Author: CONTACT-con: 589113507 Sparkle Itamashii
Title: Water Dragon
Warnings: Please respect the rating. See profile for details.
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing After Colony (AC) is NOT MINE.
Significant Note The following happens prior to and affects the storyline of Through the Storm. Storm's storyline war lasted just over three years after the boys joined, instead of just over one.
Water Dragon
I pressed my palms to my temples in exasperation. People could be beyond irritating, especially when they wouldn't just listen to what I was saying! I'd been on the phone with this abominable lady for nearly twenty minutes and we were no farther along than when she'd first greeted me! The call before this one hadn't been any better, but at least the person had been somewhat competent.
"No." I repeated for the fifteenth time in as many minutes, "I just want a normal room for two people, without any meals or services. Just a room."
"I'm sorry, sir, there are no rooms available tonight but if you'd like-"
"I don't need a room for tonight!" I interrupted, "I have a room for tonight! In two weeks-" I froze, listening to the rumbling noise that grated around the side of the house and into the backyard. Either I was under attack or Duo had returned…
"Wu Fei! Hey, 'Fei! You gotta see this!" Duo's voice filtered faintly through the back windows.
The lady on the vid-screen was speaking again, drawing my attention back to her. "-lovers suite, if you want but-"
"I have to go." I snapped testily.
I pressed the off button and shoved my chair away from the desk. Duo had gone silent but he had not yet come inside. I learned swiftly from the past and I knew that his silence could only mean one thing- he was up to something and chances were I wouldn't like it. With a huff, I stalked across the room and roughly yanked the sliding glass door open. I raked my eyes over the area in search of my temporary partner.
Normally I wouldn't team up with Duo. Of all the others he got on my nerves the worst with his chipper attitude and insufferable ability to see the good in any situation. The safe-house we were staying at was probably the most beautiful I'd ever used. The small, one-story house backed up to a huge, sparkling-blue lake. I loved water, which was probably the only reason I'd ever agreed to staying in such a ludicrously extravagant safe-house. That… and the fact that I had roomed with Duo once before in a confined area and I had no desire to repeat the experience. I'd thought for sure that if boredom didn't kill him as he proclaimed it could, I would gladly do it instead. This place gave him much more room to leave me alone.
But just because he could didn't mean that he did.
He spotted me standing in the doorway staring and waved, the rickety, grey-wood dock below him swaying dangerously with the movement. With a grin fit for the Cheshire cat, he motioned to the contraption bobbing in the gentle waves beside him.
I didn't want to know.
Rolling my eyes, I turned and shut the door slow enough that I caught sight of him taking off to stop me. Allowing myself a small grin, I clicked the lock shut. I watched him veer to the side, guessing what I was going to do, and we both headed for the front of the house. I had a shorter distance to go but the door burst open before I could lock it and Duo stood for a minute, grinning stupidly.
"What is it this time?" I growled, turning to move away from him.
"Get ready to swim." He said mischievously. "We've got a mission."
Startled and confused, I let my irritated mask slip as I stared at him. "Mission? Aren't we leaving next week?"
He rolled his eyes like I was the one being unreasonable. "Not a real mission, 'Fei." Raking his eyes up and down my figure in a more than suggestive way, he smiled. "I'm going to make you have some fun before we've got to leave."
I snorted. Duo's idea of "fun" was often detrimental to the health of everyone involved. "No thank you."
Immediately he whirled, ducking past me to block the way so that I could not get to our bedroom. I returned his jovial smile with a glare and attempted twice to get around him to no avail. Backing up a pace I gave him a dry look and tried to determine my chances of getting out of the situation without having to do what he wanted. I quickly came to the conclusion that I had seen that look in his eyes before and new that I didn't stand a chance. Resigning myself to at least hearing him out, I sighed.
"I can't change unless I can get to the bedroom, Maxwell."
"Don't bother locking yourself in again." He replied, sidestepping to allow me through. "I bought new lock picks."
Cursing under my breath as I moved past, I surrendered. I took longer to change into my suit than was absolutely necessary- I heard a guttering roar leave and return, presumably that thing Duo had been so excited over earlier. I grudgingly admit to buying a suit on Duo's whim the day we moved here. It had come in invaluably useful for swimming in our downtime. I had taken several midnight swims, when no one was around to watch me. I found it peaceful to be so close to those things in nature I loved so much.
When I finally reached the dock, Duo was already in the water, fiddling with something on the side of the machine that was still in the water. I watched him for a few seconds until he noticed me and gave a wicked grin.
"Hop on." He ordered glibly.
"What is it?" I asked dubiously, eyeing it. I'd never seen anything like it before. The lake was quiet so there weren't many boats but this… this was no boat.
"It's called a jet-ski." Pausing in his tinkering, he gave it a once over and smiled. "Honestly I didn't think I would find one- I spent the three days looking and finally found a place that I could rent one from."
"Is that where you've been all day?" I queried, meeting his gaze.
"Just get on."
He held the jet-ski still while I hopped on, trying to keep my balance as it rocked dangerously beneath me. After I was sitting, holding tightly to the handle-bars, he hopped onto the dock. Water sluiced from his skin and gathering into a glittering puddle all around him, pattering into the water as it dripped. I stared a few seconds longer than I should have as he shook water from his bangs and tossed them back, giving me an impish look.
"You know how to use one of these babies, right?" He questioned, cocking one eyebrow.
"O-of course I do!" I snapped. Looking at the controls I realized I actually didn't have a clue. After several minutes of trying to figure it out, I gave an irritated huff and twisted to look at him. "Well?"
Laughing heartily, he pulled his knees up and pushed off from the dock, landing on the back of the jet-ski. I yelped, hastily clutching at the handlebars as the vehicle pitched and threatened to tip several times before it settled. I growled, digging an elbow into Duo's side in retaliation. He ignored it and reached around my waist, inserted a small silver key into a slot I hadn't taken note of earlier. Immediately the same guttering roar I had heard while changing filled the air.
"It's really simple." He said next to my ear so that I could hear him over the noise. "She runs like a motorbike, but made for the water. I've seen you ride before."
I jumped forward an inch, startled when I felt his left arm wrap tightly around my waist. "Maxwell, what are you doing?" I snarled testily, fingers flying to his in an attempt to pry them loose.
"Take it easy. Hands go here." He nabbed my wrist with the very hand I had just freed myself from, and followed it down along the skin to my fingertips. In the same motion he brought my hand to the grip and placed his over mine, holding it fast. "Just hold on and enjoy the ride."
He thumbed the throttle with his right hand and the water bike sprung forward like a leaping tiger, landing with a splash. I attained a death grip on the handlebars as I slid backwards, pressed flush against Duo's chest with the sudden forward movement. Briefly, he pressed his cold nose into the crook of my neck and then shouted next to my ear.
"Relax! I won't let you fall." He gently ran his left thumb over the back of my hand without releasing the handlebars.
The ride was… better and less injurious than I had expected it would be. Duo hadn't lied when he said it was like riding a motorbike but he'd left out how much more free it felt. On the water there were no set paths, no roads to follow. He raced all over the lake, spinning tight circles so we could jump our own wake and blazing past the only two boats that were sitting idly on the surface. We wove through the tiny waves, back end fishtailing wildly and sending up a rooster-tail of white water behind us.
It was a long time before our shore finally came into view again. I had lost my iron grip on the handles only because my entire front was numb with the cold from the air and water spray. Shivering, I pried my cramped fingers away and brought them to my chest as we neared the dock, puttering forward in first gear. I closed my eyes, feeling Duo controlling his own trembling shivers against my back. He'd remained true to his word, not letting either one of us fall. I found that I'd actually regretted seeing the dock looming closer. I didn't want to lose the feeling of the moment.
"Cold?" Duo whispered against the nape of my neck when the engine finally shuddered to a stop. The silence was deafening, ringing in my ears.
I didn't open my eyes, merely remained where I was, feeling his warm breath against my skin. "A little." I admitted shakily. The muscles in my upper body had all been quaked so badly by the vibrating engine movement that they weren't working properly.
"We should go… warm up." I felt his lips against my shoulder when he smiled. "Don't you think?"
"No." I replied flatly, loosening my weight and slipping into the water under his arm. He could have stopped me, I know, but he let me go, shifting in the seat to watch me haul myself out of the water onto the dock. I took two steps before my curiosity got the better of me. "Why do you even try?"
I didn't turn so I don't know what sort of look he gave me, only that he paused before answering evenly. "Everyone needs a friend, 'Fei. Even you."
Dropping my eyes to the fading grey wood beneath my bare feet, I sighed. I glanced back just enough to see him out the corner of my eye. He had turned the water bike around so that he could lean on the handlebars and watch me with those deep violet eyes. Duo was always telling jokes, weaving stories, making people laugh; he acted the fool all the time. But it was times like that moment that I realized that's all it was. Acting.
I faced the house again and managed another step before halting.
There were worse people to be friends with…
"I'm going in to town tonight. I made a reservation at one of the restaurants."
He dropped into the water, shoving the water bike the last few feet so that it was beached on the sandy lake shore. My jaw clenched at his lack of an answer, but if he was going to make an effort to be friends… The honorable thing would be to return the favor. The worst that could happen would be that it worked.
"The reservation is for two, if you're free." I closed my eyes again, taking a breath as I started to move toward the house.
"Wu Fei." He called after me when I reached the door. Pausing in the door, I waited for him to continue. "Don't use all the hot water. I want to shower before we go."
Smiling the slightest bit, I shut the door behind me.
/End Water Dragon/