3nanashi | L4, backdated to March/Aprilish

The Winner estate library is, unsurprisingly, both comfortable and extensive.

In about three hours, Trowa will have to head back across the colony to the park where the circus has set up its tents, so he can change and warm up in time for the evening's show. But that's three hours from now. Right now, he's settled on one of the third-floor sofas in the Winner library, reading a borrowed book while Quatre's off getting tea.

(The caffeine is mostly for Quatre, who's a workaholic even when he's not rearranging his schedule to spend afternoons with a friend, but Trowa's not objecting to it either.)

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From:

04_after

Quatre gives him a questioning look that says what did you think about it? as he dares a sip of the tea.

It's cool enough (just barely).

From:

3nanashi

"It's an interesting choice of metaphor."

And a pretty transparent one -- the story doesn't really stand up on its own, without the allegorical framework -- but Trowa doesn't mind that. He reads fiction for what people intend to say with it anyway. If they feel like making that authorial message blatant, he has no objection.

In this case, the authorial message is about the interconnectedness of everything, which makes it an unsurprising choice for Quatre Raberba Winner's shelves.

"She's more nuanced than the rest so far."

From:

04_after

Quatre grins, a little; "It's not the most subtle of collections," he agrees, "but I think it's the best of Reicht's to date."

Lupe Reicht is the editor of the collection of short stories, Perspectives. Trowa's reading the fifth, and most recent, version.

"Duvernay makes an interesting contrast; I think I like Masih's better, with the objects' perspectives on people and the world, but his grasslands seem to not notice anything outside of themselves at all."

From:

3nanashi

"Yeah," Trowa agrees.

"Have they worked together?"

The stories read as if the authors might have. They're pretty clearly commenting on a similar formulation of the same issues.

From:

04_after

"Mm," Quatre says, after another swallow of tea. "Not in literature, as far as I know? But they both work for the RCRC reparations in L5, last I spoke with Duvernay."

From:

3nanashi

Trowa accepts that, without surprise.

From:

04_after

Quatre smiles.

(He considers, briefly, saying I like it, again, but Trowa already knows.)

"I'm sure," he says, instead, "that it's ruined now that I've given away that you've read the best."

From:

3nanashi

Trowa, in demonstration of his amusement, completely fails to change his facial expression.

"I might disagree."

Odds are not very high.

But literary quality isn't really why Trowa reads fiction anyway, so that's all right.

From:

04_after

Quatre laughs.

"Far be it from me to disturb scientific inquiry," he says, grin acknowledging the purposeful pretension.

Should he pick out a book, or just enjoy sitting with Trowa on the sofa?

...this decision doesn’t have to be made until he finishes his tea.

From:

3nanashi

Trowa, presumably, will go back to his book soon. After all, he needs to figure out if he agrees with Quatre about the other stories!

But for now, he sets the book down (closed, after a glance to check the page number) and picks up his tea.

From:

04_after

Quatre doesn't mind.

From:

3nanashi

So.

Tea.

Yep.

From:

04_after

Quatre’s not entirely certain when the companionable silence becomes strained.

(It's probably his fault. He's spent far too long over his tea, when he should’ve gone and got a book ten minutes ago. Maybe fifteen.

If he goes to get one now it will be awkward. If he doesn't, it will be awkward.

Maybe he should say something. But it looks like Trowa's thinking? Don’t be stupid, Trowa's always thinking. Maybe Trowa's waiting for him to say something. Nothing comes to mind except that idiotic speech nudging at his neurons. In his neurons? Via the method of--anyway.

No, he can't say that; he still has the earpiece clipped to his pocket like some fool.

And what if he has something in his teeth? He hasn't brushed since this morning.

He probably does.)

He starts when Bernie wanders into the room, discussing something on the phone about landlords, throws them an absent-minded thumbs-up, grabs a book from a shelf and leaves (patting Quatre’s head on the way).

"Uh, do--you want me to take in your cup? If you're done, I mean."

From:

3nanashi

Trowa glances at him, slightly bemused.

Awkward silence-breaking like that is not usually a feature of their conversations.

(It can't be Bernie's entrance, even if it was -- a bit more of a surprise than usual. His sisters wander in and out of the library often enough.)

"Sure," he says, and finishes off the last swallow of tea.

"Thanks."

From:

04_after

Quatre smiles at him slightly as he takes Trowa’s cup, and heads to suite kitchen, unclipping the earpiece and attaching it to the kitchen screen.

The water runs for longer than it really ought to, to wash the cups out preliminarily. This is because Quatre’s staring at it, and wondering if dunking his face in it will make him stop being stupid.

He turns it off, and goes to brush his teeth in the restroom instead.

(There’s nothing in them; he flosses, anyway.)

This is ridiculous, he thinks at his reflection. The worst that could happen is that he could be wrong, and they’d still be friends. Obviously not ideal, but would it be so awful? No, of course not.

He takes more risky chances every day before lunch. Well, at least twice a week. Quatre cleans the toothpaste off the corner of his mouth, eyes himself sideways for a moment, and walks back to the library with what he hopes is casu—oh, Trowa’s reading again.

Um.

Hm.

From:

3nanashi

Trowa is, but he glances up when Quatre returns.

(What he doesn't quite ask: everything okay?)

From:

04_after

Quatre laughs, slight and self-deprecating. "Don't mind me; I'm just being ridiculous."

He sits down at an angle where he had been earlier, facing inwards towards Trowa. "I'm going to steal your attention for a moment--well, a few moments. More of an indefinite amount of moments--from Reicht. Would you prefer to finish your chapter first?"

From:

3nanashi

Trowa closes the book, and sets it on the couch beside him. (Page 103.)

Which is enough answer, but he says anyway, "It's fine."

He's listening.

From:

04_after

This was so much easier in theory.

"Basically," he says, voice a lot steadier than he feels, "I'm probably going to talk too much, but I'm prefacing this with the fact that I don't expect anything, and I'm--trying not to assume anything. Um."

Quatre glances sideways for a moment, before looking back. (His eyes wander to the side now and then, during the next part.) "It's a little redundant to say you're my best friend," he starts, wryly, "but I still feel like it's important, with everything else. Um--I'm pretty sure that's why it took me until two years ago to--well, I mean." He's definitely not looking at Trowa now, and his left hand is twisting at his right cufflink. "I think it's returned, or I wouldn't say, but--I could be wrong, and that's fine--um, I just--basically-I'm-also-attracted-to-you?"

He winces, almost, as he says it.

"Which, I mean, I can never bring it up again if that's a problem! And I mean, don't worry about--you're my best friend, I'm not--well, yes, I'm going to be awkward. But not for long--"

From:

3nanashi

"Quatre."

Trowa's smiling, just a little.

From:

04_after

Quatre breaks off, and laughs slightly, breathless from the rambling.

"I know," he admits, once he's breathed. "To sum up: I like you, do you like me? Register yes or no at your earliest convenience. Which-- doesn't have to be right now."

From:

3nanashi

"You worry too much."

You'd have to know him to hear the fondness under the words.

But it's less hidden than often. If you know him, you can hear it.

Trowa reaches out -- the care is only because this is new, and deliberate as such -- and sets his hand lightly on Quatre's. "Yes."

From:

04_after

Quatre both relaxes and brightens before Trowa even moves, though it breaks into a true grin when he does.

He brushes his thumb against the side of Trowa’s knuckle, half-concious.

"Well," he says, "that's--good. To know."

From:

3nanashi

That touch is new too, but -- not unwelcome.

At all.

"Yeah," he says.

Suspecting, and being unsure what to do about it next, is not the same thing as this.

From:

04_after

Quatre's grin isn't going away anytime soon.

When he's regained the faculty of speech: "So: If you have any questions about that, or anything."

He doesn't seem to notice that the sentence didn't really go anywhere.