Author: Aimee
Type: Romance, Angst, Humor, AU, Citrus, Death
Warnings: Yaoi, Citrus, Death
Disclaimer: I don't even own the computer I'm typing on, what makes you think I own the boys?!
Notes: Sorry this chapter took so long to get out but RL has been hell. x_x Anyways, in reference to some questions about warnings, I don't believe this fic needs a NCS warning but if you believe Heero to be a major character, than Death is a needed warning. [And she just let the cat out of the bag, stupid girl!]

An Arranged Marriage + Part 8

"Wufei?"

Wufei turned in mild confusion, wondering at the voice that had called his name. It sounded very much like Duo... but Duo was miles away, probably just realizing Wufei had left without warning. "Wufei!"

Wufei's eyes widened as suddenly a slender figure appeared in front of him. "Duo?"

Duo smiled faintly and gave Wufei an awkward sort of bow. "That would be me."

"Why are you here?" Wufei demanded, his voice a low, fierce whisper. He couldn't imagine why he was whispering... maybe it was the fact Duo looked decidedly cheerful and impish.

"Well... I couldn't let you face your mother by yourself." Duo grimaced, "She's a leetle too comfortable with inquiring about our lives."

Wufei smiled at the distorted look on Duo's face. "As glad as I am to have your support in that aspect, why're you really here?" Wufei paused and beautifully ruined what might have been a pleasant moment by adding with a tone dripping of ice: "Here, so far away from your precious Zechs-y."

Duo's face paled and he ducked his head away in hurt embarrassment. "Wufei... "

Wufei softened and tentatively tried to restore Duo's good humor. "I shouldn't have said anything. I apologize."

< He's apologizing to me? > Duo gave him an incredulous look even as he spoke, "Anyways, how about you show me your kingdom? I've never been here before." Duo paused and grinned slightly, "That's kinda weird. We've been married for four months and I've never been to your home."

"Yeah... " Wufei agreed quietly and stepped up beside Duo. Without a second thought, he slipped his hand into the other boy's and announced, ignoring Duo's surprised look, "We're going to the lake first."

"Don't I have a say in this?" Duo asked, his eyebrow rising a bit in skeptical amusement, even as his fingers uncertainly flexed around Wufei's.

Wufei considered this. "Nope," he shook his head, cautiously returning the pressure of Duo's hand. "Absolutely none at all."

+

"So, Duo, did Wufei show you around?" Relena inquired.

Duo glanced at her, at the silent, furiously blushing Wufei. "Yeah. He did as a matter of fact." Except for the fact that Duo had attacked Wufei in every time they'd stopped, nearly making up for all the times he'd been with Zechs rather than Wufei.

"How nice." Relena beamed at her son and his spouse. "You two get along beautifully, you know. So much better than Heero and I did at first. But now, you see, we love each other so much and it'll turn out just as wonderful for you two as it did for us!" She smiled and Duo snickered to himself as Wufei snorted loudly into his soup at his mother's words.

"Are you all right, Wufei?" Dorothy asked, smirking from across the table at him. Apparently Dorothy decided Duo couldn't handle traveling across a kingdom by himself and that Relena needed some feminine companionship, therefore tagging along when Duo went to meet his husband.

"I'm fine-just had a tickle in my throat," Wufei lied, his ears turning red at Dorothy's non-believing look and Duo's snicker in his ear.

"Are you feeling warm?" Relena asked anxiously, leaning across the table to press her hand against Wufei's forehead. "A tickle in the throat can be a sign of a cold!"

"Mother, I'm fine!" Wufei rolled his eyes and gently pushed her hand away. "I can take care of myself."

"But you're -- ,"

"Married. Learning to rule a kingdom. Living away from home." Wufei smiled brightly at his pouting mother. "I'm an adult."

"Speaking of being married," Relena recovered quickly, "How is it going with you two? I know you're getting along -- ," Dorothy coughed loudly into her napkin, receiving dirty looks from Wufei and Duo's end of the table, "But have you... you know... " she smiled.

Duo blinked. "Well, Wufei's got some wonderful talents in bed if that's what you mean."

Dorothy's eyes lit up as one of her favorite topics came up. "Really?" Wufei groaned and slumped beneath the table, dropping all his princely and mature airs. He knew exactly where conversations went when Dorothy and Duo got started. "Do tell."

"Perhaps we ought to discuss something else," Relena suggested. "I don't believe this is appropriate conversation... "

"Nonsense." Dorothy waved Relena's suggestion off with a wave of her hand. "We're all family here, we can discuss things like this without fear of being called unladylike or having bad manners or whatever. Continue Duo."

"Well... " Duo paused and grinned at his mother, even as he contemplated what would be better: the fun of tormenting Relena or the price he'd pay when he and Wufei were alone.

From beneath the table, Wufei's muffled voice spoke up, interrupting Duo's thoughts. "Since your so interested in our sex lives, would you care to join in one night and see exactly what we're capable of?"

"Wufei!" Relena squawked out, fluttering her hands in helpless shock.

"'Fei?" Duo peered under the table in astonishment.

"Now that you mention it... " Dorothy trailed off, tapping her index finger against her chin in thought.

Duo sat up straight, "Un-uh, no way, no how Mom. You know Wufei was joking."

"Was I?"

"Shut up," Duo hissed, kicking blindly under the table, missing Wufei and kicking Relena hard in the knee.

"Ow!"

"Oops. Sorry," Duo apologized sheepishly and turned back to his mother. "C'mon Mom, stop being twisted. You've already got Dad."

"He's no fun," Dorothy slumped back in her seat, her lips in a distinct pout she'd apparently picked up from Quatre. "He gets a nosebleed when I ask him if he's coming to bed."

"And I'm sure you smile coyly and wink and are all suggestive," Duo rolled his eyes.

"I am NOT, you little bastard."

"Speaking of bastards, am I really Dad's?" Duo inquired. Wufei's head slowly appeared back over the edge of the table. Relena stared, wide-eyed with what her virgin ears were hearing.

"Duh. Where else d'you think you get the pout and the eyes from?"

"Well, Dad just didn't seem like a likely candidate," Duo explained.

"I don't understand why everyone is doubtful of my faithfulness," Dorothy said in an innocently hurt tone.

Duo rolled his eyes. "That's because you have no problem with flaunting yourself."

"Like mother, like son," Wufei quipped quietly.

"What do you mean by that?" Relena inquired hastily, attempting to steer the conversation away from Dorothy's chastity.

"Nothing, Mother," Wufei replied dully, wondering if it would be considered all right for him to tell her exactly what he meant. If anything, he'd get some entertainment from Relena's tears when she discovered that her son's spouse was unfaithful to him.

"I hate you," Duo growled beneath his breath at Wufei, poking him harshly in the ribs.

"Love you too, dear," Wufei hissed, grabbing Duo's hand and jerking it away from him.

"Not at the table," Dorothy murmured.

"Dorothy!"

"Oh, come off it Relena. Can't you just feel the sexual tension between them? After all they've been separated for nearly five days!"

"That is not appropriate dinner conversation!"

"And what is? Stupid weather chitchat and discussion of the scenery? Bull shit!"

"No lady uses language like that!"

"And I'm not a lady!"

"What are you then?"

"A Queen! And as Queen, I can do whatever I damn well please!" Dorothy shot Relena a dark, intense glare from across the table. On the other side of the table, Duo and Wufei's eyes traveled back and forth between the two women as if they were watching the ball bounce in a tennis match.

"But a Queen must set an example!" Relena insisted, her hands fluttering helplessly in the air.

Dorothy rolled her eyes, "Oh, I bet that's right out of your precious etiquette book." Relena gazed at the floor. "Jesus Christ!"

Just then, as if out of nowhere, Trowa appeared, ending the argument between the two Queens. "What are you doing here?" Relena demanded in obvious contempt. Wufei wondered briefly if she knew of Heero and Trowa's relationship and that was why she hated jesters-especially Trowa. He tossed this thought away in a moment however. Wufei truly doubted that his mother could possibly be that observant.

"What is it, Trowa?" Wufei inquired, cringing inwardly as his mother let out an exasperated breath of air and started talking to Dorothy in a loud voice about 'jesters that don't know their places'.

"Heer-your father knows Duo and his mother are here." Trowa shot a rather amused glance at the obviously bored Queen as Relena continued her loud abuse of jesters. "He wishes to speak to you both."

"Why?" Duo demanded, an anxious look crossing his face. Although he did respect and admire his father-in-law, he was extremely nervous about what Heero might do if he found out Duo was involved with Zechs. After discovering Heero's fondness for explosives, Duo had shied away from irritating him. But... Duo's heart dropped... Heero might be just a tiny bit irritated with the fact his son's spouse was unfaithful. Duo caught hold of Wufei's eye then and jerked his gaze away, his heart dropping even more. Even if Heero did blow him up or something, he deserved it. He'd hurt Wufei... unknowingly; Duo put his hand out to touch Wufei slightly as the two of them stood up simultaneously, excusing themselves in an automatic monotone.

"Yes?" Wufei turned, as they fell in step together on their way down the long corridor.

"Wufei... " Duo hesitated. "I'm sorry," he let out finally.

Dark eyes glimmered with what Duo might have called hope if he'd thought there'd been anything to be hopeful about. "Apology accepted."

+

Heero sat there, glowering at his son and son-in-law. He didn't know what to say them. Even he knew what he wanted to say; he wouldn't be able to find the words to shape his thoughts. Wufei was good with words, he recalled momentarily.

Duo shifted his weight guiltily from side to side. Heero caught this and a smile of gruff approval flashed across his face momentarily. Duo was feeling guilty.

"Father?" Wufei broke into Heero's thoughts suddenly. "Did you want to see us for any specific reason?"

The words came to Heero suddenly then as he glared at the two young men. "Yes! I want to tell you exactly what I think of you," he barked out. Still glaring, he shouted at them, conveying everything he wanted them to know in a blunt, loud manner. "You two are the best things that ever happened to each other! But you're too stupid and young and ignorant and immature to understand anything! You two were born for each other; any fool with a half a brain could see it! I've never seen two so misguided and just plain stupid before!" Heero thumped a pillow in aggravation, still glaring fiercely at the shaken pair. "A chance like this only comes along once in a lifetime! And you two are so completely and utterly idiotic, you can't realize it!"

Heero paused and gazed at the two, his glare softening. "What do you have to say?"

Wufei spoke first: "Father... " His mind was working frantically, trying to come up with a way to calm his father without agreeing or disagreeing.

Duo solved his dilemma, forgetting that he was terrified of being blown up. "What the hell do you know? That's just your and my own parents opinion! Maybe Wufei and I hate each other! Maybe we're just as miserable with each other as you are with Relena-don't look at me like that; everyone KNOWS you hate your wife!" Duo paused, breathing heavily, his eyes wide and glowing a vivid violet with anger.

Heero sat back and examined his son-in-law, his cobalt eyes taking in ever aspect of Duo. And he laughed.

Heero really laughed. His eyes closed and his head tilted as he laughed. It wasn't a mocking or the more often heard, half-crazy one. No, this was a real laugh of pleasure and amusement. Wufei stared at Duo in shock; surprised he had made his father laugh.

"Um... Father?" Wufei began hesitantly, unsure of what to say to him. What do you say to a supposedly dying man who is in hysterics over the truth in your spouse's words.

"What?" Heero glared at his son, his laughter stopping abruptly. "Don't you think I can laugh?"

"I... I never thought about it," Wufei admitted.

Heero threw his son a curious look before turning back to Duo and announcing bluntly, "I like you. You're outspoken and you've got spirit... you're exactly what Wufei needs." Slowly, Heero's gaze swiveled to Wufei. "What do you have to say?"

Wufei considered this. He didn't want to argue with his father, but he supported what Duo had to say... for a moment, Wufei's mind traveled back to the old adage 'caught between a rock and a hard place'. His lips quirked into a slight smile at the thought of his glowering father and sulky spouse standing on opposite sides of a room with him in the middle. It made an amusing picture in his mind.

"Stop smiling like an idiot and answer me!" Heero ordered.

Wufei arched an eyebrow in faint surprise at Heero but complied with his demand. "I think that you see yourself and Trowa in Duo and I. That you think that somehow, by throwing us together, you're righting some wrong done in the past. I think that you think that Duo and I will have what you and Trowa never even got the chance to pursue. That's exactly what I think."

Heero stared at his son, his eyes filled with unreadable emotion. "Get out of here!" he ordered suddenly. "Both of you! Just... just get out of here!"

"Father?" Wufei whispered in confusion.

"Don't you speak English? I said get out of here!"

"Yes sir," Wufei murmured. "Come on Duo."

Duo paused for a moment and chewed on his lower lip indecisively, obviously contemplating something. "What are you looking at?" Heero barked out, slumping down beneath the sheets and looking much more older and angrier than he really was. Duo felt his heart yield against this man and wordlessly, went to his side and said quietly:

"I don't really hate Wufei. In fact... " his eyes darted up and locked on Wufei's as he said in a voice that was little more than a breath of air. "I think might even be falling."

+

"I missed you," Duo announced once he was safely inside Wufei's room.

"Or was it just my body?" Wufei asked, amusement veining his voice as he indulgently allowed Duo to run his hands over his body.

"No, all of you," Duo whispered, pausing and wrapping his hands around Wufei's neck, resting his head on Wufei's chest. Comforted slightly by the rhythmic pounding of Wufei's heart beneath his cheek, he continued quietly, "I missed having you to talk to. No one else listens and talks to me like you do. And I missed just being with you."

Wufei gazed down at Duo, surprised at the sudden emotion in Duo's voice. "Are you serious?" Wufei asked gently, throwing a dash of cold water over the persistent flame of hope in his heart. He couldn't let himself believe Duo; it was so easy to get hurt that way.

Duo nodded, his face still pressed firmly against Wufei. "I had a long time to think... and listening to your father... please, don't make me talk anymore," Duo begged. "Just... can we just go to bed?"

Wufei raised an eyebrow. "Are you sick? Just a few hours ago you were jumping on me every time I met your eyes."

"Fei," Duo whimpered, a vast note of pleading in his voice.

Wufei sighed and wordlessly, scooped Duo up in his arms, ignoring Duo's mild protests. "Duo, I want to make love to you," Wufei announced suddenly. "And I don't care how tired you claim to be, I need this and you!"

Duo smiled weakly and for once in his life, succumbed to Wufei's kiss without a word.

+

Wufei gazed quietly down at the sleeping form that was Duo. Sighing, he gently brushed away the curtain of chestnut curls that hid Duo's face from view. In his sleep, Duo was unshielded from the world and Wufei realized how much a boy Duo still was.

"You don't deserve this," Wufei whispered to his sleeping lover, idly stroking the thick silky strands that lay across both of them. "You shouldn't be forced to live like this when you don't even know who you are yet. Duo, you haven't even lived yet and already you're expected to love and understand the world. It's not fair."

Duo sighed softly in his sleep, his hand reaching to rest on Wufei as if he disagreed with what Wufei was saying. Wufei smiled, almost sadly as he laid Duo's hand back down on the bed. "Duo, I can't do this to you."

Wufei gazed quietly around the room, his hand still resting atop of Duo's. A candle that had not yet flickered out dimly lit the room and in the near darkness the room out and in the near darkness, there still hung the scent of their coupling. Wufei's eyes closed and his throat constricted painfully at the memory. As he had watched their joined forms move together among the shadows on the wall, as he had heard Duo's name on his lips, Wufei had known what was happening to him.

Wufei had known he'd gone and done something he swore would never happen.

He'd let himself fall in love with Duo.

+

Duo smiled cheerfully as he entered his shared room with Wufei. "Its nice being back, isn't?" Duo asked into the darkness, frowning at the lack of lighting. "How come you're sitting in the dark?"

From a darkened corner, Duo saw the dark outline of Wufei's hand reach over the faintly glowing coals of the fire and a sheet of paper drift down from his hand to the still hot coals. "Wufei?" Duo whispered, his heart stopping momentarily as he drew closer to the silent boy's chair.

"That was a letter from my mother," Wufei's voice came from the chair, strangely flat and emotionless.

"My father insisted that he was well enough to go riding and they let him. He was thrown from the animal."

Wufei turned to look at Duo then, his eyes wide, dark and hollow as he said with a sudden rush of feeling. "Duo, my father is dead!"

+

Heero: I'm DEAD?
Duo: snicker Loser. Can't even stay on a horse.
Heero: NO STUPID ANIMAL'S GONNA KNOCK ME OFF!
Wufei: Yeah. Riiiiight.
Heero: throws Aimee if-looks-could-kill-glare
Eep! Heero wasn't supposed to die, this chapter was supposed to be humorous and then all sappy and romantic, really! ...But angst has a way of creeping in! sigh Anyways, did you all like it? hopeful little look Did ya?

[part 7] [part 9] [back to Singles a - k]