Title: Waltz With Me
Author: Elf
Pairings: 3+2, 5xS
Warnings: Language, use of word “socialite” often
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing does not belong to me so don’t sue. Neither does the song “Waltz With Me” by Tonic.
Music fills the banquet hall - baroque, I think. Every one of the world’s top socialites is here. And then there is us. God, how many years had it been since we last saw each other? It didn’t matter though. What did matter was that we were there in a reunion.
Out of all of us, Quatre fits in the best. After all, he is the world’s best socialite. Heero is close in fitting in - I suppose it is that diplomatic training he gets being an ambassador for Relena - another godly socialite.
Socialites bug me.
Wu Fei looks like a whale at bay. I fee sorry for him - too many people in one place and no one except Sally Po to talk to. As I understand, he was faced with these situations monthly, but never got used to them.
As I watch Quatre mingle with socialites like him, dragging Heero along, I get a little angry. He invited us all to this godforsaken party didn’t he? The least he could do is be hospitable about it.
Heero. Poor Heero. It doesn’t look as if he’s enjoying this - but you can tell he’s quite used to it. They surround him, but thankfully he hasn’t become one of the dreaded socialites. Speaking of which, Relena is strolling across the hall - to drag Heero away, no doubt. It was quite obvious that she didn’t want the former Gundam pilots attending a classy banquet party. Apparently, those are reserved for classy and well educated, not to mention well behaved socialites like our boy Quatre. Heero, fortunately, talked her out of her temper tantrum after Quatre’s suggestion.
Run, Heero, run.
As I understand it from Noin - a sweetheart, actually, who was excited about seeing us again - Quatre originally wanted to invite only one of us to this; Trowa. It seems as if they just leave me out. They all suck.
I have to look hard for Trowa. He’s chatting with a classy individual - but he doesn’t look like he’s enjoying it. He would make an excellent socialite, I think - the good kind, which there aren’t many of, mind you. From what Noin told me, though, Quatre has a bit of a crush on our favorite clown and even told him his feelings. She didn’t tell me anything else because she was whisked away by a damned socialite, but from Quatre’s behavior toward Trowa, he was shot down.
Did I mention that within this past hour, Trowa has become my favorite person?
High society has changed Quatre. He’s become really snobbier than usual and that’s mainly directed toward me - and now, Trowa. That’s why I don’t like Quatre, anymore. It’s a shame, really. I was looking forward to this reunion.
I think I might go talk to Wu Fei. He seems pretty tense and lonely - even just talking to his new wife, Sally. Yeah, I know. I just found out an hour ago from dear, sweet Noin. I don’t feel that bad, though, because she said that Trowa’s the only other one that doesn’t know.
I’m getting really depressed here. It’s a party - fun, right? Well it’s no fun when you’re left out. Well, Trowa’s also been left out in a way, but he just fits in so easily….
Wu Fei sees me and enthusiastically waves me over - he seems happy for the first time this evening.
“Maxwell,” he greets amiably. “How have you been?” His mood has been uplifted considerably - even Sally seems surprised.
“Oh, so-so,” I say. Too bad Hilde couldn’t have come, but she’s working - I think work doesn’t get the credit it deserves. “And you?”
“Oh great. Did you hear?” he begins sheepishly as she prods him along. “Sally and I got married a couple of months ago.” She always did have a thing for younger men.
“Yeah, Noin filled me in on that,” I smile and wink. “Congratulations, you two.”
“And,” Sally says, beaming as her eyes radiated, “we’re expecting.”
Wu Fei blushes profusely and adds, “But don’t tell anyone yet. We just found out yesterday so no one knows.”
That makes my day considerably brighter.
“Way to go, Fei!” I congratulate earnestly as I pat him on the back. I’m genuinely happy for him.
But my happiness is cut short by a socialite - damn them all to hell - who rudely brushes in front of me to talk about her work in the Preventers office. Wu Fei wears his sullen and unhappy look again as they’re surrounded.
I’m genuinely happy for Wu Fei and Sally. That’s such a nice thing.
I, myself, have considered tying the knot…but no one to tie the knot with. Oh sure, there’s Hilde, but she’s like a sister to me - you don’t want to marry a sister, that’s just incest. Besides, she has a boyfriend - someone I actually like, as rare occurrence as it is. He treats her like a fairy princess, so I have no grudges against him.
I’m left all alone.
Again.
I turn my attention back and see that Heero is completely engulfed in flighty socialites with Relena at his side - with Quatre of course. Who could forget our darling Quatre?
I gasp out of shock as someone taps me on my shoulder. Another damn socialite asking me where the restrooms are, no doubt, as always. I turn around.
It’s Trowa.
“Duo,” he begins calmly, “you don’t seem to be enjoying yourself. I’d have thought you’d be the life of the party tonight.”
“Nah,” I say sheepishly, shuffling my feet and looking down, “not my crowd.”
“I understand,” he says sympathetically. “I’d prefer to be in a nightclub myself, but what can you expect from these types?”
“You? A nightclub? I’d have thought you’d be at home in this kind of place,” I said incredulously. Trowa plus a nightclub equals a shocked me. Strangely, though, I agree with him.
“Yeah,” he sighs, sensing my shock. “I like nightclubs - they give you distraction and loosens you up.”
Remind me to go to a nightclub with Trowa sometime. I’d like to see him loosen up.
“Damn these socialites,” I mutter contemptuously, changing the subject as I glance back at Heero. “And Quatre.”
“Socialites: the mosquito of mankind,” Trowa states dramatically, watching my expression.
I can’t help but to laugh. I look back to him, seeing him give Quatre a dirty look before returning back to me. What went on between them? Accidentally, I voice my question.
He looks at me seriously and says, “…”
But don’t worry, he adds to that famous statement.
“I used to like Quatre,” he admits, “but that was before he let all this fame, power, and popularity get to him. He is one son-of-a-bitch, thinking that after snubbing me and looking down on me because of my occupation….” He trails off. Shaking his head angrily, he continues, “He’s just a goddamned son-of-a-bitch for thinking that all of a sudden he can just waltz right into my life like nothing’s happened. …Initially, he only wanted to invite me to this - I had the feeling that everyone else would attend, also, so I said yes on one condition.”
“And that was?”
“That he made sure everyone came. By everyone, it was just narrowed down to you. What’s a social event without the life?”
That makes me smile. It suddenly occurs to me that Trowa might be drunk - I saw him drinking a lot before and even now he eyes the bar longingly.
“…So, after I made sure everyone would be here, I told him exactly what I thought of him. He threw a temper tantrum and made a few threats, so that’s why I hate him,” Trowa concluded. “Just one moment,” he adds. He skirts off quickly to the bar and orders another of what he was having before. Hey, he was even nice enough to share the love by getting me a glass as well.
He drinks about half of the liquid quickly as I smell what’s in my glass.
Bourbon. Trowa is definitely drunk.
“Speaking of waltzes,” he says out of the blue. He cocks his head, listening to the music as I do, also.
The familiar three beat pattern characteristic of a waltz. I hear it strongly. It also has a nice melody…for a beginning at least.
“We’re the only ones alone,” he mutters as he downs the rest of his glass. I don’t risk getting tipsy at this kind of occasion. As he discards the glass carelessly onto a table, he holds his hand out and asks, “Care to dance?”
He’s right - we are the only ones alone. Heero is dancing, of course, with Relena, and Wu Fei with his wife. Quatre seems to be dancing with an elegant woman. We are alone, so what would it hurt? The thought occurs to me that these socialite mosquitoes might get uneasy seeing two grown men dancing with each other.
“Absolutely,” I smirk as I take his hand, leaving the bourbon behind.
Waltz with me
He takes the lead, taking my hand in his and placing the other at the base of my back. I put my remaining hand on his shoulder and look at him. We’re almost eye-level, though, I’m looking at his lips, which aren’t that bad, actually. He pulls me in at a moderate distance and steps off in a standard waltz - his feet matching the rhythm of the piece.
Maybe he isn’t that drunk.
I fall quickly into place with him and our steps are in sync. This is actually nice. I don’t mind dancing with him as much as I thought I would.
I was never really close to Trowa, but right now, I feel like I really know him - maybe it’s just because I’ve developed a partiality to him over anyone else. I’m growing a little fond of him.
My love
I think that perhaps, Trowa is growing a little fond of me, also.
Tell me what
You’re dreaming of
“So, what have you been doing these five years?” I ask.
“What do you think?” he laughs. It’s a nice laugh. “I’ve been really busy with the circus and Une.”
“Une?” I ask curiously. The fact that he could be going out with her crosses my mind - and makes me a little uneasy. Une’s probably here - to whisk Trowa away from me any minute, no doubt.
“She keeps bugging me to join the Preventers and I’ve finally given in to becoming one of Mariemeia’s co-guardians. The little brat seems to like me,” Trowa said, looking off, probably thinking of something, no doubt. “Une would like to have her in my custody by the end of this month…. I’ve been hiding out from her, and so far tonight, it’s been working. She hasn’t seen me.”
I laugh and tell him, “Ah, you’re my only contact - I’m not letting you go that easily.”
He smiles and thanks me, laughing. He always did have a strange sense of humor. …I was dead serious.
Hold me now
We can share our love
It’s then that I realize Trowa’s hand in mine. It’s rough…no doubt from his circus routine. It feels like he’s had calluses, but they’ve all been worn off. It’s a contrast to my own hands - basically smooth except for the occasional cut. Working with metal can do that. I begin to get self-conscious about my hand and it gets a little clammy, but doesn’t seem to mind.
Waltz with me
My love
“So how’s Catherine?” I ask. I don’t know much about her besides the fact that he’s her overbearing and overprotective surrogate sister.
“She’s fine,” he answers shortly. It seems like he wants to talk about something else…and I let him.
“How have you been?” he asks abruptly. I notice his fingers interlock with mine where we’re joined.
“Oh…fine, I guess….” I say. Life’s not too exciting on L2, I can tell you that.
“How’s Hilde?” he asks curiously. He only met Hilde once - I’m surprised he knew I was living with her…Hell; I’m shocked he remembered her name.
“She’s fine,” I answer, giving him that same, short answer. I look at him and smirk.
Paint your face
For me
“What has she been doing?” he asks casually. He puts on a mask, I can tell. He’s hiding something, I know. God, I hate it when he does that.
“Oh…nothing,” I reply, adding, “she’s thrilled that she’s got a halfway decent boyfriend, so if you ever talk to her, that’s all she’ll talk about.”
“Oh, that’s good,” he said quickly. I can tell he puts the matter at rest because his mask is gone and he seems…relieved.
Only here
Is where I want to be
He confuses me, but I like being with him. Usually, I don’t like confusing things…but I like being with Trowa. Strange.
I can tell his hands are becoming clammy, like mine…but we don’t seem to mind. He interlocks our fingers tightly and gives my hand a slight squeeze.
Next to you
As my hand rests on his shoulder, I feel how well toned it is. The thought of how athletic Trowa must be makes the color in my cheeks rise a bit, thankfully, he’s not looking at me right now.
The thing I like most on a person is the shoulder. They say that one who prefers the shoulder on men likes their mate to be dominant. That rushes back to me, giving my cheeks more color as I feel his shoulder conspicuously.
He looks at me, feeling my hand feel of his shoulder. I flush a little, but he doesn’t seem to mind at all. In fact, he draws me a little bit closer than before.
While I watch you sleep
Waltz with me
He looks into my eyes and smiles. “You know, your eyes are really nice. Cobalt blue is a nice color.”
I’m surprised that he knows the name of my eye color. I thought I was the only one who knew that, besides Hilde. He never ceases to amaze me.
My love
“Your eyes are really nice, too,” I answer honestly. “I like your green eyes. They look really good on you.”
“I like blue,” he answers shortly, smiling at me.
He has such a nice smile.
“Well I like green,” I smirk back.
We lean close to each other and smile - our noses nearly touching.
He is definitely drunk.
Tell me something
Will we be broken down?
“Trowa! There you are! I’ve been looking for you all night!” Une’s voice rings out as she dances up beside us. Her partner is a miscellaneous peon. “Duo! What a nice surprise.”
Tell me something
Will we be broken down?
We quickly jerk apart, still dancing, though. “Hey, Une,” I greet.
Will we be broken down?
Trowa looks at her and nods, “Hn.”
“I’d like to talk to you about Mariemeia,” she begins, obviously talking to Trowa.
“Can it wait?” he asks. “I’m busy catching up with Duo.”
I smile as Trowa uses me as an excuse to get away from Une. It doesn’t bother me one bit.
“Oh sure!” she says cheerfully as she dances away with her peon partner.
“Did you notice that she was the one leading?” Trowa muses.
I nod and laugh.
Waltz with me
He draws me closer than I was before and says, “We were never really close friends before, were we?”
“…No,” I answer, looking up at him.
“Why was that?”
Shrugging, I say, “I guess because we never spent much time with each other.”
“I think we should spend more time with each other,” he says abruptly, reddening in the face.
My love
I blush as I say, “Me, too.” Blushing isn’t a characteristic habit of mine…I hope to get rid of it soon.
“Say,” he begins, getting a little embarrassed, “after this waltz…do you want to go someplace?”
I look into his eyes - deep and green. He panics a little and looks away. “Like where?”
Tell me what
You’re dreaming of
“They have some great nightclubs around here,” he smiles, his eyes glittering. I love the look of that.
Hold me now
He draws me even closer and we brush against each other with every movement.
I love his eyes.
“Sure,” I say as we lean closer to each other, our noses brushing.
I think I’m falling for his eyes.
He nods and looks deeply at me.
Falling in love with his eyes.
I lean forward and press my nose against him, looking up at him curiously.
Falling in love with him.
He doesn’t have to go very far to kiss me on the lips. Trowa has a sweet, gentle kiss - captivating, it leaves you wanting more.
We can share our love
“I think I love you,” I whisper boldly as my hand breaks away from his and my arms wrap around his neck. Both his hands go to my waist and we continue to dance closely.
His lips brush my ear as he whispers, “I may have had a lot to drink, but I’m very sincere when I say I love you, too, and I have for quite some time.”
I look at him and my lips graze his - his hand reaches up to the back of my head and presses my lips against his own in a hard and welcomed kiss.
I think tongue was involved, but I’m not sure. My head’s spinning right now and I’m not even aware that we’re dancing anymore - just moving.
Waltz with me
My love
Trowa stops dancing and I look about me, noticing that others have quit dancing since the piece has finished.
I remove my arms from his neck and say, “…I really enjoyed that dance. Thank you.”
Reluctantly, he removes himself from my waist, but we hold hands. “No…thank you.”
We clear the dance floor, as the next musical piece is another baroque.
But we still waltz.
Waltz with me
My love
Not physically, but mentally.
“Want to go now?” he asks me as he cups my chin in his hand.
Not physically, but emotionally.
Waltz with me
I nod and kiss his lips again. He smiles as we leave the party without saying a word to the socialites: mosquitoes of mankind. We’re off to a nightclub.
Just the two of us.
My love
~Owari~
Elf: Hehe, socialites.
Quatre: Hey, socialite bashing isn’t very nice!
Duo: Ah, shove it mosquito boy.
Trowa: Thought for the day; socialites: the mosquitoes of mankind.
Quatre: NOT very nice, Trowa!
Trowa: Bite me, mosquito boy.
Elf: Oh dear….
This story (c) Elffy-chan 2001. This page (c) Jamie Carlson 2001.
