave here.”
Quatre confided, his blue eyes gleaming with conviction.
“What
is that going to accomplish now? Everything is over and done with. Duo is minus
one child.”
“It’s
not over. I’m going to rip that hospital to shreds, that’s what I’m going
to do. Aleana and Duo will not go without after I’m done with them.”
“You
realize that it might upset Duo more. Do
you think he’d feel comfortable spending money that he only received because
his daughter died?”
“Then
don’t tell him just yet. Let him
get through the funeral, first. I’ll
make sure that any settlement is sent here directly. It won’t take away the
pain he’s been put through, but it’s the very least I can do.”
his briefcase that he’d left standing near the doorway.
yes"> “Please, take my credit card and take care of things for
him. He doesn’t need to know.”
________________________________________________________________________
Duo
felt like such a heel. Here he was hiding out in his bedroom, getting himself
ready for classes while his friends sat in his living room without him.
“There’s
just so damn much left to be done. What’s Daddy supposed to do, Aleana? I
can’t cut school or skip work. Sure as hell can’t afford to now.” He
sighed, tossing his hairbrush to the bed.
A
soft knock startled him. “Duo?
Can I come in?”
“Yeah,
Quat. It’s open.” He muttered, lifting Aleana out of the crib to brush her
curly red locks. Quatre entered, his eyes widening, taking in the disarray of
the room. Wufei wasn’t kidding when he said Duo was ripping his home apart.
“Sorry
about the mess.”
“Don’t
worry about it, Duo, it’s no big deal.” Duo pushed some clothing to the
floor, clearing a spot on the bed for Quatre to sit next to him.
“So
did you want something?”
“I
just wanted to know how you were doing. Do you need me to do anything for you
today?” The blonde asked, laying
his hand on his friend’s shoulder.
“I
think I can manage it. Thanks for asking, though.”
“Duo,
you know I’m here for…”
“I
don’t need anything!” Duo
shouted, standing up and whirling to face Quatre, holding the little redhead
safely in his arms. “I’ll
finish up the funeral arrangements between classes and work. It’s not like
I’m planning a huge ceremony, ya know? It’s
not like anyone’s gonna turn up for it!”
“I
know, Duo, I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“I’m
sorry, Quat.” Duo sighed, all
fight leaving him. “I really
appreciate the offer, but I just need to do it myself.”
“Will
you at least let Wufei help you?”
“I…I
already asked him. He’s going to help with a few things.”
“Good!
Now, it looks like this little one needs to get dressed still. Allow me?”
Quatre extended his arms, wanting to help in some way, even if it was just to
dress the baby. Duo smirked a little, handing the squirming infant over. At
least the help would give him a few minutes to do his personal things in the
bathroom, like shaving and brushing his teeth.
“Her
clothes are in the top drawer of the dresser there. Her shoes…” Duo looked
around the chaotic room, kind of baffled as to where those went.
“I’m
sure I can find them. If not, I’ll have Wufei help me.”
______________________________________________________________________
Wufei
waited patiently at the coffee shop where Duo worked, watching the teen dole out
lattes and pastries to everyone that entered. This neighborhood was one of the better in the area, adjacent
to the campus of the local college that Duo attended. Many of the customers,
most of them appearing to be students and professors, seemed to be regular
customers, calling Duo by name, and receiving their orders without having to
tell the boy what they wanted. Wufei took that as a good sign that he’d either
worked there too long, or was just very good at his job.
Duo
had allowed him to pick out a plot for Miranda, after spelling out to the
Chinese teen exactly what he was looking for. “I just want her to beewheewhere
peaceful,” he had told him. That
was one more weight off his shoulders, knowing that Wufei had found a nice spot
at Willow’s Bend Cemetery.
“I’ll
be out in five minutes.” Duo’s voice was soft, as he leaned over to refill
his friend’s coffee cup.
“Take
your time.”
“Still
lots of things to do, ‘Fei. Need to get them done if I want that funeral to
happen tomorrow. I can only skip classes and work once.” Duo smiled ruefully
as he walked away, refilling other patrons’ coffee cups with feigned
cheerfulness. He might have had his regulars fooled with that grin, but not
Wufei. That smile never reached his eyes.
________________________________________________________________________
Quatre
emerged from the sprawling brick building with a tight smile on his face. He had
just ripped the board of directors of Granger Hospital to bits, and fed them to
the animals. At first, none of the administrators were willing to take the
threats of the small blonde teenager seriously, until Quatre revealed to them
exactly who he was. He informed
them in no uncertain terms that he could ruin each and every one of them
personally, while exposing the hospital for what it was:
greedy old men willing to let their patients die while they awaited payment for
services not even rendered.
With
part of the guilt lifted from his chest, Quatre slid into the limo. He had a few
stops to make before he could meet up with his lovers back at their hotel for
the night.
____________________________________________________________
With
all funeral arrangements made to the best of their abilities, Duo allowed Wufei
to make dinner while he spent some time playing with Aleana on the living room
floor.
When
the Chinese teen announced that dinner was ready, Duo couldn’t help the blush
that spread across his cheeks when his stomach rumbled loudly. Maybe Wufei was
right, he wasn’t taking care of himself like he should.
After
a brief argument over who would clean up the dishes, Duo shoved Wufei out of the
kitchen, telling the other teen that he should be the one cleaning up after such
a delicious meal. Twenty minutes later, Duo emerged from the kitchen to find
Aleana fast asleep on Wufei’s chest. Her little hands were fisted in the
cotton fabric of his shirt, her small mouth open slightly, drooling. Duo allowed
a smile to spread across his face. Wufei was dead asleep also, his hair coming
unbound from the elastic band.
“Talk
about a Kodak moment.” He whispered, taking out a disposable camera to click
off a few pictures. He couldn’t pass up a sight like this with out making a
permanent record of it.