sweetestsurrender | { The AU meme }

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{ The AU meme }

Ever played out something and then later wondered "What if?" Ever wondered what it'd be like to play your character a different way, but didn't feel like making a full thing dedicated to it? Now's your chance to play it out!

Using RNG you'll roll 1-3 for the level of the change, and 1-6 for the change itself, or if you want, pick your own based on what you wanted to do.

1)  Small Change: The flap of a butterfly's wings can cause tsunami's on the other side of the world.

-1: "A minute too late"- What if you missed something by a minute, or more? You missed the big meeting, the girl, helping that person, all because you were too late, what happens next?
-2: "The nick of time"- Just like the first, only that instead of missing something you got, that if you got something you missed because you were either too late, or just messed up? Congratulations! Let's just hope it's what you really wanted.
-3: "A little too early"- One more, what if you showed up early? It's suppose to be a good thing, is it this time?
-4: "The other choice"- You had two choices, left or right, heads or tails, Coke or Pepsi, now you get to see what would have happened with the other choice.
-5: "Oops!"- You slipped up, and made a mistake. Is it bad, or a blessing in disguise?
-6: Wild card/Pick your own- Thought of a slight change that'd make all the difference, or had one you wanted to play? Here's your chance.

2)  Medium Change: Didn't really see that coming, did you?

-1: Turning point change- That one thing that would have turned things in your favor went against you, and vice versa. How will you handle this critical change?
-2: "A Razor's edge"- That one moment that could have went either way has gone the opposite way of before. Is this a good thing, or a bad thing?
-3: Crossroads- You reached a point in your life where you had several choices before you, now's the time to go down another road and see where it leads.
-4: The Road less traveled- "Two roads diverged in the woods, and I took the one less traveled" Will it make all the difference?
-5: Interference- Something blocked you from getting something you were going for. What do you do once the moment is gone?
-6: Wild Card/Pick your own-Thought of a medium change that'd make all the difference, or had one you wanted to play? Here's your chance.

3)  Large Change: Why do all the people here have goatee's?

-1: Good/Evil- Use to be a good guy? Welcome to the dark side, here's your cookie. Former bad guy? Hand over the cookie tray and join the side of good. How will the change of moral compass change you?
-2: A different person- You're now a completely different person, literally. Are you taller? Shorter? A robot? A pony? Powers? No powers? Your call.
-3: The other sex- Rule!63 is in effect. Now how does this effect your relationships with the other?
-4: A change in history- Something that happened in the past now has completely change or is now gone. One domino toppling the rest. Now that you've changed your past, how will it effect your future?
-5: Giving up- You walked away from something important to you? Do you regret it? Are you happy?
-6: Wild Card/Pick your own- Thought of a large change that'd make all the difference, or had one you wanted to play? Here's your chance.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Duo just scowled and lightly kicked back at Quatre's foot.

"Quat. She told me. I'm not assuming. I'm not being an idiot here. If she actually loved me back..." Duo didn't know. He'd be happy. Happier than he ever knew he could be. He smiled softly. "Believe me. I'm not gonna do anything stupid."

"Yes, because she hasn't been repressing herself for years. I'm sure she's very in touch with her emotions," Quatre replied dryly, giving his head a little shake and smiling at Duo. "At any rate, I'm glad you're both happy. I'll bring out the tabloids tomorrow and we can find out how she wants to approach it. Shall we head back?"

Duo didn't argue. How could he. On one hand Quatre was right. But on the other... "I'm not gonna assume. She'll tell me how she feels. If it changes one day, I'll be the happiest guy alive. If not... I can do my best to keep her happy."

He pushed himself to his feet then and smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Quat. Just give us tonight and we can deal with the reporters tomorrow." He threw an arm around Quatre's shoulders. "But tell me. Seriously. Are we crazy for doing this?" he'd like at least one person on his side here.

Quatre hummed as he nodded in agreement. "Can't argue with that," he conceded, sliding his arm around Duo's waist when the arm landed on his shoulders. "Oh, you're absolutely crazy, but I think it's the kind of crazy that makes everyone scratch their heads when it works out perfectly. So, exactly your brand," he grinned.

In the garden, Wufei had been supplied with something fruity in a tall glass with a little umbrella and chunk of pineapple hanging off the rim. She was just taking a first sip, humming in approval as the alcohol hit her tongue. "That was one thing I never understood. Why does the stuff that taste good have to be considered girly? Do you know how fast I could get drunk on this?"

"Good. Just so long as it's the right kinda crazy." Duo nodded, completely serious. If it was on brand for him then it was fine, it made sense. He just didn't want his friends thinking ill of him. Or of them. It could easily be seen as someone being taken advantage of and that just wasn't the case. Or jumping in to something too soon that they would regret. But Duo knew he wasn't going to regret this.

Together he and Quatre left the room and headed back out to the garden in time to catch what Wufei said. Duo had to laugh.

"Because girls are sweet and men are bitter. Or something." With a light pat of Quatre's shoulder, he broke away and returned to his seat beside Wufei. "I never did buy into gendered drinks. Like what you like. I've known women who can drink guys under the table and this one buff Sweeper who loves a cosmopolitan." Duo grinned. "The day someone calls him out on it is a day I wanna be there to see."

"If anyone has concerns, just tell them you've my blessing," Quatre replied simply, and grinned at Wufei. "I see you're enjoying Auda's new hobby. He knows how to make them strong enough to knock even Heero on his ass."

Wufei hummed in approval. "Then you can expect to see me well and truly drunk at least once on this little vacation," she flashed a grin, and offered Duo the drink to give it a taste. It was just a run of the mill pina colada, without very much rum, but it was clearly delightful in her book.

Duo took the offered drink and had a sip. Then made a face and handed it back with a laugh. "Coconut. You like that stuff?" He didn't mind fruity drinks but coconut was so damn strong. Still, he was more than happy to get well and truly wasted on this trip of theirs. Though probably not tonight. He was looking forward to heading out to the night market.

"Nothing wrong with coconut. You need to expand your palate, Duo." Trowa also had a pina colada in his hand. He had decided to join Wufei in her 'girly drink'. He deliberately took a drink from his straw and raised both brows, daring Duo to say something. But Duo just laughed at him.

Wufei laughed at Duo's face. "I do," she replied warmly, taking another sip. "I think it's a little better toasted, but with the pineapple it's quite good," and the rum didn't hurt, either.

"I'm sure we can tempt him into some baclava at the night market," Quatre suggested, coming up to drape himself over Trowa's shoulders. "Maybe get him to try a little camel meat..."

That suggestion had Wufei pulling a face.

Trowa's smile brightened as he lifted his head and pressed a warm kiss to Quatre's cheek then he lifted his free hand up to lightly stroke his fingers down his arm. "Interesting choices, my love. But I think we can do better."

"The hell? You guys know I'll try anything once!" Duo laughed. "It's how I know if I'll like something." And how he knew coconut wasn't one of those things he liked. It was why he didn't pull a face when camel meat was mentioned. He'd already tried some weird things so decided to prove it. "Can't be any worse than horse or shark, right? What about kangaroo?"

Quatre hummed. "I'm not sure they'd have kangaroo at the night market, but I'm sure I could get some flown in. If you want to try the really interesting stuff, though, we'll have to go for aphrodisiacs," he flashed a cheeky little grin.

With a shake of her head, Wufei smiled, blush dusting across her cheeks. "Well, it sounds unappealing, but so did most meat before I tried it for the first time. We used hydroponic methods on my colony, so outside holidays our only meat was fish." And even that had tasted wildly different from the fish on earth, that had a much more varied diet. She took a long drink from her relatively small glass.

"If you guys wanna knock down aphrodisiacs more power to you. You come near me with an oyster and I'm kickin the shins out from under you!" Duo didn't know what kind of aphrodisiacs Quatre was talking about but he did give the little shit a dirty look for bringing it up. Not cool, Quat. Not cool.

"Don't worry about it." He turned his attention to Wufei, his smile warm. "We can hit the dessert stalls instead."

Quatre laughed, flashing Duo a little grin. "What, you don't like chocolate?" he teased, perching his chin atop Trowa's head. He wasn't often in a position where he was taller than his lover, so he was taking full advantage.

With a warm hum, Wufei stirred her drink with the straw, then plucked up the pineapple chunk and took a bite. "That sounds lovely," she decided lightly. "And you don't actually believe those things work, do you?" she asked, glancing in Duo's direction with more than a little amusement.

Trowa was perfectly happy with Quatre being above him. He continued running his hand slowly up and down his arm though. But in the end his hand found Quatre's and threaded with those long, pale fingers to hold it.

"Chocolate is an aphrodisiac? Learned somethin new I guess! Uhh nah, I don't think they work." Duo grinned merrily. "I just hate oysters. Tried one a few years back, came right up again. Did it for a dare. I lost." And he was glad he'd lost. They'd been nasty.

"I don't think I'd like oysters, either," Wufei admitted. "I prefer my meat to be cooked."

"Well, that rules out the tartare," Quatre laughed, fingers tangling with Trowa's as a happy warmth settled in him. It was hard not to feel that way, with so much happiness in the room. "Shall we go? The market should be opening soon."

Wufei hummed, downing the rest of her drink and offering Duo the rest of the pineapple chunk. "I ate the part that tasted like coconut," she promised him.

"Got something else in common!" Duo answered cheerfully. He wasn't even that keen on sushi, but it was a bit more edible than oysters. Then he was offered Wufei's slice of pineapple and he gave a broad grin and took it and happily placed the juicy piece of fruit into his mouth. Even if it had coconut flavour he would have accepted it since Wufei had offered it. "Mm, pretty good!"

"Now I'm ready!" Duo, having finished the pineapple, got himself to his feet. Naturally he then held his hand out to Wufei, his smile knowing. He was fully aware of what he was doing. Without her hand in his, it was starting to feel strange.

Trowa tilted his head up to smile warmly at Quatre. Having him so close, he couldn't help himself. He reached up a hand to slide behind his head and pulled him down toward him just that extra inch to press a kiss to his lips. "... Now we can go."

She smiled warmly as she took Duo's hand, getting to her feet and stepping close. Everything had changed so much and so quickly, but the feeling of her hand in his made her feel stable and anchored, reassured her that all these changes really were for the better.

Quatre returned Trowa's kiss with a soft smile, letting himself melt a little more into the gesture and grinning when the kiss broke. "See, when you do that, it's like you're trying to convince me to stay," he teased, but pulled away enough that Trowa could get up. "The night market is close enough for us to walk, if you don't mind. It'll cool down pretty quickly once the sun sets."

"Just taste for later." Trowa assured, his smile widening just a little, a mischievous sparkle in his eyes that was just for Quatre alone. He got to his feet when he was free to do so and finished off the last of his drink before stepping away from the table and up take his place beside Quatre.

"Walking's fine with me." Duo agreed easily. "Lead the way." They'd have to follow since they had no idea where this night market was, but Duo didn't mind talking a walk with Wufei. Especially if things would be cooling down soon. Feeling like he was about to melt into his boots wasn't the nicest of sensations.

A little shiver ran down Quatre's spine as he cracked a grin. "That'd better be a promise," he replied lightly, and gestured with his free hand for Duo and Wufei to follow, heading off across the garden. It was more of a courtyard, and they reentered the estate on the other side of it, passing straight through to step outside again onto a sidewalk. It wasn't exactly empty, but it wasn't crowded either.

At Duo's side, Wufei kept pace easily, letting her gaze wander as they made their way to the market and hummed happily when she saw the banner that marked the entrance to the car-free alley. There were already lights turned on, strung between awnings that covered little booths selling everything you could imagine. And wouldn't you know, not ten paces in there was a stall selling those big, floppy straw hats.

"Of course." It was always a promise. Trowa contentedly followed beside Quatre while Duo and Wufei brought up the rear.

Like Wufei, Duo couldn't help look around. He had visited a few places around the area but he hadn't been to a night market yet. He had, however, been to a morning one. The night one seemed more his style though. And as they approached it, the lights, the sounds, and one of the first stalls being the one they wanted the most, Duo realised this was the best of ideas.

Immediately he approached, letting go of Wufei's hand he reached for one of the hats and turned to place it atop her head and grinned. "Knew it! Suits you, Wu."

Edited 2022-02-16 23:40 (UTC)

Wufei grinned as she saw the stall, and laughed as he dropped the hat onto her head. "It fits perfectly," she agreed lightly, holding onto the brim with one hand and doing a little twirl for him. "I love it," she decided, catching a glimpse of herself in a mirror. She almost didn't recognize herself, but in an entirely pleasant way.

While Duo and Wufei were busy with hats, Quatre kept close to Trowa, lingering a short distance away. Close enough that they wouldn't get separated, but far enough to give them a little privacy. "Well?" he asked softly. "What's your read on them?" Quatre was an empath, but Trowa was an expert in behavior.

He let go of the hat and watched with a warm smile as she twirled and checked herself out. While she wasn't looking he'd already gone and bought the damn thing. She loved it, it was all he needed to know. It looked good, amazing even, and it was just what they'd said they wanted. Duo approached and stood behind her, looking over her shoulder into the mirror and grinned. "It looks real good. Exactly what we wanted!" He lifted a hand and gave the brim a gentle flick of his finger.

"If I didn't know any better," Trowa started, his gaze moving from Quatre's upturned face to the two not far from them, a small smile curved his lips. "I would have said they were very much in love. But they're holding back." For what reason Trowa couldn't guess. But having watched them it was easy to see that there was something very pure between them, but also a barrier stopping them from being too intimate. It could just be shyness around others. Maybe their level of intimacy was a more private affair. Trowa didn't think so though.

She laughed when he flicked the brim of the hat, grinning at him in the mirror. "Now all I need is a camera hanging around my neck to look like a proper Chinese tourist," she said lightly, turning to put her arms around his. "But I think I can make do with a Duo. What do you think?" she asked.

Quatre hummed softly in agreement. "Whatever it is, it's something that gives her nightmares and fills him with rage," and that made the list of possibilities very short. "But it's none of our business," he said firmly, as if it was Trowa who needed to be reminded not to go prying instead of himself. It was a terrible habit, and terribly hard to break.

"I think a Duo is all you need." Duo agreed cheerfully. Though she also did have a point and suddenly he really wished they had a camera so they could take pictures of all of this. Of her looking so damn beautiful... He wanted to remember every little thing. And pictures were the best way to do that.

Next time. Next time he'd ask Quatre to borrow one. Duo was sure he had them!

"Whatever it is, my love." Trowa soothed, reaching to place a hand gently upon Quatre's shoulder. "It is something they are clearly working through. She's at ease the second she sees him. And he gravitates toward her when he sees her. The details aren't our business, but the results? As their friends, we can be happy for them ad support them." Without interfering. However... things like taking them to the night market to give the new couple more chances to enjoy their time together wasn't the bad kind of interfering, was it?

Wufei giggled warmly up at him, pulling one arm down to go fishing for her wallet because she had, indeed, missed him paying for the hat.

"Yeah," Quatre agreed, leaning into the touch a little. "Yeah, I think they are. They're so good together, I can't believe I didn't see it before, even with all of her secrets," he shook his head a little, smiling up at Trowa. "Be happy, support them, maybe spoil them a little?" he suggested hopefully. "What good is all our money if we can't throw it at our friends once in a while, after all?"

Duo casually reached over to stop her hand and then grinned. "My treat. You can buy me a sweet thing instead." A compromise, he figured. He wanted to spoil her but also didn't want to go overboard. And this hat was something he'd really wanted to see her in. It was strange just how much. It was like he'd had this image in his head and it had needed to be complete, and now it was. Now he was happy. Wufei looked happy too and that was all that mattered.

"Because they weren't ready to be seen." Trowa pointed out gently. "The time wasn't right." Neither were ready for it. Duo had kept on running. Wufei hiding. It had taken something dramatic to bring them both to a stop and out into the light and for the both of them to make that realisation. Only then could the rest of the world see it too.

"My heart, that's just what they don't want." He chuckled. "Unless they give you an opening." And then all bets were off.

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