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"That Which Mends"Written By: SkyLark Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, or its characters. I just love playing with them. Pairings: 2x1x2, past 2xOC, 5xOC, 3x4 Warnings: Angst, Violence, Sap, Lemons/Limes, AU Archives: http://www.gundam-wing-diaries.150m.com/gw/SkyLark/gwSkyLark.htm
and http://www.mizunoamy.bravepages.com/skylark/skylarkfics.html Summary: Heero is a straight A student studying Psychology and finds his world turned upside down when he attends a Frat party.
"That Which Mends" [I'm gonna pick up the pieces, and build a lego house -Lyrics to 'Lego House' performed by Ed Sheeran] Chapter 18
[Flashback]
Wufei was slammed and pinned against the wall behind him hard enough that his teeth clicked. Shaking his head to clear it, he stared in shock at the face that he had just greeted at his door that he did not even finish opening before he was attacked. "Maxwell," he gritted out as his eyes narrowed. "What the hell are you-"
The glaring, braided agent cut him off, snarling, "Where the fuck have you been these last two days? We've been here every day, we've out looking, calling around and doing whatever else we could to find you. Tell me you haven't been hiding out here all along." "Get your hands off of me," the Preventers team leader ordered in a growl, his own hands reaching up to remove the ones gripping his shoulders. In doing so, he revealed his cut and bruised knuckles that were still darkened by dried blood.
Violet eyes growing at the sight of his teammate's injuries, Duo backed off of him. That was when he slowly turned his head to see the haphazard state of the living room. Furniture was tossed about, broken glass and even the walls had dents from where something heavy had been tossed against them.
Unable to blink his enlarged eyes, Agent Night breathed, "Jesus, Fei." Looking back on his friend, he noted his teammate's drawn face long and sunken, sleep-deprived eyes. Whatever frustrations he might have felt up to that moment completely evaporated to leave only concern for him once more.
Pulling his loose hair into his standard ponytail, Chang shrugged nonchalantly and sighed , "I've been... venting. The last time I did that, I spent a night in jail. Better to take this out on some furniture than someone's face."
"Yea... or their bones, spine, spleen, head..." Duo snorted, his voice trailing off as he stared back to the incredible ruin around them. He made a permanent memo to himself to never push Agent Wolf to that point of anger with him or he was sure to spend a few days in a hospital for it.
With a deep breath, he peered back to his weary counterpart and told him quietly, "Listen, I'm not even going to pretend that I know what you must be going through right now. But for what it's worth, you have me, Trowa and Quatre as witnesses to confirm you did everything by the book. We'll confirm that with the board when they investigate what happened-"
Shaking his head, Wufei snapped, "I don't even know if I want to stay on as a Preventer anymore. That's part of why I've been avoiding Lady Une's calls specifically." Shoulders dropping, his dark eyes lost their focus as he frowned deeply, "I just... don't know... I can't feel anything right now..."
Maxwell bit his lip, nodding, "Fair enough. We'll cross that bridge when we get there and we'll support you in whatever you decide. But for now, if you want, I know someone who knows someone who gave me the name of a crew who could get this place cleaned and looking like new for you no questions asked."
Raising an eyebrow, Chang looked a bit more like himself as he snorted, "You always know someone who knows someone for anything." Quickly he added with a tiny hint of a smile, "I'd rather not know why that is, by the way."
That tiny smile fading, he cleared his throat and inquired softly, "How's Anna?"
Duo folded his arms across his chest, replying, "Actually, that's why I thought I'd stop by in hopes of telling you in person." Mentally distracted, he shrugged, "Annie's a fighter. She's had a couple rough spells with her body flushing out the toxins that are still in her, but she's going to make a full recovery. It'll just be a long few weeks of meds, treatment and physical therapy to get her there but she'll get through it."
Every word he spoke was heavy with his profound affections for her. His violet eyes lost a bit of their light to give way to his worry over the weapons expert, no matter how hard he tried to hide it. And those things only stirred up those jealous feelings Wufei couldn't help.
"You love her, don't you?" came the most unexpected question that had Agent Wolf's head snapping up.
Wide-eyed, the team lead stammered, "W-what?"
Tilting his braided head, Duo asked again, "You like Annie, right?"
Dumbfounded, Chang shook his head as he muttered, "I.. well... ah..."
The guilt that Wufei had been harboring over that very thing washed over him, his body sagging with the weight of it. "She saved my life, Duo," he whispered, "I don't even know how to begin to thank her for that."
His teammate answered, "You hold her. You let her cry if she needs it. You tell her everything's going to be alright, because eventually it will be. Whatever she needs, you just give it to her and that's all there is to it because she's not looking for a thank you for what she did."
Agent Wolf swallowed hard past the lump in his throat and gave a shallow nod. He could do that... He *would* do that.
Satisfied by the resolve in the onyx eyes watching him, Maxwell smiled. "Go on and get dressed," he ordered, gesturing to the tan shorts that were the only thing his friend was wearing. "Not that I don't appreciate the view, but you might want to be a little more decent when you head out to the hospital."
Unconsciously folding his arms around his bare chest at the mixed compliment over his physique, Wufei gave the other agent an indignant grunt and headed off for the spiral staircase as he grumbled, "Not in your wildest dreams, Maxwell."
Stopping just inside the doorway before he disappeared, the Chinese agent glanced around the room and looked back at his teammate to request, "About that cleaning crew you know through someone-"
"On it," Duo chuckled, removing his cell phone from his jeans pocket. "They'll have this place looking better than the day you bought it by the time you're back. Just do me a favor and warn me whenever you feel the need to.... vent like this again so I make sure to stay as far the hell away as possible, 'kay?" Nodding firmly, Wufei smirked, "Done."
~ ~ ~ ~
Less than an hour later, Chang found himself standing before Anna's closed off room. Chewing on the inside of his cheek, he eyed the bouquet of flowers that he had picked up on his way to the hospital.
Finally gathering up his courage, the agent took a deep breath, rolled his shoulders back and held his head up before he dove in. Knocking lightly on the door as he eased the it open enough to peek inside, the air he was inhaling hitching in his throat when he saw the redhead sitting in the hospital bed across from him.
Lowering the bouquet of flowers onto the tray that he passed when he practically ran to her, Chang sat beside the weapons expert and carefully clung onto her. Burying his head in her shoulder, everything that he had been holding back over the last couple of days came rushing to a head when he felt her arms wrapping around him.
Powerless in holding back the tears that he had denied up until then, Agent Wolf cried for the first time in a very long time. and once he started, he couldn't stop. His sobs were muffled as Downs rubbed circles along his back and kissed the top of his head. Despite the discomfort it caused her, she held him all the tighter as his frame trembled.
That was when it hit Chang that Maxwell was right... Anna was strong and she was recovering....
*He* was the one who needed to be held. *He* was the one who needed to be allowed to cry. *He* was the one who needed to hear that everything was going to be alight. This was about him all along.
Duo knew that Anna was the only person who could be whatever Wufei needed in this, the darkest moment of his life.
All of the pain, anger, grief and everything else poured out of him as quite some time ticked away until his emotionally and physically drained body gave into exhaustion and he fell into a much needed sleep. Downs blinked when her partner's arms slowly dropped. Peering over at the wall clock, she realized that over an hour had passed by at the same time that her ears picked up on the soft, even breathing beside her head. With a warm smile, she closed her eyes and squeezed her friend with a sigh. Seconds later, the door opened to Trowa and Quatre.
The conversation they had been engaged in came to an abrupt halt,
as did their steps, when they spotted the Chinese agent. Anna held
a finger to her lips, letting them know her companion was resting. "Phew," Barton whispered, righting himself
and running the back of his hand over his brow. "He's a lot heavier
than he looks." Winner and Downs snickered quietly while the
public relations speaker adjusted the blanket to tuck both of his
friends under it. Of course the events of that terrible night was going
to effect them for a very long time. going forward, they would have
challenges in getting past what had happened and they'd have to face
a whirlwind of an investigation that was to come... but they'd get
through it together as always. * * * *
Anna purred, "Ooohh. What kind of kinky game do you have in mind with this?"
Tying off the blindfold he placed over her eyes, Wufei laughed behind her, "This isn't that kind of surprise, love of loves." Smirking, he added, "Though I am open to suggestions later." He rounded his partner to bend down and lift up quickly with her perched on his back.
Instinct kicking in, the redhead automatically circled her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, as she rested her chin on his shoulder.
Taking an alternative route into what would soon be their shared home so that she didn't recognize the number of steps he was taking or the direction that they were walking, Chang further distracted her by asking, "Do you happen to have an overnight bag in your car?"
"Yep," Downs chirped brightly by his ear. "I have ever since you asked me to stay, just in case."
Sincerely pleased in hearing that, Agent Wolf nodded firmly, "Good. It'd be nice to have you here on a week night for a change."
She felt her feet settle on the ground beneath her and cut herself off. "You brat," she smiled, "Now I have no idea where we are." "That was the point," her lover chuckled as he walked behind her. Taking hold of the loose knot he had made at the back of her head, he asked, "Ready?" All but bouncing on the balls of her feet, the redhead nodded enthusiastically. "Ready!" she cheered. The blindfold fell away and she opened her eyelids, blinking rapidly to refocus her vision. Gasping sharply as she took in their surroundings, her jaw dropped and eyes grew to their limits. She held a hand over her chest, breathing, "Wufei..." The spacious basement had been completely gutted, redesigned and furnished to be lined from top to bottom in silver plate metal. Long tables and carts were lined in columns with some of the best of the best dissecting and blast protection gear that most military bunkers would envy for safe carriers of every type of gun, knife and other hand held weapon right down to a dome of glass to house hazardous liquids. Glass display cases, a private firing range and whatever else the weapons expert could have only imagined to have at her disposal were all right before her. It was an examination room beyond her wildest dreams... and it was all hers. Large tears filled Anna's eyes as she covered her gaping mouth with her hands. Resting an arm across her shoulder, Wufei leaned against her side as he smirked, "You know, most girls would want a space like this for clothes or shoes or jewelry... not you."
Shaking his head to the scene before them, he snickered, "Nope. Not you. No, I knew that you'd want a war room." His partner laughed along with him as she wiped her cheeks to dry them.
Wolf huffed, "Off-putting? It's a damned turn on to me!" Snickering, they leaned all the closer together. "I-I just still can't believe this," Downs said, her voice little more than a whisper and head shaking as she stared back out to the space that was far greater than anything she'd ever had to her name up to that moment. "W-when did you pull this off? How?" Shrugging, Chang reached over to gently brush away a fresh tear with the pad of his thumb. "I've been meaning to do something with the basement for a long time now," he answered. "I got the ball rolling on this project as soon as I knew you'd be moving in so that you could operate and experiment to your heart's content. As far as the 'how,' I found the contractors through Duo. He knows a guy..." Anna nodded, harmonizing in perfect time with him, "who knows I guy, who knows a guy..." They laughed. Getting over the initial shock of her surprise, the redhead stepped forward and slowly made her way around the room. She took it all in, including the little personal details that had been added to the display cases and holsters that had her first initial and the Preventers logo engraved into them. Chewing on the inside of his cheek when she was nearly finished her tour, Wufei inquired, "So, you like it?" "Like it? I love it!" his lover beamed. Closing the distance between them, she pressed their mouths together in a scorching kiss and held nothing back on her end to wordlessly express her deep gratitude. Still, when they broke apart for air, she rested their foreheads together and told the other agent, "Thank you so much for this, Wufei... I blank you." Coming out of his stunned stupor from their kiss, Chang smiled back, "I blank you, too, Anna." Her own smile only growing, Downs spun around and walked over to one of the long tables bolted along the wall that was fixed with steel cuffs for restraining materials at either end. She then eyed the battery-powered electrodes beside it. A thought instantly springing to mind, she hummed. Taking hold of a couple cords with metal tips at their end, she gave her partner a sultry smirk. "You know, there are a lot of benefits to having a room like this besides it being just a lab. I already have a few ideas for using these electrodes, and harnesses if you're up for a demonstration-" she yelped when she was suddenly pulled flush against her lover. Wufei's lips curled in a devilish grin as he purred,
"Why do you think I had those installed so close together?"
[Flashback]
With a sigh, Wufei returned to the world of the living as his eyes blinked open.
Heart hammering in his chest, the Chinese agent raised his head to gaze up at the smiling face he'd dreamt of waking up next to for a long time. And everything froze for him... aside from the blood rushing to his burning cheeks. Her blue eyes widening ever so slightly, Anna let onto the fact that she noticed his embarrassment, which only made him want to bury himself in a hole all the more.
To his grateful relief, rather than poke fun at him for the blush, the redhead's grin simply warmed and her arms that were already looped around him squeezed in encouragement. "You okay?" she asked in sincere concern, never addressing what could have been a very awkward moment for him.
Delicately pushing himself up onto his side so that they could both remain on the bed and face each other, Chang commented, "This isn't about me. I came here to see you."
Losing the redness in his cheeks, he felt comfortable enough to brush a few loose red hairs from his teammate's forehead to tuck them behind her ear as he inquired, "How are you holding up?"
"I'm alright," Downs told him. "Just waiting for a clean blood work report so I can get out of this place and start my physical therapy so I can walk without discomfort." She shrugged, "Nothing I can't handle."
No. That was definitely nothing she couldn't handle, Wolf concurred to himself. Still, he couldn't get over how pale and weak she looked right then.
Smirking, he tugged on the purple blanket over them. "Please tell me Quatre didn't work for two days and nights straight weaving this for you." He gestured to the bouquet that had been placed in a glass vase beside the bed while he was sleeping. "It'd really take the thunder out of those flowers I brought if he did."
Anna ran a hand over the soft wool, laughing, "No, bless his sweet heart, he had this made for my birthday and gifted it early for my stay here. And no thunder was stolen. The flowers are beautiful. Thank you." Quickly turning serious, she pressed, "But really... are you alright?"
For the umpteenth time that day, Chang felt his throat tighten under the pressure of his emotions. "Not really," he answered honestly, quietly. "I don't know if I ever will be again." Hearing the words that left him, he was mortified before his friend's reaction set in.
Her eyes welling up with tears, Anna whispered, "Wufei." She grasped his arm, insisting, "We're going to get through this. I don't know how or how long it'll take, but we will... we have to. *You* have to because you're too good of a person to let this beat you. Duo, Trowa and Quatre would do anything to help out... and you know I'll always be here if you need anything."
Sniffling as his own eyes misted over, the guilt that Agent Wolf had been battling for days threatened to crush him. But then there was also the intense adoration that he'd already had for Agent Fire that only grew at her sincere sentiment. Eyes closing, he leaned in to press and hold a kiss against her forehead as a stray tear rolled down his face.
Having experienced many kisses in the past, this was the first that sent a tingle down the redhead's spine. Blinking widely, her eyes drifted closed and she leaned into the touch while her cheeks began to warm.
"Thank you, Anna," Wufei murmured, resting their foreheads together. 'For everything,' was never spoken, but it was there all the same. He didn't need to say it in reference to how she had saved his life, it was simply understood. He didn't need to mention his appreciation for her steadfast friendship and for being willing to do whatever she could to get him through this, that much was perfectly clear.
Bottom lip quivering, the weapons expert nodded.
Reluctant as he was to leave the bed, Chang knew she needed her rest and a check of the time revealing the late evening hour warned him that visiting hours would be ending soon. "I'll see you in the morning," he grinned, cupping the side of his teammate and long-time crush's face.
"You're not reporting into work tomorrow?" Downs frowned deeply.
Shaking his head, the Chinese agent responded, "I don't know when... or if I will again. Lady Une knows that I need time to think things out before the board gets together to determine whether or not I'll be able to keep my badge in the first place."
Again, Anna nodded as she reached up to hold onto the hand that began to move from her cheek. "I get that," she reassured. "But make sure it's what you want, not what anyone else tells you or what you think is expected of you. And if you really want to stay on, we'll all fight to make sure you do."
Wufei smiled one of his few true smiles of the last couple of days. "I know you will," he said softly with a wink. Squeezing the hand around his own, he kept his nerve long enough to peck her cheek and urged quietly, "Get some sleep. Good night."
"'Night," Downs replied, her fingers tracing over the skin that was still tingling from that last kiss. Quickly recovering from her surprise when Chang stopped in the doorway to turn back and wave at her, she waved back with a wide grin.
As the door closed after the other officer, Anna sighed and lowered herself onto her back. Staring up at the ceiling as she had only her thoughts and feelings as her company, she finally surrendered to acknowledging the one thing she had been denying to herself for months up until then...
...she was in love with Wufei.
[End Flashback]
* * * *
"That's great to hear," Odin smirked. "As for the ones who are avoiding your services, give it time. If they really need your assistance, they'll seek you out. If there's nothing else to report, then I'll be in touch with you again when you return from your Spring Break over a week from now."
Shaking his head, Yuy replied, "We'll catch up later, then. Nothing else to report here."
Mentor and pupil exchanged their salutations and the laptop was shut down at the end of the call. Peering over at his closet at the other half of his room, Heero gazed on the Preventer's uniform that had arrived for him earlier. Neatly pressed and hanging from the top of the double doors, he snorted, "Nothing to report at all."
TBC |
