Prelude

By Misanagi

Rating: PG13

Pairing: 1x4x1

Summary: Quatre and Heero's wedding: the good, the bad and the ugly.

Warnings: Language, some sap.

Archive: Gundanium Line

Notes: This fic was written for the Gundam Wing Yaoi/Yuri Wedding Ficathon, organized by Jenn Abiding, filling Tralla's request.

Thanks to Anne for the beta!

It wasn't that he didn't like weddings, because he did. Two people standing before each other and declaring their love in front of their families and friends was the most romantic act he could think of. Weddings were nice. It was a chance to see everybody dress up, meet friends, and have a good time at the party afterwards. The last wedding he had been to was his sister's. It was classy, large and very impersonal. Everyone who was somebody had been there; executives, politicians, society ladies and the family. He hadn't liked that wedding. It had felt like all the other boring social events he'd had to attend. He was happy for his sister but the whole ceremony had seemed fake.

That was one of the reasons he had insisted on a small wedding. Of course, with him, small was next to impossible. Quatre Raberba Winner's wedding was the social event of the year, no matter how hard Quatre had tried to keep it private. Since the news had gotten out, everyone on the Earth Sphere and the colonies was following everything about the wedding. There had been already three months of controversial debates; Quatre's wedding seemed to be everyone else's business.

His family, meaning his sisters and their respective husbands and children, were all invited. Four of them had declined the invitation, one with no comment whatsoever and the other three with very vocal objections to Quatre's choice of spouse. The fact that he didn't know all of his sisters as much as he would have liked to didn't mean that their rejection hadn't hurt. However, the remaining twenty five sisters had supported him and some had even helped with the wedding preparations. Quatre had tried to be involved with that at the beginning but he soon decided that trying to fight his sisters was as useless as trying to keep the wedding private, so at the end, he just went with the flow.

The Maguanacs had all arrived three weeks before the event. Quatre offered them all rooms in his mansion but they politely declined and set up camp in the back garden. So, in addition to the hundreds of workers who came everyday to check and plan the wedding, Quatre's house was surrounded by forty mean looking armed men who insisted on checking everyone who stepped foot in the mansion.

It was after one very stressed phone call Quatre had with Duo that his friends started to arrive. Duo was the first. He had jumped on the first transport from L2 and had managed to arrive on L4 at midnight. However, instead of going into the house immediately, Duo had spent the night getting drunk with Abdul and Auda. After hearing their stories about how life had been in the Winner mansion for the last few days, Duo had decided to stay outside with the Maguanacs rather than sharing a house with twenty five overstressed women. Quatre wished that he had the option of doing something like that but he knew his sisters would never allow it.

Wufei had arrived in time with the protesters; which was a bad thing for Wufei as well as for the protesters. They weren't a large group but they were loud. They had decided to set camp outside the mansion and wave anti-gay banners while loudly quoting one verse of the Bible over and over. Wufei barely had time to get inside before borrowing one of Quatre's motorcycles and driving outside, showing his Preventer badge, and assuring the protesters that if they came near the mansion again he would personally arrest all of them and ship them to the nearest prison satellite.

After that, there was relative calm for a few days, until the supporters arrived. It wasn't that Quatre disliked them, and he could understand why they were so excited that an important figure like himself would marry another man, but they were even louder than the protesters. Catherine had arrived with Trowa then, and she had been the one to reason with the supporters. She had pointed out that since Quatre and Heero were already doing so much for gay rights by having a big wedding with a lot of important people on their guest list, they at least deserved some peace and quiet. She also took out her knives and reminded the supporters politely that they wouldn't want to turn the wedding into a circus, and that if they did so, she would have no problem in performing her act, with all of them as targets.

By then, Quatre had had enough and decided to hide in his room and wait until the wedding date. That decision had lasted about three hours. Heero had walked into the room and asked Quatre if he was really going to hide and let him deal with all the chaos. For a moment Quatre was tempted to say yes but then decided that he didn't want to be responsible for people losing their limbs.

So, Quatre had endured the long week before the wedding, using all the patience he had left, and then some. Now, the day had finally arrived and Quatre was standing in front of a mirror, trying to calm himself.

"Cat, are you ready?" Duo walked into the room. He was wearing a black suit with a red shirt, and no tie. Heero and Quatre had decided that as they had to have a formal wedding, they would at least have something casual to make it their own, so all the invitations had been sent with a note that said: "Black tie event, please wear no tie". Duo had thought that it would be hilarious to see how many people would show up with a tie in their hands not knowing exactly what to do. Quatre's sisters hadn't been so impressed since they had spent two weeks clarifying the dress code on the phone.

"As ready as I'll ever be," answered Quatre, trying hard to suppress a sigh. He was also wearing a black suit. Tailor made. The jacket was open and the white silk shirt underneath could be seen.

"You look tense," said Duo, walking towards Quatre and undoing the top two buttons of the shirt. "What's up?"

"I'm getting married."

"And? Last I heard that was a good thing." Duo shook his head slightly. "Are you nervous?"

"No... yes... a bit." Quatre sat on the bed, and leaned back on his forearms. "I don't want to have a wedding."

Duo was in front of Quatre in a second, looking at him in the eyes. "Quatre, I love you, but if you even think of bailing on Heero now, I will have to kill you, and I mean it."

"I will kill myself before I let that happen." Quatre smiled at Duo. "Of course I want to marry Heero; what I don't want is this wedding."

Duo sighed and sat beside Quatre. "I know this sucks, but Heero and you have already gone through all this shit; you can't quit now."

"I know," said Quatre, sounding immensely tired. "I know it's important."

"Are you talking about those activists out there?" asked Duo, giving a disgusted look towards the window where the sounds of people shouting could be heard. Quatre sighed. They were back. "It's not important for them, or for the example they think you are giving. It's important for you, for you and Heero because this," said Duo, gesturing around, "this wedding, crazy or not, is what you want, and you deserve it."

Quatre grinned. "Is this the best man's confidence speech?"

"Nah. Trowa or Wufei will give you that one." Duo stood up and patted Quatre on the shoulder. "The guests are arriving now for the pre-wedding cocktails that, according to your sister Thalia, you are allowed to skip, but I'm not."

Quatre raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to drink cocktails with society? Small talk with them? Laugh at their idiotic jokes?"

"Hell no!" said Duo, heading for the door. "I'm shooting drinks with Abdul. We have a contest going."

"Don't get too drunk."

"Never," said Duo, before walking outside. "That's what the reception is for."

Trowa had almost reached the stairs. He had been so close, just a few more steps and he could have hurried upstairs and away from the pre-wedding cocktails Catherine and Iria had forced him to attend. Those two were scary together. They had become instant friends since Catherine had threatened the crowd outside, and now they were plotting to introduce Trowa to every available Winner sister, cousin and friend in the room. That was why going upstairs and locking himself in a room with either Heero or Quatre sounded like such a good plan, and it had almost worked, but she had ruined everything.

"Trowa, dear, when you meet an old friend you are supposed to acknowledge their presence. Verbally would be preferable but knowing you, a simple nod would suffice."

Trowa nodded. "Dorothy," he said after a moment.

"A nod and a verbal reply. This must be my lucky day." Dorothy was wearing a long dark blue dress with matching gloves. "Aren't we looking handsome in that dark green shirt?" she said, eying Trowa's chest and not bothering to hide it.

"I was on my way upstairs."

"Don't be silly," she said, grabbing him by the arm and walking him to the bar. "Quatre and his boy-toy are all grown up. I'm sure they can take care of themselves."

As much annoyance as Trowa felt towards Dorothy, he had to give it to her, very few people dared to call Heero Yuy anybody's boy-toy, even behind his back.

"I'll have a glass of vodka on the rocks," said Dorothy to the bartender. "What are you having?" she asked, not bothering to look at Trowa.

"Scotch."

Dorothy handed him the drink and then they both walked to a corner of the room and leaned against the wall, quietly sipping their drinks.

"What do you want, Dorothy?"

She smiled, but the smile wasn't sweet at all, it was predatory. "Can't I just have a drink with an old friend? Do I need an agenda?"

"I would consider us more acquaintances than friends," replied Trowa, fixing his gaze on Dorothy's eyes. "And Dorothy Catalonia always has an agenda."

"You are so distrustful," she said, waving a hand. "I just want us to have a drink, and make a toast."

"A toast?"

"Yes," she said, raising her glass. "To Quatre Raberba Winner on his wedding day. May he have years of monotony and boredom."

Trowa downed his drink, she followed, and without any other word, Dorothy turned around and disappeared into the crowd.

"And then, he runs out of the tent in his boxers and takes his gun out of who knows where and shoots!" Abdul drank another shot. "Of course, he missed; Auda has always been a lousy shot, but even if he had shot me, just seeing his expression after he found that purple snake in his futon would have been worth it."

Duo was laughing so hard that the drink in his hand was spilling. "I just don't get how you managed to paint the snake purple."

"That's a trade secret," replied Abdul, serving himself another drink. "If you don't drink that soon, I'm going to win."

That was something Duo wasn't going to allow, so with a swift movement he drank his shot of vodka and put the empty glass in front of Abdul for him to fill again. "I thought Muslims weren't allowed to drink."

Abdul adjusted his sunglasses. "And I thought Catholics weren't allowed to steal."

Duo grinned and drank the new shot. "Who says I'm a Catholic?"

Abdul snorted, and drank his shot too. "And who says I'm a Muslim?"

"Duo?" A new voice could be heard from outside. "Are you in there?"

Duo stood up from his place on the floor of the tent, and walked to the opening, pushing the flaps aside to find Relena, dressed in pale blue gown, and looking behind her, as if she was worried about being followed. "Relena, I think the cocktail is in the ballroom inside the house, not here on the backyard."

Relena just pushed Duo aside and went inside, finding a cushion to sit on. "I don't believe we have met," she said to Abdul, extending her hand. "I'm Relena Darlian, and I would really appreciate it if you served me a shot of that vodka you are drinking."

"I'm Abdul," he replied, lowering his sunglasses to wink at Relena. "And it's a privilege to share liquor with such a beautiful lady."

"What the hell?" Duo closed the tent and sat in front of Relena. "You know, they have drinks inside. Are you okay?"

"What?" asked Abdul, putting a full glass in front of Relena. "If a pretty lady comes to my tent then she's not well?"

Duo turned and glared at Abdul, a glare he reserved for people who were going to die a slow death. "You better keep your mouth shut. If you even look at her that way again you are going to lose an appendage, and I won't be going for your arms and legs."

There was a small moment of silence, but it was ruined by Relena's laughter. "Duo, you /are/ as bad as Hilde said." She brought the glass to her lips and drank the whole shot in one gulp. "No wonder she complains she can't take you anywhere if she wants to find a man." She laughed again. "Abdul, would you be a gentleman and pour me another one of those?"

"Gladly," Abdul replied, and refilled the glass.

Duo wanted to say something but he had so many thoughts running through his head that he wasn't sure which one to voice first. What the hell was Relena doing in the Maguanac camp? Why was she drinking straight vodka when she never drank more than two glasses of wine? Who the fuck did Abdul think he was, making eyes at her? Why was she flirting with Abdul? Did he really scare every guy who tried to approach Hilde? Was Hilde looking for a guy?

"Have a drink, Duo," said Relena, gesturing towards the full glass that had appeared in front of him, "and stop thinking so hard."

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked Relena, looking at her and trying to decide if she was already drunk.

"Fine," she replied. "I just needed to get out of there. There is this senator who's been following me around trying to hit on me. It's not that I'm not flattered but I don't really go for men that much older than me."

Duo raised an eyebrow. "Do I want to know?"

"No, you don't." She took the glass again but she noticed it was empty so she put it back on the low table. "Anyway, Dorothy disappeared who knows where, Trowa and Wufei are nowhere in sight, the rest decided to skip the cocktails, and Hilde was too busy flirting with one of Quatre's nephews, so she suggested I look for you here."

"One of Quatre's nephews?" repeated Duo, slowly, as if the sentence would make sense just by repeating it.

"Relax, Duo. He's five years older than Quatre." She shrugged. "Abdul, be a dear and fill this glass. I don't seem to like it when it's empty."

Duo shook his head and smiled at Relena. He raised his glass and the other two did the same. "To purple snakes and decrepit senators."

"Cheers!"

"Yuy, we need to talk." The door closed after Wufei stepped into the room.

Heero was standing in front of the mirror, straightening the wrinkles in his suit jacket. He didn't even turn to face Wufei when he came in and just looked at the reflection in the mirror. "Chang."

Wufei walked into the room and leaned on the far wall, facing Heero's back. He checked his watch, noticing they only had a couple of minutes before it was time to head for the roof, where the ceremony would take place. "That jacket is fine, Yuy, leave it alone."

"We need to go now, right?" he asked, finally turning to look at Wufei.

"There is still time for a little talk," replied Wufei.

Heero raised an eyebrow. "I'm getting the 'better take care of Quatre or you'll become worms' food' talk?

Wufei couldn't help but snort. "I take it you've already heard it?"

For a moment Heero looked like he was about to laugh, but he just curved his lips, smiling slightly. "From the twenty five Winner sisters, Trowa, Duo, Relena, Hilde, Sally, Noin, Cathy, Une, and even Dorothy. I'm still waiting for the Maguanacs to approach."

"I hope you got it through your thick skull then, Yuy." Wufei smiled. "If it's any consolation, Quatre already got the 'don't hurt Heero or you'll face an eternity as a corpse floating in space' talk from quite a few people too."

Heero looked at Wufei in the eyes. "You have nothing to worry about." And Wufei knew it was true.

"It's time, let's go," said Wufei, opening the door and walking into the hall.

They reached the stairs and went to the roof. The people were already seated, and waiting for the couple to get there to start the ceremony. Unlike most weddings, there wasn't a long red carpet in the middle. Heero and Quatre had both refused to walk down the isle and had opted to enter from opposite doors situated in front of the guests' seats, which meant that they would only have to make a short walk that only the people seated in the first couple of rows would be able to see.

Wufei opened the door, and looked outside. In the front, right in the middle, Duo was standing, smiling at everyone. The Winner sisters and family were seated in the first four rows of Quatre's side, while Relena, Hilde, Dorothy, Noin, Zechs, Lady Une, Marimaia and Sally were in the first row on Heero's side. The Maguanacs had opted to stand at the back, looking like an honor guard. It took Wufei a moment to recognize them since they were wearing suits.

At the opposite door, right in front of Wufei, Trowa was waiting for the sign to guide Quatre in. Wufei was about to nod his head, signaling that they should start the ceremony when he heard some noise coming from the street. "I'll be damned!" he muttered under his breath. After signaling Trowa to wait and telling Heero to stay put, Wufei walked across the roof and looked down at the street. Two groups of people with banners were shouting at each other, and were probably ready to start a riot right in front of the Winner mansion.

"I'll kill them," Wufei said to himself, while taking a com device out of his jacket pocket. "Milles, this is Chang. There are some demonstrators by the south gates and I want them gone by yesterday. If anyone resists, arrest them."

"Acknowledged, Sir. Sending team as we speak."

Three minutes and forty-five seconds later, an efficient team of Preventers had evacuated the street and arrested only the seven demonstrators who had decided to resist. "Milles, I don't want to hear a single shout from down there. This wedding will not be interrupted or you'll respond to me, understood?"

"Understood, Sir."

Satisfied, Wufei returned to his place by the door, ignoring the curious glances of some people. Nodding to Trowa, he walked once more across the roof, but this time, heading for the dais in front, and knowing that Heero would follow.

The judge was an old man who spoke with a heavy Russian accent. He read the marriage act, stating the facts in a cold and efficient voice. Heero wondered if that was how /he/ sounded; if his tone suggested detachment, like that man's. Probably it did, judging by the reactions he got when he talked to strangers. Most of them couldn't wait to get away from him, as if they were nervous or afraid. It didn't really matter, Heero wasn't exactly a people person and he knew it. The people he cared for already knew that about him and they had learnt to deal with it. It wasn't as though Gundam pilots were easily scared.

Heero was only half listening to what the judge was saying. Quatre, in front of him, looked bored. It wasn't something many would notice. Quatre had that perfectly placid face that told people that he was very interested in what was being said, but Heero knew better. That was only a façade. Inside, Quatre was probably thinking how many escape routes the roof had and the best strategy for retreating if it was suddenly attacked.

The big ceremony wasn't something Quatre had wanted. Heero didn't mind anyway but he knew that for Quatre, a big wedding like this represented everything he despised about his position. For a while, Heero had entertained the thought of taking Quatre and running away to get married in some quiet place, and with only few guests. But Heero had decided to marry Quatre Raberba Winner, the CEO of Winner enterprises, ex colony representative and philanthropist, and with those titles came lots of responsibilities that Quatre couldn't run away from, no matter how much he would like to.

The feeling of Duo's hand holding his brought Heero back to the present. An object was placed in his hand, before Duo squished it and smiled at him.

"Please put the ring on each other's finger."

Quatre was smiling; this time it was a bright and true smile. Taking one of Heero's hands in his own, Quatre slipped the simple golden ring on Heero's finger. Heero then did the same, holding onto Quatre's hand for a moment before releasing it. They had opted against reciting any vows. They were both very private people, and declaring their feelings in public in such way wasn't something they could see themselves doing.

The judge read a few more words in his insufferable monotone, and then gestured to Heero and Quatre to sign the marriage papers. Heero read them quickly and signed, noticing that Quatre did the same. The judge looked annoyed; maybe he wasn't used to people actually reading the documents before signing.

"Quatre Raberba Winner and Heero Yuy, you are now legally married."

Heero could hear some clapping before Quatre pulled him closer and kissed him. It wasn't the most intense kiss they'd ever had. It was slow and tender, a bit like the first, as if they were both exploring the unknown.

The loud cheers ended the moment. Heero broke the kiss, licking Quatre's lips one last time before letting go. Quatre was laughing, and that simple sight made Heero feel more content than he had ever remembered being.

Suddenly, Quatre grabbed his hand and started running towards the door. After a mad dash down the stairs, Heero and Quatre arrived safely at Heero's room. They were both panting but they were also smiling. They were married.

"Do you feel different?" ask Quatre, letting himself fall backwards onto the bed.

Heero sat on the bed, leaning on the wall. "No, do you?"

"No." Quatre put his hands behind his head. "I still love you the same way."

Heero leaned on his side, so his face was right above Quatre's. "That's good, I presume."

Quatre laughed. "Yes, it is."

Pushing some bangs out of Quatre's face, Heero leaned down and kissed him. "I have a wedding gift for you," he said, standing up and walking over to the closet.

"What is it?" asked Quatre, adjusting his position so he could lean on his elbows and see what Heero was doing.

Heero turned his back to Quatre, reaching into the closet and hiding a smirk. He had been planning this for almost as long as the Winner sisters had been planning their wedding. Keeping the information secret from Quatre had been a challenge, but Heero wanted it to be a surprise, and when Heero wanted something, there was no stopping him.

"Catch." Heero threw a bag at Quatre. "Let's go," he said after adjusting his own backpack.

"Go where, Heero?" Quatre asked, adjusting his pack anyway and getting up from the bed.

Opening the window, Heero reached for the rope he had placed there the night before and handed it to Quatre. "There's a car waiting for us outside the north-east wall."

Quatre blinked and looked at the rope, as if it held some secret answers. "Heero, what is this?"

"Duo should have the shuttle ready by the time we arrive," explained Heero. "Wufei said he would make sure, Relena, Dorothy, Hilde, Sally, Lady Une and Marimeia get there in time. Noin and Zechs sneaked out in the middle of the ceremony to get a head start and make sure everything is in order when we arrive. The Maguanacs and Catherine promised to cover us, and Trowa is waiting for us in the car. Let's go."

"What..." Quatre shook his head confused.

Heero grabbed Quatre's hands and held them between his. He looked at Quatre in the eyes, and allowed himself to smile. "Quatre, I'm giving you the wedding you deserve." The smile turned to a smirk. "We are eloping."

"I think the whole idea of eloping is getting married, Heero. We've already done that." Quatre showed Heero his hand, wiggling the finger with the gold band.

"No," said Heero, grabbing Quatre by the waist and pulling him closer. "The whole idea behind eloping is running away, and that's what we are going to do."

Quatre snickered. "And if we happened to get married a second time, then so be it?"

"Exactly."

Quatre gave Heero a rushed kiss before climbing out the window. The Winners and the media had had their glamorous ceremony, and now it was time for the grooms to have the real wedding. Heero followed Quatre down the wall, and they ran to the car, getting away from the mansion. Surely, they wouldn't be missed.

- The End –