(Untitled)

[quatrew]

Day: 34
Characters: Quatre Winner (quatrew) and Trowa Barton (heavy_bangs), also open to C.C. (the_grey_witch)
Summary: Quatre and Trowa discuss tensions large and small amongst the patients.
Day/Night and Time: Afternoon/Second Rec period
Status: Closed/Incomplete

Comments

[heavy_bangs]

Trowa was unaccustomed to feeling bad for lying, or for keeping secrets. What he wanted to stay private stayed private. He didn't find himself awakened in the middle of the night, wracked with guilt. He didn't wish to tell people what he was really thinking (occasionally, he wished to know the truth, and not whatever he built up as a substitute for it, but that was entirely different). His silence, his shortness, the slightest sarcastic slip...none of this was a problem for him.

Except when Quatre looked at him like that. Or at all.

Trowa took a step back after Quatre touched him. It was not a flinch, but merely making room for Quatre to move into the room as he pleased. Uncrossing his arms, Trowa made himself more comfortable beside the door as it closed, as if he were playing guard.

Quatre staring at Trowa made Trowa feel guilty for having picked up the mask at all. But still, taking it off was inviting Quatre into something that Trowa was still unable to deal with.

"You haven't been...visited by the doctors yet, have you?" Trowa spoke, after a moment, looking down at the ground. He couldn't continue to look in Quatre's eyes.

[quatrew]

Quatre walked into the cell, giving Trowa a moment to collect himself. The room was just like Quatre's - same furnishings, moved around slightly, same color walls, even down to the same draft that blew through whenever a breeze picked up outside.

"No, not yet. A nurse visited the cell to take care of my cellmate," Quatre replied to Trowa's question. He wanted to make Trowa feel as comfortable as humanly possible. He didn't try and bring his friend's gaze from the floor, but he still studied Trowa from afar. "It's not pleasant when you do, so I've seen. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy, even," Quatre added.

Even without any help from the heart of outer space, Quatre could easily pick up how uneasy Trowa felt. He wanted to coax his companion to open up to him - that by getting it out in the open, they would both feel a little better. But, with everything Trowa had endured, Quatre knew that it would take time.

"How are you feeling, Trowa?" Quatre asked softly. The warm smile had faded a bit as his concern for Trowa grew stronger.

[heavy_bangs]

"I would not be against the doctor who did this being demoted to the level of patient," Trowa said after a beat. Quatre would not agree with him, of that he was sure. Trowa couldn't muster the same amount of caring for humanity as Quatre, and he sorely doubted that Doctor Voldemort counted as human. Not that he thought that Quatre would make that distinction.

After a moment, Trowa asked, even more quietly than usual. "Is your roommate okay?" He could feel Quatre's curious gaze on him like a searchlight. The usual comfort that came with Quatre's presence was mixed with something that Trowa was unsure how to describe. Something like shame, or embarrassment.

He wrapped his arms around his chest. "I have felt better, but seeing you does help me. Even if that means you're also stuck here."

[quatrew]

"I wish he wouldn't have done this," Quatre said. "I want him to make you better. There is no reason he should have done this to you." Even though he wasn't around for the act itself, he knew deep down that Trowa wouldn't have acted out in a way to draw Voldemort's attention or ire.

"Even if Duo had taunted Voldemort," Quatre continued, "he shouldn't have done.. that. It's so extreme, so permanent."

He frowned as he noticed that Trowa was being even more uncomfortable. "Harry, my roommate, will be okay. He had quite a few cuts, but they've been bandaged, and Jack, the nurse, is changing them too. He's been sleeping quite a bit, at least since I've been here." Quatre knew Jack was a good guy, and that he would do everything he could to help Harry.

Quatre tried a small grin as he regarded Trowa warmly. He felt a little better knowing that his mere presence helped his best friend. He moved toward the other pilot slowly, reaching out a hand and softly touching Trowa's shoulder. "We're stuck here together. It's not the most ideal situation, but if I have to be here with someone, I'm glad it's you and not a stranger. I'll be here for you, too. Whatever Voldemort did, I don't care. It doesn't change that you're still my friend."

[heavy_bangs]

"I doubt he will, Quatre." The statement was as empty as Trowa's expression. Trowa had thought about that more times than he'd cared to admit; the possibility of his recent wounds being undone. From what he'd seen of this place, there was at least one, if not more of the staff who were quite capable of reversing even extreme injuries.

At the mention of Duo's name, Trowa was sure that he flinched. It might have been a small flinch; a flicker across an impassive face. He glanced towards the side, looking at the window for a minute. He'd yet to visit their recently silence comrade, and Trowa was unsure whether or not he had plans to actually do so. It was easy enough, considering that Duo was within walking distance, and he knew that no one was going to stop him from seeing the pilot, at least not while the doors were open. No one would even look at him oddly for wanting to see Duo, and he did want to check on his well-being. Still, Trowa didn't even consider moving towards the other cell.

Putting to words why was difficult, at best.

Trowa took a deep breath, listening to the comforting tones of Quatre's voice. Gentle as they were, they demanded attention; there was no need for Quatre to raise his voice or be sharp, ever. Trowa appreciated that genuine evenness in contrast to his own quiet. He appreciated the strength of Quatre's hand on his shoulder-- Quatre was stronger than he was, there was no question in his mind of that. The blonde young man was likely the strongest of all of them. As much as it hurt to think, he was glad that Quatre was here with him.

"If anything were to change our friendship, I should hope the doctor would have nothing to do with it," Trowa answered. After a moment, he added, "I wouldn't want him to make me better, Quatre. Even if he offered." He hoped that made sense.

[quatrew]

Quatre noticed the flicker of... pain? guilt? that took Trowa when Duo was mentioned. The blond was confused a bit by the reaction, but he thought that it might be because he felt sadness that Voldemort would do such a thing to Duo... or that Trowa somehow felt guilty about it.

"Have you been to see him yet?" Quatre asked. "I know he'd feel better seeing you, as well."

Quatre had only been here for two days, but had observed that unity was the key to gaining any kind of advantage over their captors. He also knew it would have to start small, and the easiest place to start would be his friends, who he knew he could count on -- Trowa, especially.

Quatre listened to Trowa's reply, and nodded softly. He knew there was truth in those words. He squeezed Trowa's shoulder gently, before pulling him into a brief reassuring hug.

"I understand what you mean, Trowa. And he won't have anything to do with what happens to our friendship," Quatre said with a soothing confidence that he hoped would help Trowa even more.

[heavy_bangs]

"No, I haven't."

Trowa didn't elaborate. What could he say? Duo wasn't going to feel better. Duo Maxwell was a talker. Silenced, Trowa couldn't begin to imagine how Duo was going to cope with that, in the long run. Trowa didn't know how going to see Duo would help the situation. Duo knew that Trowa was his fellow soldier in arms; if Duo needed something done, it would be done. Trowa wasn't sure, though, that this needed to be done. If that pathetic extension of friendship would make things okay.

Still, it was rare that Quatre gave advice that wasn't worth listening to. In fact, Quatre tended to only speak when he was sure that it was worth being heard. Taking heed of the blond's words had never been something that had disadvantaged Trowa in any way, and honestly, Trowa should have listened to him even more than he already did.

The hug shocked Trowa, enough that he tensed for a minute before allowing himself to be comfortable in the sudden action. His arms awkwardly returned the hug; it was an action that Trowa still had difficulty reciprocating, but not for any fault of Quatre's.

He took a deep breath. "I know, Quatre...of the things I worry about in this asylum, our friendship isn't on that list." That was a lie, but it wasn't the first or the last lie Trowa was going to tell here.

[quatrew]

"If you want, you and I can go together," Quatre suggested, "if it makes it easier. We can meet outside of the cells, like in the library, perhaps."

Quatre knew that Trowa was concerned for Duo.

He felt Trowa flinch at the hug, and started to apologize after it was over. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable." It just felt right, though... Quatre felt calmer having Trowa close by. As much as he smiled and reassured Trowa, he'd always at least be a little worried about him. They'd been through so much together up to this point - Quatre being the cause of Trowa's lost memory after ZERO system drove the blond insane and caused him to shoot his friend out of the sky, to Trowa using ZERO himself, with Quatre making sure the same fate didn't befall Trowa, to Trowa regaining his memories. Quatre had always felt a connection with Trowa that was a little deeper than the connection he had with Duo, Heero, or Wufei.

Quatre managed to give Trowa a slight smile. "That's good that you're not worrying about that," Quatre replied to Trowa's statement.

"Duo mentioned that magic might be a way for him to be able to talk again," Quatre continued. "It seems odd, but this is definitely the place for odd things to happen," he mentioned with a wry grin.

"I think it'd be worth looking into, at least... but I'm not quite sure how to begin," the blond mused - more to himself, but any advice or opinion Trowa had would definitely be taken into consideration.