[FIC] Lost - Chapter 3
this sucks.. first entry in, what, seven weeks? bah.
Title: Lost
Fandom: Gundam Wing
Pairing: 1x5
Rating: PG-13
Warning: Angst.
Summary: Wufei figures out what's going on behind his back.
Wufei woke up screaming.
No, he wasn't screaming; he was only screaming in his dream. Wufei'd woken up alarmed and incredibly tense, but no, he hadn't screamed.
Eyes wide, Wufei stared at the ceiling and counted his heartbeat. There it was! A little jump. It really was going too fast, it wasn't normal, it was going to burst-
Breathe.
Slowly, his chest stopped quivering. Wufei allowed his eyes to focus back on the darkness above him. He realized at the same time that the moisture on his face might not only be sweat, but he didn't want to think about what it could be. Really, if he didn't think about it, it wouldn't bother him; if he didn't think about it, it wouldn't have to exist in his mind, so everything will be okay again....
Liar!
Wufei clamped down on his lower lip and rolled over to hide his hands under the pillow. They wouldn't shake if he could just sleep without being jerked awake every few hours. He hadn't had proper sleep in days, and the little that he did have was drug-induced. It was not even 5 AM; he needed to go back to sleep.
It was hard though. Closing his eyes just brought the images closer to him, ready to blind him even as he tried to rip himself away. They hovered at the edge of his subconscious, threatening to attack his mind if he ever let his guard down. He couldn't let it affect him - he refused to! - but it came back to him incessantly, unwilling to go away. It was going to stay with him, he knew it, and no matter how much he runs, it'd come back, again and again.
Wufei clenched his jaws and sat up quickly. Slipping out of bed, he moved intently to the vanity and yanked on his clothes. None of this mattered. He had to leave. He could feel him getting near. He could feel the horror of the dream-reality drifting near. If he saw him again, or remembered it again, he'd just break.
All he needed to do was get out of here. There was no reason to panic - Dorothy would help him. All he needed to do was ask - it was that simple.
As he crossed the room to the door, Wufei stumbled to a stop. What did he think he was he doing? Think! This was his problem to solve. Even if it was more difficult to leave unnoticed, he couldn't involve Dorothy more than he already has. He had to - he will - do it by himself.
Wufei shook his head forcibly and sank down to a crouch on the floor. He leaned against the side of the bed and closed his eyes, feeling his mind cloud over painfully. What was wrong with him? A little drug has reduced him to a useless pile of doubt and self-pity. Certainly Chang Wufei had never been this weak...
But Heero thought he was weak, didn't he? Otherwise, why would he have slipped it to him? Wufei'd always believed that they were equals - there was no reason not to - and even Heero never acted like Wufei hindered him during missions, like he was incompetent. He thought he was helping... So why had he been left behind?
The answer didn't come to him. And suddenly, Wufei was furious with himself. He raked his fingers through his unbound hair and pushed himself to his feet. He couldn't stay here wallowing in self-doubt. If he didn't do what he needed to do, then he'd never do it - and right now, he needed to leave.
Grabbing his duffel bag, Wufei kept his eyes firmly on the bedroom door and stalked towards it. He was done here. The only way to go now was forward.
* * *
Heero was a mile from his destination when his communicator beeped again. Cracking his neck stiffly, he peeled his fingers from the handlebar and answered it.
"Yuy."
"Agent Yuy, we need you to get to Malbor immediately. Intelligence has just detected a terrorist movement. The other agents are on their way." It was Une.
Heero cursed to himself. Of all times...
"Understood," he replied tersely. "Heading back now."
Glancing at the surrounding lanes, Heero accelerated and made a sudden U-turn.
"Heero," Une spoke up slowly a moment later. "I'm sorry for pulling you back."
So, she knew. Heero scowled at the road ahead.
"It can't be helped," he muttered.
Une was silent again.
"Let's just say that, if anything happens, I know I'm the one to blame."
"No," Heero responded firmly. "This doesn't concern you." You didn't push Wufei to run away. That thought caused him a mental flinch.
Une chuckled slightly.
"Glad to know that you haven't lost your edge, but I think we both understand where we stand. Now, I must leave to argue politics. Good luck." She didn't add 'in both situations'. How delicate of her...
Heero grunted and disconnected. The missions have precedence over everything else - concentrate.
And so what if all his instincts told him to find his partner and take him back home? There wasn't any sense in that. After all, Wufei was undoubtedly angry and pissed enough to kick his ass out to space, never mind the fact that he wouldn't stick around long enough for Heero to find him anyway. He'd always been one to value his privacy...
Besides, his work for the Preventers always was top priority, no matter what the situation. And Wufei knew that. Be it a bullet in the leg, he'd always said, or a broken arm, Heero Yuy could always be depended upon to complete a mission. So, no, this wasn’t a big deal. This was his job, and he would damn well do it.
And so the inner twinge was ignored, and everything else was pushed to the back of his consciousness because, really, who was he kidding anyway...
* * *
As Wufei wandered through the halls of Dorothy's mansion, he found himself walking closer and closer towards Dorothy's room. But of course he knew that it was not a good idea to wake her up. He'd already waken her once this night. Once was bad enough; twice would be just asking to get hurt, and Dorothy was not the kind to be merciful.
He'd always been taught to be polite. Since a very young age, Wufei had been taught to be obedient, to respect his elders, to not bring dishonour to his family; really, he had been following these rules well until the last few years. He shouldn't have forgotten everything already. Besides, he'd learnt while working for the Preventers to have enough diplomacy to cover both his and Heero's asses in all situations.
So, now, why was he going to Dorothy's room? Did he need the comfort of knowing that someone will be affected by his absence? Was he that weak? Or did he not feel up to it anymore? And yet, all these questions still did not stop him from stopping a foot away from Dorothy's door.
Glaring darkly at his own indecision, Wufei clenched his fists. He knew why he was here. What he wanted was to crawl to Dorothy for help, wasn't it? Pathetic. Knowing what to do, yet not doing it. Insolent. Who was he kidding? If he wanted to prove that Heero wasn't completely right about him, he had to do it now.
Wufei turned to leave.
"Slipping out already?" came a calm voice from behind the door.
Wufei paused.
"How shameful - without even saying goodbye. Then again, it is your choice to leave or to stay."
He sighed and ran a hand down his face. Dorothy really liked giving people mind-trips.
"But I'm awake already. You might as well come in."
Wufei fought against his inner thoughts. Finally being unable to decide between his two options, he turned towards the door, found it unlocked, and pushed in slowly. Looking up, he noted Dorothy's form illuminated in the glow of the moon. She didn't turn to him once as he moved to sit opposite her at the small table. Letting him have time to calm his inner turmoil, she eventually turned to him to hear what he had to say.
"Thank you for your hospitality," Wufei said tightly. "I apologize for inconveniencing you-"
"No need for the formality," Dorothy interrupted with a gesture. "We're not strangers." Her eyes discreetly moved over him for a visual check-up - he hated when people do it.
"That still doesn't mean that I don't owe you some explanations," Wufei replied with a soft shake of his head. Explanations, explanations - damn this explanations!
Dorothy crossed her arms, leaning back to scrutinize his face.
"I need no reasons to help my friends." Her words were deliberate - an offering of peace?
"And a gift given with no thanks returned is the habit of an untaught child," Wufei muttered, thinking about home - no, no more of that. He looked up tiredly. "You offered me food, silence, and shelter. There is nothing I could give you in my current... state. In exchange, take three answers."
Concern must have been keeping her awake all night, and Wufei really couldn't let her worry over him for no reason.
Dorothy leaned back in her chair and frowned at him. Apparently, she didn't agree with him on that point. Turning her head, she stared out the windows for a moment, thinking.
"Why have you come?" she finally asked.
Wufei looked down, having expected that.
"I am running from someone."
Dorothy tensed, but she bit her lip to stop her next question.
"Hostile?" she ventured slowly.
Wufei shook his head - no.
Dorothy stared blankly at him before looking away as well.
"I'd hate to think of what that implies," she murmured, almost as if to herself.
Wufei sighed and shifted so that he was leaning his forearms against his knees.
"Don't concern yourself overly with this," he advised, knowing she wouldn't listen in any case.
She looked towards him, expression half amused, half hidden.
"Third question," she announced. Wufei tensed, expecting her to ask him a question he wouldn't want to answer... "How can I help?"
Wufei blinked, and then scoffed at his subconscious response to this offer.
"Don't be daft," he responded firmly, though his own mind was fighting his words. "I couldn't possibly ask for more from you."
"As friends," she said in a low voice, "let me help you."
Friends. At the mention of that, Wufei's mind flew back to those that he'd left behind, those with whom he'd fought side-by-side, those who'd helped Heero to-
The images in his dream hit him again. Heero, mouth agape, eyes swirling in confusion, and maybe in-
No.
- and the hands that had reached for him, the ones that he'd slapped away even as he yearned to grasp them-
It was his fault in the end, wasn't it?
- all because he was weak! He was weak, dammit, and if he didn't get through this on his own, he'd never be able to hold his head up again!
"I have not fallen so far that I have become dependant on others," Wufei answered darkly, pushing back his thoughts with steely strength comparable even to that of Heero's. "So, in answer to your question, no, there isn't a way for you to help me. Just forget it." He sounded like he was begging - why was he begging?
She stared at him.
"Seriously, forget it," he told her in compressed agitation. He really needed to get away from here...
"Something's wrong, and I can tell," Dorothy almost snapped, having lost her patience. "Don't push others away when you need help the most!"
Wufei nearly growled.
"What do you want me to do?" he demanded in agitation. "I caused this problem - it's my own duty to resolve it. How- How can I justify my actions if I depend entirely on others to clean up my messes?"
"What is there to justify?" Dorothy retorted, looking dangerously annoyed. "Life is full of mistakes; there's nothing graceful about it. We can only hope to get through it the best way we can, and if we get help on the way, so much the better. So get off your high horse and accept what I'm offering you."
Wufei looked up and saw that Dorothy's eyes were almost sad. But he couldn't bring himself to say it - he can’t say it!
After a minute, Dorothy got up wordlessly and moved to her vanity. Opening a drawer, she withdrew something from it before returning to her seat. She sat down and slid it towards Wufei.
Wufei eyed it in distaste - he couldn't break down now, he really really couldn't - and snorted softly.
"If you are planning on offering me one of your many summer estates, you would benefit from knowing that I would refuse it."
Dorothy didn't take the bait.
"We all need a place to go home to," she muttered, eying him solemnly. Part of him cracked, and Wufei was forced to look away. "Take this as a reminder that, wherever you are, there will always be people waiting for your return to home."
Wufei bit his lip. He was going to crack, he was going to break, he was going to spill, but he didn't want to, dammit! But it was hard. It was really hard. And he was so very tired, and staying here forever would be a dream come true.
"If, one day, all the problems in your life disappeared, what would you do?" he asked her suddenly.
Dorothy blinked, taken aback. She reclined in her chair and smirked lightly to herself.
"I would ask myself what drug was slipped into my drink."
Wufei snorted mirthlessly at this. Dorothy gave him a slight smile in return.
"Obviously, nothing in life is that easy," she muttered, tapping the arm of her chair lightly, "but who wouldn't want an easier route in their journey? Accepting defeat may be hard, but losing everything would be much worse."
Of course, Wufei didn't need Dorothy to tell him that. Biting the inside of his cheek, he took the key and shoved it into a pocket.
"Thank you," he said gruffly.
"I'm not doing much," she responded with a snort, though her expression showed her relief. "In fact, I might not be helping the situation at all. Letting you run away - that's inexcusable as well."
"I don't understand how it came to this either," Wufei admitted quietly, feeling a wrenching in his stomach. "Perhaps this is for the best, or perhaps I'm taking the coward's way out. Perhaps in the end, I'll just go right back to where I started. All I know is that... I can't face it right now."
He looked away, ashamed.
Dorothy was silent for a while, thinking.
"As a friend," she started slowly, "I'll support you in all your decisions-"
"That is enough," Wufei intercepted. Really, it was.
She gave him a crooked smile before scoffing and standing up. Pulling her robe closer to her body, turned away from him and shuffled towards her bed.
"Alright, then," she said dismissively. "Now get out of here and leave me to my beauty sleep."
Raising an eyebrow at her abrupt change of attitude, Wufei pushed himself up with a small smile and saluted minutely at her turned back. He gripped the key in his pocket as he moved to the door, feeling it anchoring him.
"Wufei," Dorothy called in afterthought. He turned his head. "Good luck."
He rolled his eyes and left, closing the door.
(To Be Continued)
* * *
I've tweaked at this since November of last year. and I've asked myself what the hell did I think I was doing many, many times. that didn't help much, either. now, nearly six months since the time I last updated, here's fic. *stabs* die, heart! I told myself to participate in the Trigger Challenge as well, but where has that gone? tch. I'll just go... wallow.
Title: Lost
Fandom: Gundam Wing
Pairing: 1x5
Rating: PG-13
Warning: Angst.
Summary: Wufei figures out what's going on behind his back.
Wufei woke up screaming.
No, he wasn't screaming; he was only screaming in his dream. Wufei'd woken up alarmed and incredibly tense, but no, he hadn't screamed.
Eyes wide, Wufei stared at the ceiling and counted his heartbeat. There it was! A little jump. It really was going too fast, it wasn't normal, it was going to burst-
Breathe.
Slowly, his chest stopped quivering. Wufei allowed his eyes to focus back on the darkness above him. He realized at the same time that the moisture on his face might not only be sweat, but he didn't want to think about what it could be. Really, if he didn't think about it, it wouldn't bother him; if he didn't think about it, it wouldn't have to exist in his mind, so everything will be okay again....
Liar!
Wufei clamped down on his lower lip and rolled over to hide his hands under the pillow. They wouldn't shake if he could just sleep without being jerked awake every few hours. He hadn't had proper sleep in days, and the little that he did have was drug-induced. It was not even 5 AM; he needed to go back to sleep.
It was hard though. Closing his eyes just brought the images closer to him, ready to blind him even as he tried to rip himself away. They hovered at the edge of his subconscious, threatening to attack his mind if he ever let his guard down. He couldn't let it affect him - he refused to! - but it came back to him incessantly, unwilling to go away. It was going to stay with him, he knew it, and no matter how much he runs, it'd come back, again and again.
Wufei clenched his jaws and sat up quickly. Slipping out of bed, he moved intently to the vanity and yanked on his clothes. None of this mattered. He had to leave. He could feel him getting near. He could feel the horror of the dream-reality drifting near. If he saw him again, or remembered it again, he'd just break.
All he needed to do was get out of here. There was no reason to panic - Dorothy would help him. All he needed to do was ask - it was that simple.
As he crossed the room to the door, Wufei stumbled to a stop. What did he think he was he doing? Think! This was his problem to solve. Even if it was more difficult to leave unnoticed, he couldn't involve Dorothy more than he already has. He had to - he will - do it by himself.
Wufei shook his head forcibly and sank down to a crouch on the floor. He leaned against the side of the bed and closed his eyes, feeling his mind cloud over painfully. What was wrong with him? A little drug has reduced him to a useless pile of doubt and self-pity. Certainly Chang Wufei had never been this weak...
But Heero thought he was weak, didn't he? Otherwise, why would he have slipped it to him? Wufei'd always believed that they were equals - there was no reason not to - and even Heero never acted like Wufei hindered him during missions, like he was incompetent. He thought he was helping... So why had he been left behind?
The answer didn't come to him. And suddenly, Wufei was furious with himself. He raked his fingers through his unbound hair and pushed himself to his feet. He couldn't stay here wallowing in self-doubt. If he didn't do what he needed to do, then he'd never do it - and right now, he needed to leave.
Grabbing his duffel bag, Wufei kept his eyes firmly on the bedroom door and stalked towards it. He was done here. The only way to go now was forward.
* * *
Heero was a mile from his destination when his communicator beeped again. Cracking his neck stiffly, he peeled his fingers from the handlebar and answered it.
"Yuy."
"Agent Yuy, we need you to get to Malbor immediately. Intelligence has just detected a terrorist movement. The other agents are on their way." It was Une.
Heero cursed to himself. Of all times...
"Understood," he replied tersely. "Heading back now."
Glancing at the surrounding lanes, Heero accelerated and made a sudden U-turn.
"Heero," Une spoke up slowly a moment later. "I'm sorry for pulling you back."
So, she knew. Heero scowled at the road ahead.
"It can't be helped," he muttered.
Une was silent again.
"Let's just say that, if anything happens, I know I'm the one to blame."
"No," Heero responded firmly. "This doesn't concern you." You didn't push Wufei to run away. That thought caused him a mental flinch.
Une chuckled slightly.
"Glad to know that you haven't lost your edge, but I think we both understand where we stand. Now, I must leave to argue politics. Good luck." She didn't add 'in both situations'. How delicate of her...
Heero grunted and disconnected. The missions have precedence over everything else - concentrate.
And so what if all his instincts told him to find his partner and take him back home? There wasn't any sense in that. After all, Wufei was undoubtedly angry and pissed enough to kick his ass out to space, never mind the fact that he wouldn't stick around long enough for Heero to find him anyway. He'd always been one to value his privacy...
Besides, his work for the Preventers always was top priority, no matter what the situation. And Wufei knew that. Be it a bullet in the leg, he'd always said, or a broken arm, Heero Yuy could always be depended upon to complete a mission. So, no, this wasn’t a big deal. This was his job, and he would damn well do it.
And so the inner twinge was ignored, and everything else was pushed to the back of his consciousness because, really, who was he kidding anyway...
* * *
As Wufei wandered through the halls of Dorothy's mansion, he found himself walking closer and closer towards Dorothy's room. But of course he knew that it was not a good idea to wake her up. He'd already waken her once this night. Once was bad enough; twice would be just asking to get hurt, and Dorothy was not the kind to be merciful.
He'd always been taught to be polite. Since a very young age, Wufei had been taught to be obedient, to respect his elders, to not bring dishonour to his family; really, he had been following these rules well until the last few years. He shouldn't have forgotten everything already. Besides, he'd learnt while working for the Preventers to have enough diplomacy to cover both his and Heero's asses in all situations.
So, now, why was he going to Dorothy's room? Did he need the comfort of knowing that someone will be affected by his absence? Was he that weak? Or did he not feel up to it anymore? And yet, all these questions still did not stop him from stopping a foot away from Dorothy's door.
Glaring darkly at his own indecision, Wufei clenched his fists. He knew why he was here. What he wanted was to crawl to Dorothy for help, wasn't it? Pathetic. Knowing what to do, yet not doing it. Insolent. Who was he kidding? If he wanted to prove that Heero wasn't completely right about him, he had to do it now.
Wufei turned to leave.
"Slipping out already?" came a calm voice from behind the door.
Wufei paused.
"How shameful - without even saying goodbye. Then again, it is your choice to leave or to stay."
He sighed and ran a hand down his face. Dorothy really liked giving people mind-trips.
"But I'm awake already. You might as well come in."
Wufei fought against his inner thoughts. Finally being unable to decide between his two options, he turned towards the door, found it unlocked, and pushed in slowly. Looking up, he noted Dorothy's form illuminated in the glow of the moon. She didn't turn to him once as he moved to sit opposite her at the small table. Letting him have time to calm his inner turmoil, she eventually turned to him to hear what he had to say.
"Thank you for your hospitality," Wufei said tightly. "I apologize for inconveniencing you-"
"No need for the formality," Dorothy interrupted with a gesture. "We're not strangers." Her eyes discreetly moved over him for a visual check-up - he hated when people do it.
"That still doesn't mean that I don't owe you some explanations," Wufei replied with a soft shake of his head. Explanations, explanations - damn this explanations!
Dorothy crossed her arms, leaning back to scrutinize his face.
"I need no reasons to help my friends." Her words were deliberate - an offering of peace?
"And a gift given with no thanks returned is the habit of an untaught child," Wufei muttered, thinking about home - no, no more of that. He looked up tiredly. "You offered me food, silence, and shelter. There is nothing I could give you in my current... state. In exchange, take three answers."
Concern must have been keeping her awake all night, and Wufei really couldn't let her worry over him for no reason.
Dorothy leaned back in her chair and frowned at him. Apparently, she didn't agree with him on that point. Turning her head, she stared out the windows for a moment, thinking.
"Why have you come?" she finally asked.
Wufei looked down, having expected that.
"I am running from someone."
Dorothy tensed, but she bit her lip to stop her next question.
"Hostile?" she ventured slowly.
Wufei shook his head - no.
Dorothy stared blankly at him before looking away as well.
"I'd hate to think of what that implies," she murmured, almost as if to herself.
Wufei sighed and shifted so that he was leaning his forearms against his knees.
"Don't concern yourself overly with this," he advised, knowing she wouldn't listen in any case.
She looked towards him, expression half amused, half hidden.
"Third question," she announced. Wufei tensed, expecting her to ask him a question he wouldn't want to answer... "How can I help?"
Wufei blinked, and then scoffed at his subconscious response to this offer.
"Don't be daft," he responded firmly, though his own mind was fighting his words. "I couldn't possibly ask for more from you."
"As friends," she said in a low voice, "let me help you."
Friends. At the mention of that, Wufei's mind flew back to those that he'd left behind, those with whom he'd fought side-by-side, those who'd helped Heero to-
The images in his dream hit him again. Heero, mouth agape, eyes swirling in confusion, and maybe in-
No.
- and the hands that had reached for him, the ones that he'd slapped away even as he yearned to grasp them-
It was his fault in the end, wasn't it?
- all because he was weak! He was weak, dammit, and if he didn't get through this on his own, he'd never be able to hold his head up again!
"I have not fallen so far that I have become dependant on others," Wufei answered darkly, pushing back his thoughts with steely strength comparable even to that of Heero's. "So, in answer to your question, no, there isn't a way for you to help me. Just forget it." He sounded like he was begging - why was he begging?
She stared at him.
"Seriously, forget it," he told her in compressed agitation. He really needed to get away from here...
"Something's wrong, and I can tell," Dorothy almost snapped, having lost her patience. "Don't push others away when you need help the most!"
Wufei nearly growled.
"What do you want me to do?" he demanded in agitation. "I caused this problem - it's my own duty to resolve it. How- How can I justify my actions if I depend entirely on others to clean up my messes?"
"What is there to justify?" Dorothy retorted, looking dangerously annoyed. "Life is full of mistakes; there's nothing graceful about it. We can only hope to get through it the best way we can, and if we get help on the way, so much the better. So get off your high horse and accept what I'm offering you."
Wufei looked up and saw that Dorothy's eyes were almost sad. But he couldn't bring himself to say it - he can’t say it!
After a minute, Dorothy got up wordlessly and moved to her vanity. Opening a drawer, she withdrew something from it before returning to her seat. She sat down and slid it towards Wufei.
Wufei eyed it in distaste - he couldn't break down now, he really really couldn't - and snorted softly.
"If you are planning on offering me one of your many summer estates, you would benefit from knowing that I would refuse it."
Dorothy didn't take the bait.
"We all need a place to go home to," she muttered, eying him solemnly. Part of him cracked, and Wufei was forced to look away. "Take this as a reminder that, wherever you are, there will always be people waiting for your return to home."
Wufei bit his lip. He was going to crack, he was going to break, he was going to spill, but he didn't want to, dammit! But it was hard. It was really hard. And he was so very tired, and staying here forever would be a dream come true.
"If, one day, all the problems in your life disappeared, what would you do?" he asked her suddenly.
Dorothy blinked, taken aback. She reclined in her chair and smirked lightly to herself.
"I would ask myself what drug was slipped into my drink."
Wufei snorted mirthlessly at this. Dorothy gave him a slight smile in return.
"Obviously, nothing in life is that easy," she muttered, tapping the arm of her chair lightly, "but who wouldn't want an easier route in their journey? Accepting defeat may be hard, but losing everything would be much worse."
Of course, Wufei didn't need Dorothy to tell him that. Biting the inside of his cheek, he took the key and shoved it into a pocket.
"Thank you," he said gruffly.
"I'm not doing much," she responded with a snort, though her expression showed her relief. "In fact, I might not be helping the situation at all. Letting you run away - that's inexcusable as well."
"I don't understand how it came to this either," Wufei admitted quietly, feeling a wrenching in his stomach. "Perhaps this is for the best, or perhaps I'm taking the coward's way out. Perhaps in the end, I'll just go right back to where I started. All I know is that... I can't face it right now."
He looked away, ashamed.
Dorothy was silent for a while, thinking.
"As a friend," she started slowly, "I'll support you in all your decisions-"
"That is enough," Wufei intercepted. Really, it was.
She gave him a crooked smile before scoffing and standing up. Pulling her robe closer to her body, turned away from him and shuffled towards her bed.
"Alright, then," she said dismissively. "Now get out of here and leave me to my beauty sleep."
Raising an eyebrow at her abrupt change of attitude, Wufei pushed himself up with a small smile and saluted minutely at her turned back. He gripped the key in his pocket as he moved to the door, feeling it anchoring him.
"Wufei," Dorothy called in afterthought. He turned his head. "Good luck."
He rolled his eyes and left, closing the door.
(To Be Continued)
* * *
I've tweaked at this since November of last year. and I've asked myself what the hell did I think I was doing many, many times. that didn't help much, either. now, nearly six months since the time I last updated, here's fic. *stabs* die, heart! I told myself to participate in the Trigger Challenge as well, but where has that gone? tch. I'll just go... wallow.