Chapter 7
Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned around only to find the grinning face of a longtime friend right in front of mine.
“Heero! It’s been so long!” the little blonde hugged me. “I was so worried about you! I heard about what happened between you and your parents, why didn’t you call me?”
He looked a little hurt as he asked that last part.
“I’m sorry, Quatre, I know I probably should have called,” I began, but he cut me off.
“Damn straight, you should have!” he snapped.
I gave him a sad little smile, “I’m sorry. I just thought that you had more than enough on your plate since the funeral. I didn’t want to add to that.”
The man before me seemed to deflate a little in his expensive charcoal suit, “Yes, that was a most difficult time. I only just came back three weeks ago and found an invitation to this opening in my mailbox. My sisters thought it would do me good to get out of the house and have fun for at least a little while.”
I nodded, “So how are things going?” I asked.
He sighed and waved vaguely, “It’s been a little rough, I must admit. I’ve taken over the company and became CEO of WEI. Unlike my late father, I believe that my sisters are more than capable of running the business and have even formed a special committee for them. The ones who are interested in the business all have their own departments to look after and the ones that aren’t are still part of the committee so that we can all vote on some of the bigger issues.”
“So you’ve given up control of the company?” I asked a little skeptically.
He shook his head, “No, I still have absolute authority when it comes right down to it, but I feel that they should be involved too, so I made it possible for them to voice their opinions and concerns before going through with my final decisions.”
“I see.” I looked over at my friend and saw how much he’d matured, yet still managed to retain an aura of innocence that was sure to fool anyone who didn’t know how shrewd a businessman he was, even at his young age of twenty one.
“Anyway, enough about business,” he tried changing the subject. “I have enough of a reminder with the Maguanacs following me around everywhere I go.”
“Why are they following you? I thought only Rashid was assigned to you.” That was odd; Quatre had always had a bodyguard and had never complained before. Actually Rashid was like a father to us both and our most trusted friend.
“He was, but when the autopsy showed that father’s passing was not accidental or natural, Iria made sure that I was well guarded at all times. I usually have about three to escort me wherever I go, and I have to admit it’s putting a real dent in my love life.”
I had to snicker at that. It was odd how talking to Quatre calmed my nerves.
“I mean, really,” he said a little exasperated, shooting his guards a look so that they didn’t get too close to him right now, “it was hard enough talking to someone before. Aside from the fact that I’m financially above par, making it hard to find someone NOT after my money, you know I’m as queer as the Q in my name.”
I had to laugh. Now I remembered why Quatre was my best friend. He always made me forget about my troubles and make his own seem like something to laugh about.
“You have a point there,” I said, taking a sip of my complimentary tea, courtesy of the hors d'oeuvres table.
“As I was saying,” He continued, “I want to change the subject.”
“Okay,” I said, “go right on ahead.”
“Well, I have to ask, is that you in all of these paintings?” he asked, eyeing me critically.
I blushed and all of a sudden, I was back to being nervous again. “H-hai.”
“I thought so,” he smirked, pulling out an envelope from the pocket inside his jacket and handed it to me.
“What’s this?” I asked as I took out the card inside.
“It’s the invitation to this opening, and the reason why I came.”
“Oh?” I looked at the card and was shocked to find that the front of it had a print of Duo’s oil painting of me on the bed. I had to admit I loved that painting, but I felt incredibly exposed. It featured me leaning on my side, shirtless and staring off in a dreamy, yet alluring way. My hair was bed-tousled and the sheets around me made it seem as if I had been naked at the time when I had been wearing my boxers.
Opening the card, I found the details about the event, entitled “Blue Eyes.”
“So you came because you recognized me?” I asked.
Quatre nodded, “I’m actually thinking about buying a piece. Perhaps the one entitled Moon Glow…”
I nodded, remembering the night spent with Duo painting me in the gazebo by moonlight, “I like that one too.”
Quatre grinned, “He found an excellent subject if I may say so.”
I blushed again.
“Actually, I think most of my sisters are here too. They all want to buy a painting of a naked Heero.”
“What!” I whispered, horrified.
He shrugged, “You’re a very attractive man, Heero. It’s not our fault we appreciate your aesthetic value and want to support the artist who captured it.”
Just then, I felt a strong arm wrap around my shoulders in a very possessive sort of way. I looked up and saw Duo standing next to me, smiling at Quatre, although his body language seemed to say ‘Back off, buddy!’
“So, Heero,” he smiled brightly, “who is your friend here?”
I cleared my throat and tried to fight away my blush, “Duo, this is Quatre Winner, WEI CEO and my best friend… he just came back from Arabia. Quatre, this is Duo Maxwell, Artist and my-”
“Boyfriend,” he supplied helpfully.
Quatre’s eyes widened at that declaration. “Boyfriend? Wow. Congratulations to both of you.”
Duo nodded, “Thank you.”
“Is it safe to assume that you’re the same artist that created these magnificent works?” Quatre asked, motioning to the images captured on the walls.
“I am,” Duo said warily.
Quatre smiled then and held out his hand to shake Duo’s, “In that case, I’d like to congratulate you on such exquisite work and I would appreciate you to posting a ‘sold’ sign on ‘Moon Glow’.”
Duo raised an eyebrow, “Thank you for the compliment, but are you serious? Today is only a showing, they don’t go on sale until tomorrow, but you can make a bid for one.”
Quatre just shook his head, “I want that one.” He snapped his fingers and a tall man with a full beard and what looked like endless muscles appeared at his side, “Rashid, please escort Mr. Maxwell to his agent to negotiate payment for ‘Moon Glow’.” The man at his side nodded and looked at Duo who seemed taken aback.
“But-” Duo began.
“I can assure you, Mr. Maxwell, my sisters will also be propositioning you for your paintings and I do not want one of them to take the one I have my heart set on.”
“Okay,” Duo said with a shrug. He then looked over at Rashid and grinned, “Follow me. I’ll let YOU deal with Wufei.”
“So, how do you think your parents will take all of this?” Quatre asked, eyeing something in the distance.
“I don’t know, why do you ask?” There was something going on, he was acting too suspiciously.
“Because they’re across the room,” he answered nonchalantly.
I turned abruptly and spotted them. Mother was looking at the drawing of me doing the dishes shirtless, staring at it in awe while Father looked like he was about to have a coronary.
I spotted Trowa moping about not too far away and decided to hide with him.
“What are you looking at?” Quatre asked curiously, looking at the general area where I was looking as he noticed I was no longer looking at my parents.
“I just spotted a friend, and he looks rather depressed,” I said.
“Oh.” Quatre then placed a hand on my arm, looking in another direction, “It seems as though I have to go sign something for the painting I want. Go on and talk to your friend and I’ll catch up with you in a little while.”
I nodded at him and watched him wander off before walking over to Trowa.
“Hey, Trowa,” I said quietly, standing beside him and looking at one of Duo’s earlier works. It was an oil of a white lily in the middle of an endless blue backdrop. It was very beautiful and honest, symbolizing the purity and hope that still survives even in the darkest of places.
“Heero.”
“Did you find what you were looking for?” I asked quietly, watching him closely.
He nodded but seemed to shrink. His pose was deflated and he just seemed crushed.
“What happened?” I asked, hoping to make him feel better once I knew the problem.
“I found the one I was looking for, but it wasn’t a boy, like I thought, and she was married.” He sighed, “She’s MARRIED, Heero!”
“Married?” I asked dumbfounded.
He nodded pathetically, hiding his face in one hand, holding his beverage in the other. “It’s bad enough that I thought she was a boy, but to have imagined that she was unspoken for, LUDICRIS!”
Trowa’s outbursts were really starting to make me nervous, I didn’t want to attract attention, but he wasn’t helping.
Someone cleared their throat behind us and I turned around to find Quatre grinning from ear to ear behind me.
“He sold it to me,” he chirped, obviously pleased. “I’m proud to have been the first to buy a piece from this collection,” he said, eyeing Trowa’s back. “And who might your friend be?” he asked sweetly, clearly ogling Trowa’s back, especially the lower end of it.
“Quatre, this is Trowa Barton. He owns an Italian restaurant on Melrose and Fuller, close to the Groundlings Theater. Trowa, I’d like you to meet my best friend and ally, Quatre Winner,” I said, deliberately leaving out the part about his being rich. “He’s the one I told you about. He just flew in from Arabia a few weeks ago.”
Trowa sighed and turned around, his hand already outstretched to greet the man without even looking at him. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he half mumbled when his eyes snapped up to the face attached to the hand he was grasping. His eyes widened impossibly and the color in his face drained before quickly brightening in the beginnings of a blush.
“Tony’s?” The blonde asked, shaking Trowa’s hand firmly. Trowa could only nod dumbly. At the affirmative, Quatre gushed, “I just love it there! The food is delicious, and my sisters love it there also. One of them kept telling me how she felt bad for this one waiter there who was always staring at her when she came in.”
“Why is that?” I asked curiously, watching as their hands separated but Trowa still retained that gawking stare.
“Because after my father’s assassination, a couple of them have taken to dressing like me when they go out so that no one is really sure which one is me. She thinks he’s harboring a crush on her while she’s dressed as a boy, which is sad because she married last spring. He’d have gotten a nasty surprise had she not been taken and gotten the courage to ask her thinking she was a he,” Quatre spoke, oblivious to Trowa’s embarrassment. “Come to think of it, Adella said the same thing when she went there dressed as me. She said something about him being tall, handsome, with the most gorgeous green eyes…” he finally looked up at Trowa’s face, which he hadn’t done since he began his rant. I’m sure he was mourning the loss of the nice view he had been getting before Trowa had turned around.
Quatre’s eyes widened to comical size when he looked at Trowa’s face. “I… er… my, talk about sticking a foot in one’s own mouth.”
“Quatre, honey!” a sweet voice called out, before a pair of girls attached themselves to Quatre. I almost laughed at how much the three of them looked alike and how the two girls, Adella and Quatrina had had the nerve to cut off their long hair to protect their baby brother. “Hi Heero,” they chirped in unison.
“We’re going home now, Kitty,” one of them –I think it was Adella- said, “Don’t stay out too long. And Heero, we’re sorry about what happened, you know you can come to us if you need it, okay?”
The other nodded, “You’re the only friend our Kitty Quat has. We can’t afford to lose you.” She then looked up and noticed Trowa, “Oh, Mr. Barton! I see you’ve met our baby brother. I just remembered why you look so familiar; you work at that restaurant, Tony’s, right?”
He nodded.
“We’re sorry about the extra security we cart around everywhere we go. I hope we haven’t disturbed your business.” She then grinned slightly, making me nervous. Why are girls so neurotic? “Oh, by the way, Mr. Barton, be good to our brother… He needs a good man,” she winked then dragged her sister off to somewhere in the crowd.
“Well, that was embarrassing…” Quatre said, blushing to the tips of his ears and fidgeting.
Trowa again just nodded and I rolled my eyes. “How about I leave you two alone to get better acquainted with each other?” I asked.
Both of them looked horrified at being alone with the other, making me want to smack the backs of their heads. I knew by the looks Quatre had been giving Trowa that he was more than interested and Trowa had already said how much he liked Quatre, so I thought I’d be cruel and make things easier at the same time.
“Quatre, Trowa has wanted to ask you out for a long time but was intimidated by your Maguanacs. Trowa, Quatre is single, looking, and – how did you phrase it, Quat? – ‘queer as the Q in his name’. Does that make things easier?”
Both stared at me as if I’d just embarrassed them beyond repair but I just smirked in return, “What? It’s all true, now go and get to know each other.”
I grinned knowing that if I hadn’t been so cruel just then, they would have each just skirted around each other and possibly never have a date. So, that job done, I was confidant that at least I wouldn’t be the only one walking around self-consciously for the rest of the evening. It’s selfish, I know, but what’s wrong with killing two birds with one stone?
“HEERO YUY, You stop right there and tell me what the HELL you were thinking!” I stopped dead in my tracks. I had forgotten why I was hiding with Trowa for so long, and I had hoped I’d never hear that cold sneering tone ever again.
So, here you go. It’s a bit longer than the other chapters and in my opinion a little confusing with all the dialogue... I hope you all can follow along. Thank you to all who review, and as always, I’ll reply when given a place to reply to. hugs for everyone I hope all you Quatre fans are pleased .