Author: Mel

Seven Days + Day 1

Quatre woke as the sun peaked in through his windows. He stretched his body, wiggling his fingers, and allowing his mind to wake up before he opened his eyes...

And found himself staring into violet eyes.

He jumped, yelping softly, and fell off his rather large bed, of which he had managed to end up at just one end. Thankfully he managed to pull the sheet with him. Quatre often slept naked. Duo watched him fall, a look of playful amusement on his face. "Falling for me Cat?"

"Duo!" Quatre pulled himself into a seated position, the sheet covering him, luckily. "By Allah, how did you get in here?"

"Your window."

Quatre stared at him, "Duo, my room is four stories up."

"Yeah, I know." Duo grinned but didn't offer any other explanation. Instead, he cocked his head to the side, his braid falling around him. "Wanna get dressed Cat? It's nice to have you naked on the floor, but some how I don't think Rashid'd be too impressed." He winked and walked to the window, casting one last glance at Quatre before vaulting out of it.

Quatre flushed furiously, standing, still pulling the sheet around him, as if Duo would walk in at any moment. He wondered at the reaction he was having to his best friend, and then promptly forgot it as his mind thought of the work he would have to do today...

Duo spent most of his morning on the Winner's mansion's roof. Currently he was laying back, staring up at the artificial skyline of L4. It was a lot different from L2, almost like the fresh air of Earth. Sighing he blinked lightly, two years had been a long time. Too long to be away.

He grinned. But he was here now...

"Quatre, I'm sooooooo bored." Duo cried, his voice a pained whimper. He was actually lying across Quatre's desk, trying to capture the blonde's attention. Quatre, use to Duo's antics, was ignoring him. He held a report in his hand and was skimming lightly through it, making notes on his computer as he did.

Duo was most unimpressed at the lack of attention he was getting. He glared at the blonde boy, violet eyes furious. Until he smiled.

The devilish smile lit up Duo's face and some of the fire and passion he had been known for during the war flared in his eyes. The manic smile went unnoticed by the oblivious Quatre. "Quatre?" Duo purred the name.

"Hmmm?" Quatre's eyes were still on the report.

"Thanks!" Still smiling Duo reached out and plucked the report from his hand.

"Hey!" Quatre cried out, reaching for Duo even as he moved away. "Now look here Duo... No I'm not going to chase... Come back here with that Duo! DUO!"

Quatre spent the rest of his day searching for the wayward ex-pilot. He, however, did remember when Duo often went missing when he had been staying with Quatre. It could happen for days at a time, and though he had always known there were no missions, he always wondered where the braided pilot had gone.
Now he wondered if had just been to send him insane.

With no work to do, seeing as Duo had apparently stolen it, Quatre left his study during the day for the first time in months. He received numerous and surprised greetings from many servants, people he had called friends during his childhood. He found himself talking with people whom he hadn't seen in years.

It wasn't till three hours later that Quatre actually gave up on searching for Duo and decided that it was best that he returned to his study. Maybe he could get some other things done without that report.

He trudged back to the study, his imagination lingering on ways to kill the braided pilot when he opened the door...

... And found Duo sitting in an armchair by the fire. Duo had a book on his lap and he appeared to be engrossed in it. And by the amount he had actually read, it looked like he had been engrossed for a while.

Fuming Quatre walked up to the desk, noting that the offending report was on there. He glared at Duo, who was ignoring his for the book. He was tempted to take the book off the other boy, but common sense took over and he sighed, slipping into his seat behind the desk. He picked up the report...

It took him half an hour to realise he'd read the same line twenty times.

He looked at Duo.

"What are you reading?"

"The magician's Nephew," Duo muttered, turning the page.

"What?"

"The first book in the Narnia Chronicles." There was a light pause. "It was on your bookshelf Quatre, are you telling me you've never read it?"

"Well yeah, I've never had time... What's it about?"

Duo was staring at him. "It's a classic, what do you mean you've 'never had time'?"

Quatre shrugged and Duo sighed, "Well I can't just tell you what it's about, pull up a chair." Quatre moved so he was beside his best friend as Duo flicked to the front of the book. He cleared his throat as he began to read. "Chapter one, The Wrong Door. This story is about something that happened long ago... "

Quatre got no more work done on the first day that Duo spent in his mansion...

[prologue] [day 2] [back to Mel's fic]