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"A Little Less Normal"Written By: Clara Barton Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing. The following is an intellectual exercise with no intention of profit. That said, these characterizations, words, and situations are mine. Please ask before reprinting.
Warnings: AU, Yaoi, Lemon, Language, Angst, Romance Pairings: 3x2, 1x5, past 3x4 Summary: Trowa Barton starts a new job and intends to start a new life, free of complications like falling in love with your boss. But life doesn't go as planned, and Trowa struggles to find balance between work, love, and handsome strangers. A/N: This fic will feature several different pairings - and probably not the ones that you expect after a first glance. This is told in third person POV, but it will switch to different characters with each chapter. While not a crossover, I definitely want to acknowledge that the TV series, "Dirty Sexy Money" and the movie Two Weeks Notice both influenced me to write this. I would appreciate any feedback, whether it be negative or positive, criticism or lavish praise. Lavish praise preferred.
"A Little Less Normal " Chapter V Duo woke up on Saturday morning with one of the worst hangovers he had had in a long time. He groaned and covered his head with a pillow, intent on denying the sun's existence and spending the rest of his life bundled in his sheets, hidden from the world. He made a mental promise, not for the first time, to never drink bourbon again. Especially not after sharing three pitchers of beer. And especially not a fifth of bourbon on his own. Just as he had made the room stop spinning and convinced his stomach to settle down, Duo's phone started to ring. He groaned and slapped in the direction of his nightstand, hoping to decline the call, or at the least smash his phone so he didn't have to hear that ridiculously loud and persistent ring tone. His fingers found his phone and he gripped it as he felt for the 'off' button. Just as he was about to press it, he thought better of it. In light of yesterday's events, this phone call could be extremely important. Duo accepted the call and brought the phone under his protective cocoon of pillows. "Hello?" He croaked. "Duo Maxwell, did you forget?" Hilde Schiebecker shrieked into the phone. "Agh! Not so loud! Jesus Christ!" Duo held the phone away from his ear, but he could still hear ringing in his eardrums. "Forget what?" He asked cautiously after a moment. "That you're refereeing the soccer game with me this afternoon?" Hilde demanded in a sharp voice. "Er… no I'm not." "Yes, you are. Remember that text I sent you last night at… two-thirty? Jeff's wife went into labor and he asked you to stand in for him." "Uh…" "Duo, how hung-over are you?' "On a scale of one to ten?" It took a minute to think of the answer, and that moment allowed his mind to wander. To yesterday afternoon. To last night. To that ridiculously HOT kiss in the bathroom. To the fifth of bourbon. Eventually, after an impatient noise from Hilde, he pulled his mind back to the present. "Eleven. Definitely eleven." "Alright. I'll be over in half an hour with supplies." "Hil, I love you. I really, really do." "I know." Hilde used her typical reply, injected with her standard level of exasperation with him, and hung up. Duo pushed the phone out from the cocoon and curled back up. He slept for the half hour it took before Hilde was pounding at his front door. At least, he hoped it was Hilde, because it was a monumental feat for him to make it to the door at all. Putting on clothing would have simply been impossible. He opened the door and leaned on it to support himself. Hilde swept inside, arms laden with Dean & Deluca bags. She looked at Duo's attire, or rather, lack of attire, with a slight frown of disapproval. Hilde herself was dressed in black leggings, an oversized black and green patterned t-shirt that she had belted at the waist, and flat black shoes. "You weren't kidding about the eleven, I see. I don't think you've been drunk enough to lose your clothes since we were in college." Duo smiled slightly, appreciating the fact that she was speaking to him in a low, soothing tone of voice. "Yeah, well, I still tend to lose my clothes. Just in a more private setting, yanno." Hilde rolled her eyes and went into his kitchen and dumped the bags on the central island. She dug inside one and pulled out a bottle of Pepto Bismol as well as a can of Diet Coke. Duo watched in resignation as she poured both into a glass and shoved it at him. "Hil, I'm still not sure this actually works," he said. "So you've been doing the same thing for twelve years with no conviction?" She questioned. Duo knew she was referring to the drink, but he couldn't help but think about the inheritance Odin had left him. "Well, it's habit," he stalled, refusing to look at the toxic sludge in his hand. "Do you or do you not feel better after drinking it?" "Um. I feel like shit. And then I spew it out, along with anything else in my stomach." "And then you feel better, right?" She persisted. "Trust me, this is the easiest way to purge your system. Now, drink it, vomit, shower, and put on some boxers at least. I'm flattered by the morning salute, but, well, you're not really my type." "God I love you," Duo muttered and downed the glass in one terrible gulp. He literally had to sprint to the bathroom to avoid a mess on his floor. After he completed Hilde's prescribed regimen – going one better and putting jeans and a faded Yankees t-shirt on in addition to the requested boxers – his nose led him out to the kitchen. Hilde was hard at work at the stove, frying sausage and making scrambled eggs. Normally Duo avoided eggs at all cost, but they were, he had discovered through extensive research, a very good post binge drinking night breakfast. "So, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that yesterday did not go well," Hilde said, without taking her gaze from the stove. Duo snorted. "Yeah, that's a way of putting it." She glanced at him over her shoulder. "I also noticed that since you don't have some gorgeous naked man in your bed, you did not take my advice and set up a date with that hot lawyer you met." "Actually, I did take your advice, and that just… ugh." Duo groaned and buried his head in his hands. "I hate my life," he muttered. "Yes, and I have such overwhelming sympathy for you." She frowned. "Where's your maid, anyway?" He looked up, thought about going for the joke, and then thought better of it considering the fact that Hilde was very, very dangerous with a spatula. "Housekeeper, and she's at the new place," he said. Hilde nodded. "I keep forgetting." She looked around the mostly empty apartment. "I'm going to miss it here. Good memories." "Yeah, well… Dad said he was giving these apartments to Heero and that was one promise he managed to keep, so, time to move!" He didn't bother to keep the bitterness from his voice. "Is Heero going to make you pay rent on the house?" Hilde asked. "Uh, no." "That's good of him," Hilde said. "Yeah, well, it'd be really shitty of him to try to charge me rent considering that he doesn't own it," he said. Hilde arched an eyebrow. "Odin gave the Brownstones to Celia? She'll knock them down in a month." "No, he gave them to me." Hilde was silent for a moment. "All of them?" She asked. "Yeah. Crazy, right?" "Wow. I guess he realized how much you loved them." Duo shrugged. He had been surprised, but not shocked, that Odin had left him the houses. Hilde was right – Celia probably would knock them down and sell the property, and Heero… he had never appreciated the houses like Duo did. "Okay, breakfast is ready, so time to spill. What exactly happened?" Hilde sat a plate of food in front of him as well as a glass of orange juice, and crossed her arms. Duo took a few bites of food to avoid answering immediately, but eventually he spilled the story of the reading of the will, and the reactions of his family. When he finished, Hilde looked thoughtful. "Duo, I think you should fight for this. It's what Odin wanted." He frowned. "You sure about that? Maybe this was one last chance for him to mess with Heero's head, you know?" "Do you really think that Odin would put Yuy Inc. in jeopardy, just to carry on some stupid grudge against his son?" Duo arched an eyebrow. Hilde sighed. "Fine, maybe he would. But would he really subject both of you to such an insane idea if there wasn't some logic to it? I mean, you do have an MBA from Columbia! It's not as if they just give those out!" "Hil, I don't want to hurt Heero. He's my brother, and as much as he drives me insane, I love him. I don't want to be a part of some scheme that Dad concocted to hurt him." "But I'm saying that he didn't! What if – now hear me out, Duo – what if Odin, as he lay dying, thought back over his entire life and realized that his biggest regret was driving a wedge between himself and his sons. What if Odin realized that he had pitted you against Heero your whole lives, and he regretted that? What if he wanted you to be on the board and to serve as Chief Executive Officer because he thought that you would be GOOD at it and because he thought that Heero would need your support?" Duo frowned and considered her words. He didn't know if his residual hangover was impairing his logic, but part of him thought that she could be speaking the truth. "Maybe," he allowed. "Look, it's not like you can get out of it anyway, is it?" She demanded. Duo shook his head. "Not unless I'm incapacitated. So… I could just go on a drinking binge for the next year. That should take care of that." Hilde arched an eyebrow at him. "Really? You really want to drink more? Enjoy the feeling of vomit burning your throat that much, do you?" She asked in her sweetest voice. "Ugh. Please. Stop." Duo massaged his stomach as her words gave him a visceral flash-back. "Now, tell me what went wrong on the date." Duo winced. "Yeah, um, you see… Heero hired a new lawyer last week." "Okay…" Hilde frowned, obviously not following the change of topic. " And that lawyer happens to be some young hot-shot who Wufei hates. A lot, apparently." "Meaning that he's a human being," Hilde clarified. "What does this have to –" "And this new lawyer happens to be incredibly good looking. Tall, auburn hair. Amazing green eyes. Wears a suit like it was made for him. Has unfortunate taste in baseball teams…" "No." Hilde had heard this description before, last week, when Duo had recounted his initial meeting with Trowa. "Yes. Turned out that my hot date was my brother's new legal counsel." Hilde winced. "Oh Duo, that is such bad timing." "It gets better. I'd called him just before the reading and set up a date for later that night, figuring I could use the drinking company and hopefully get him to ah, tuck me in for the night. Anyway, we met at the reading and well… figured out who we were. But he still came to the bar. Didn't think he would, so I kind of started without him…" Duo shrugged, thinking back through the haze of last night. "Hil, this guy is…I dunno. We talked for a while. It was nice, yanno? He listens really well. And then I spilled beer all over him." Hilde rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I know. And then we had this fucking unbelievable kiss. I'm talking fireworks and electricity and all that shit. It was…fuck. It was incredible. And then we kissed some more…. And then he told me that nothing could happen between us and I left. Oh, and then I came back here and drank a little bit of bourbon." "Duo, that sounds like a really shitty day." "Yeah. No kidding. It was wonderful to realize that everyone in my family still thinks I'm a worthless fuck-up, and then my chance for a sympathetic outsider to screw my brains out vanishes. Classic Yuy curse." "Well, Yuy curse or not, it's eleven and we need to get going." "I hate Jeff. I want you to tell him that, okay? Tell him congrats on the new baby and I hate him." Hilde rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I'll be sure to pass on that message on to him." They took a cab over to Van Cortlandt park, a rare luxury for Hilde, who, for some reason Duo just could not fathom, loved to take the subway. "You realize that I don't even like soccer, right? Or know the rules?" Duo groused when they arrived at the park. "My heart bleeds for you," Hilde muttered as they started their trek to the soccer field beside the lake. "So what are you going to do?" She asked as they neared their destination. Duo shrugged. "I dunno. I mean, you're right, it's not like I can really get out of it. I guess I'll have to just suck it up and unearth my suits from the bottom of my closet." "What about school?" She asked. "I – shit. I didn't even think of that. There's no way that Heero would let me play corporate executive at night and laid-back math teacher during the day. Fuck me. It's only April – we've still got ten weeks of school to go." "Talk to Dr. Po on Monday. I'm sure you can work something out." "Yeah, like me quitting my job," Duo muttered and kicked a rock. He couldn't believe that Odin was doing this to him. "I guess Dad never really gave up on me going into the family business after all." "What about Trowa?" "What about him?" Duo growled. "I'm probably going to see him every day. Have to look at that amazing ass and listen to that voice and Christ, Hil, he wears reading glasses and he looks so fucking hot–" "Yeah, okay. I think that answered my question." Hilde put an arm around his waist and leaned into his side. "You know, if you ever want to get a sex change and become a lesbian, I'd love to spend the rest of my life with you." "Yeah, and if you ever decide to get a sex change and become a gay man, right back at you." It was their long-standing joke. They had met their first night of college at a party and both of them had been completely drunk. Duo had mistaken Hilde's short hair and boyishly thin frame for that of a boy. Hilde had mistaken Duo's long hair and boyishly thin frame for that of an anorexic girl. It had taken about thirty seconds of kissing and two wandering hands to realize just how wrong they both were. They had been friends ever since. As they approached the soccer field, Duo scanned the uniformed kids in search of familiar faces. "Isn't Nat on one of these teams?" He asked. "Yeah – she's a Tiger," Hilde said and thrust a black and white polyester polo shirt into his hands. "You owe me," Duo told her as he pulled it on over his Yankees shirt. Hilde snorted. "Right. Me making you breakfast, curing your hangover, and listening to you bitch about your seriously screwed up family life doesn't count for anything." "Well… we're almost even in that case. Buy me dinner and I'll call it good." Hilde laughed and pulled her own referee shirt on. "I don't see her," Duo said, frowning. "Who – Nat? There's still ten minutes til game time. Her mother's probably running late." "Right." Duo was willing to bet it was more than that. With Nathalie Fontaine it was always more than that. She had been Duo's student for the past three years, and he had watched as her home-life continued to deteriorate and interfere with her school work, not to mention her stability. She had started off as a smart-ass kid who thought math was for 'squints' as she put it, and refused to learn. It had taken Duo almost a year to get through to her, and by that time he had become emotionally invested in her life. He had watched her closely this past year and had noticed marked changes in her behavior, almost as if she was reverting back to her old self, before she had realized that an education was a good thing and offered her a new life. Three times now this year she had come to school with bruises on her face and arms, and it was more common than not that she came to class with a dirty uniform on. Duo was constantly torn between calling social services or not. The school already had, on numerous occasions – but not enough to get Nathalie put in foster care. Duo would not wish that fate on any child. But it was also clear that Nathalie was not flourishing in her current situation. As if his gloomy thoughts had summoned her, he spotted Nathalie walking up to the soccer field. He jogged over to her. "Hey, how's my favorite trouble mak –" his standard greeting trailed off as he took in her appearance. She wasn't wearing her soccer uniform, for one thing. For another, the clothes she was wearing – her school uniform – were stained and actually torn in a few places. She was clutching her backpack straps so hard her knuckles were white, and she looked up at him with dark, defiant eyes. A hard look to pull off considering that one of her eyes was swollen shut and the right corner of her lip scabbed over. "What happened?" He asked in a neutral tone, working very hard to keep the fury out of his voice. "Nothing," she muttered. "Nat. You are a worse liar than me." She sneered. "Same old, same old. Mere got wasted and mad and," Nathalie shrugged. "It doesn't matter. I'm fine. I just…" "Nat, when did your mother get wasted?" "Thursday night." Nathalie hadn't been in class on Friday, not an unusual occurrence of late, and it had given Duo pause. If he hadn't been more anxious about the reading of the will he would have called her house to ask where she was. "So you stayed home to take care of her yesterday?" He hazarded. "Nah. She kicked me out." "She – you've – when did she kick you out?" Duo didn't even bother to keep the anger out of his voice this time. "Thursday." "You've spent two nights on the street." She shrugged. "Why didn't you call me? You've got my cell!" "I can take care of myself! I don't need some stupid teacher to tell me what to do!" She turned, as if to go, and Duo stopped her. "Wait, wait, wait. I know you don't need me, kiddo, but, hell, class on Friday sucked without you there to call me on my shit." That almost earned him a smile. "Yeah, well," she shrugged and started to walk away again. "Where are you going?" He asked. "I dunno. Doesn't really matter." "Home?" He suggested. "Never. I'm done." Duo didn't blame her, but the conviction in her voice made him wince. "No soccer today?" He asked. "I don't have my uniform, 'sides, I don't feel like it." "Yeah. Me either. Hey, why don't I take you out for lunch instead?" She looked ready to say no, but her stomach grumbled at the mention of food. Duo was willing to bet that she hadn't actually eaten since Thursday. "I guess," she shrugged. "Great. Lemme tell Hilde – wait here, okay?" Nat shrugged, but Duo held her gaze until she nodded. Duo sprinted back to where Hilde was speaking with the two team coaches. "Hey, sorry, I can't stay." He pulled off the shirt and held it out to her. "Wha –" she looked past him to where Nathalie was waiting. "Is she okay?" "Definitely not. I'm sorry." "You owe me," Hilde said as Duo turned away. "Put it on my tab!" He called over his shoulder as he ran back to Nathalie.
After gorging on two happy meals, Nathalie looked a little better. Her face still looked like it had been used for boxing practice, but she sat a little straighter in her chair, and her scowl definitely had more force behind it now. "So, how are you doing with your homework?" He asked after taking a loud sip of his Coke. She glared at him. "Yeah, cuz I've definitely been keeping up with that shit." "There's a shelter near the school –" She was up and sprinting out of the restaurant like a shot and it took Duo half the block to catch up with her. He finally got close enough to grab her arms and gently forced her to stop. "Okay, no shelter." He promised. There were tears in her eyes and Duo swallowed hard. This tough as nails kid never cried. "Promise." It was definitely a command. "I do. I promise." They were interrupting the flow of pedestrian traffic, so Duo led her over to a bench on the sidewalk. "You know, I'm moving into a new house today," he said conversationally. "So?" She was perched on the edge of the bench, ready to take off again at the slightest provocation. Duo mentally sighed. It was as if the last three years had vanished and all of her trust had evaporated. He gave her mother a silent fuck you. "Well, it's a pretty big place. I've got a few spare rooms. You could, you know, crash there for a while. Til you figure out what you wanna do." She looked suspicious. "You aren't going to call the cops?" "You gonna kill me in my sleep?" She snorted. "Nah. You're like the only teacher who thinks I'm not an idiot." "Well, you're not an idiot." "Whatever." She shrugged and stared down at her shoes. "Thing is," Duo continued. "If you stay with me, you gotta go back to school. And you've got to do your homework." "You… you won't send me back to her?" This was asked with more fear than the question about calling the cops, and it broke Duo's heart. She looked up at him and Duo would have promised her anything in that moment, with that look on her face. "You don't want to go back?" He asked, just to be sure. She vehemently shook her head. "Then no, I won't send you back. Will you go to school?" She nodded just as vehemently. "Good. There's only one other thing." She started to get the deer in the headlights look again. Duo scratched at the back of his neck. "You kinda stink, kid, and those clothes don't look like they'd survive my washer." Not that Duo even knew how to operate his washer. "So?" She demanded. "Well, I'm kind of known for my sense of style and awesome personal hygiene." He brushed invisible lint from his shirt. She rolled her eyes. "So, if you're gonna hang with me, you need some new threads." "I don't want charity!" "It ain't charity. Calm down. It's self-preservation. You'll ruin my rep. 'Sides, you're doing me a favor." She scowled, obviously not buying it. Duo sighed. "Look, Nat, my Dad died two weeks ago and he left me… a shitload of money. So, I've got some cash to burn." "What? Like how much, like a thousand?" Nathalie asked. Duo coughed. "No, it's uh, a bit more than that." "Like ten thousand?" "Like forty million." Not including real estate or stock shares, Duo mentally added. Nathalie stared at him. "Nuh-uh." "Yeah-huh." "Bullshit." "I'm not making it up. Besides, if you think I'm lying, let's go to a store and find out, yeah?" Duo stood and after a moment Nathalie reluctantly followed suit. "Yeah, well, you could just put it on your credit card – like my mom does." "Okay. Then hang around long enough for me to get my credit card bill and watch as I pay it off." "Yeah, but you could just write a bad check." "What? You want me to go to an ATM and make a withdrawal? Not like I can take it all out, you know. Or like it's all in one place." Which was true. Odin hadn't actually left Heero or Duo money in his will. Instead, both men had inherited money from him, and from Celia's mother, in the form of trust funds. Rosemary Powell, Celia's mother, had set aside fifteen million for each of them, which they had inherited at the age of twenty-one. Odin had made them wait a few more years, until they were twenty-five, before allowing them access to the twenty-five million he had set aside for each of them. Odin didn't want to leave them money in his will – confident that by overseeing their spending of his fortune while he was alive, he would keep them from doing anything stupid with the money. "Yeah, that sounds like an excuse. A liar's excuse." "You're killing me, Nat. Absolutely killing me." Duo held out a hand and flagged down a taxi. "Barneys, over on Madison," Duo instructed the driver after he pushed Nathalie into the backseat and scooted in beside her. "Barneys? What's that?" Nathalie demanded. "It's like the best place in the world. No joke." Duo looked at her profile, taking in her defiant posture and proud face. She had always been a striking child. As the daughter of North African immigrants, her skin was an amazing light golden-brown, and her long black hair, when washed, looked like silk. At the moment it was pulled back in a sloppy pony tail, and Duo could tell that it had been a while since it had been washed. He sighed and pulled out his phone to text Sara, his housekeeper, and warn her about the house guest that would be joining them for the foreseeable future. "I'm sorry your dad died," Nathalie mumbled. Duo blinked back sudden tears. "Yeah. Me too." "You liked him?" She asked in a quiet voice. "He was a good man. He… loved me and I loved him." "Yeah, well…" Nathalie's own father had abandoned her and her mother not long after her birth, Duo knew. They arrived at Barneys and Nathalie looked at it skeptically. "We couldn't go to like, Old Navy or something?" She asked. Duo snorted. "No, we definitely couldn't go to Old Navy." He remembered when he, as a teenager, had asked his mother the same thing. It was winter, and Old Navy was running those catchy 'Performance Fleece' commercials non-stop, and Duo had never even felt fleece before. When he had made the request, Celia looked absolutely stricken. They walked in, and Duo hung back, letting Nathalie take in the multi-storey department store on her own for a moment. "Er, excuse me, Miss. But I think you might be lost." A sales associate, a leggy brunette with a scowl on her face, had swooped in and was looking at Nathalie as though the girl was radioactive. "No, I think we're in the right place," Duo stepped up and put a hand on Nathalie's shoulder. The woman arched an eyebrow as she took in Duo's appearance, which, while clean, wasn't up to his usual standards. "Is Travis working today?" Duo asked. She nodded reluctantly. "Great. Then we won't waste any of your time. Tell him that Mr. Maxwell is here, will ya? Thanks!" Duo waved her away and her scowl became even more pronounced. She turned and walked away. "Let's get outta here," Nathalie mumbled. "What? Why?" "Cuz that lady was a bitch." "Yeah, which makes this next part a lot of fun. Trust me." She looked disbelieving, but she allowed him to leave his hand on her shoulder, which he thought was a major sign of trust. It was less than a minute later when Travis walked up, the leggy brunette behind him, her face pale. Travis himself did not look too pleased. "Duo, I'm so thrilled that you stopped by today, and that you brought another new friend!" Travis smiled widely at Nathalie. "I'm Travis," he said and held out a hand. She looked up at Duo, who nodded. She sighed, rolled her eyes, and held out her own. "Nat," she said. Duo prodded her. "Nathalie Fontaine." "That's a beautiful name, Nathalie. This," he jerked his shoulder to indicate the woman, "is Martha. Not a very pretty name, unfortunately for her. But, she has something she would like to say to you." Martha stepped forward, and now her cheeks were stained red. Whether it was embarrassment or anger, Duo couldn't tell. "Ms. Fontaine, I am so very sorry to have been rude to you. I do hope you will forgive me." Nathalie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well, stop being such a bitch." Both Duo and Travis had to smother their laughter at that, and at the look on Martha's face. "I'll work on it," Martha said and stormed off. "So, now that that's done, we need some clothes, Trav." Travis arched an eyebrow. "Not that I'm complaining about your current companionship, but what happened to that gorgeous man you came in here with last week?" Duo winced. "Yeah. Turns out he's my brother's lawyer. So… let's never mention him again, k?" Nathalie was listening earnestly, and Duo wondered if maybe he should have refrained from sounding so gay in front of her. She caught his concerned look and rolled her eyes. "Please. I know you're gay. You always stare at the hot dads at PTA meetings." Duo scratched his head. "Yeah. Okay. Moving on. So, Trav, my bud here needs some new clothes. Her wardrobe sort of… took a vacation, and she's going to need the works." "Of course. Let's go upstairs and get started. I will set up a dressing room and pull some things. In the meantime, is there anything you would like? Cookies, fruit, soda, chocolate milk?" Nathalie's eyes went wide. "You get food while you shop?" "Of course," Travis assured her. "Cool." By the time Duo brought Nathalie home after a day of shopping, a quick trip to his mother's favorite plastic surgeon to clean up her face, and another decent meal for dinner, Duo had to carry her up the stairs and inside. He was grateful to have had the foresight to have Travis send the new clothes to his house, because they had definitely bought out almost everything from the girls section. Sara opened the door at his soft knock and gave him an exasperated look. "You always did like to bring home strays," she chided him. "Yeah, well, this one's going to need a little more caution and attention than a lost puppy." She smiled softly at the sight of the girl sleeping on his shoulder. "Which room did you set up for her?" He asked as he shifted her weight in his arms. "The Yellow Room," she whispered. "Beside yours." "Good choice. Thanks. That should be all for tonight." He walked past her and started up the stairs to the third floor of the five storey house. "Your mother called to remind you about brunch tomorrow." Duo groaned. "Of course. Will you call Anita in the morning and tell her that I'll be bringing a guest." Sara raised an eyebrow. "Well I can't just leave her here," Duo pointed out. "Very well. Good night." "Night, thank you." Duo continued up the stairs to the fourth floor and walked to the open door at one end of the hall. He walked in and couldn't help but smile at the sight. Instead of making up the bed with the standard linens, Sara had gone out and purchased a lavender and yellow coverlet, pillowcases, and matching sheet set. It was girlish, but not pink. He thought that Nathalie would enjoy waking up in the bed. He laid her down and took off her shoes and then covered her with the blanket, wincing at the thought that Sara would have to wash everything tomorrow after Nathalie had slept in the bed, unwashed, though, thankfully, in clean clothes. Duo watched her sleep for a moment before turning out the light and walking down the hall to his own bedroom. Even though it was still early – only nine – he felt exhausted. It had been a surprisingly long day, all things considered, and Duo just wanted to go to sleep and turn his brain off for a few hours. He brushed his teeth and then did just that.
"So, you have to behave, okay? Because trust me on this, my mother is like… Dr. Po times a million." Duo had spent the car ride out to Southampton trying to give Nathalie a crash course in manners and how to deal with Celia Yuy. Freshly washed, her hair in a neat braid down her back and her face looking a little less brutal after the attentions of Dr. Greenberg yesterday, Nathalie was wearing a blue striped dress that she had fallen in love with yesterday. It had been amusing for Duo, watching as she came out of the dressing room in dozens of different outfits, her expression shocked as she told him how much each one cost. "Why are we going if it's going to suck so much?" She asked him, not for the first time. "Because we have to. My Dad's will was read on Friday and he sort of… made a mess of everything. So we need to talk about it. Besides, kiddo, this is a weekly event. Get used to it." She groaned. "Why am I living with you again?" "Because you love the chocolate mochi in the freezer?" He hazarded. Sara had found Nathalie in the kitchen that morning, stuffing her face with Duo's favorite late night snack. She blushed. "Sorry." "No need to apologize. You can eat whatever you want. Just, uh, if you're going to eat ice cream before breakfast, try to be a bit sneakier about it. Sara doesn't approve." "I can't believe you have a maid!" "Housekeeper," he corrected reflexively. "Yeah. Whatever. I mean… does she do your laundry and everything?" "Yeah. But she doesn't pick up dirty clothes from the floor! So make sure you use the laundry basket in your closet." "Which closet?" She muttered. Duo couldn't help but smirk. Nathalie's rather jaundiced view on his life was amusing, and more than a little bit heartbreaking. It was one thing for her to be amazed – and disapproving – about having a maid. Entirely another that she had felt the need to sneak a glass of milk that morning and then tried to lie about it when Sara asked her if she wanted another. Duo sighed. It was going to take a lot of work to get Nathalie to relax and… enjoy her new life. "You live here? This is a freakin' castle," Nathalie's voice interrupted his thoughts. Duo supposed that it did look like a castle. As a child, this home had been his favorite. Weekends and summers spent here meant playmates and the beach. And the chance to escape the critical eye of his mother. "My mother leaves here, I haven't lived here in years. Jeez, you think I'm some creep that lives in my mom's basement?" He joked. She smirked and hopped out of the car as soon as it stopped, almost smacking the driver with the door as he prepared to open it for her. "Sorry," Duo told him and followed her. "Is there gonna be a butler?" She asked. "Knock," he instructed her, for once enjoying the formality his mother insisted on. She did, very loudly. A moment later the door opened to reveal Howard. The normally unflappable man blinked as he took in Duo and then his shorter, female companion. "Good morning, Mr. Maxwell, Ms. Fontaine." "How does he know my name?" Nathalie whispered to Duo. "He's a spy," he whispered back. Howard rolled his eyes. "Yes, please don't blow my cover," he whispered back. Nathalie looked torn between insulting him and believing him, so Duo took the opportunity to usher her inside. "Brunch is being served in the Rose Garden," Howard said. "Thanks!" Duo led Nathalie outside, grinning at her awed expression as she took in the interior of the massive home. It seemed that, as usual, Duo had been the last to arrive. His mother, Heero, Wufei, Darlian, Relena, and Trowa were all already seated. The two open seats were between Wufei and Trowa, and as much as Duo felt bad for Nathalie's troubled life, there was no way he was going to sit beside Wufei. So he practically raced her to the table and took the seat beside Trowa. The move earned him scowls around the table, and Wufei threw down his napkin in disgust and stood. He pulled out the empty chair to his right and waited for Nathalie to sit. She looked at Duo. He nodded at the chair. She looked up at Wufei's scowling face. "Please, do join us darling," Celia spoke up. Duo's dire warnings about pissing off his mother must have sunk in, because Nathalie scrambled into the chair and hauled it close to the table, ignoring Wufei entirely. "I confess, when Sara called this morning to say you would have a companion, I had anticipated someone…else," Celia said. Duo looked around at the closed expressions on both Heero and Trowa's faces and guessed that his mother had probably announced that he was bringing some guy to brunch. "Sorry to disappoint," he said cheerfully. "Not at all. This young lady appears much more pleasant than your… usual friends. But you haven't introduced her, yet." "Sorry. Mother, this is Nathalie Fontaine, one of my best students. Nathalie, this is my mother, my brother Heero, his lawyer Trowa Barton, Thomas Darlian, his daughter Relena Darlian, and that cranky guy to your left is Wufei Chang." "A pleasure to meet you, dear," Celia said. "Thank you?" Nathalie said with a cautious look in Duo's direction. "Now that you are finally here," Wufei said. Duo wondered if the man knew any other way to start a conversation. "We should discuss the issues raised in Odin's will." "Yes," Darlian chimed in from across the table. "I've spoken with other members of the board and the vast majority of them think that the idea of Mr. Maxwell acting as CEO is ludicrous." Heero's sharp gaze focused on Darlian. "Thomas, when did the board convene to have that discussion?" He asked in a steely tone of voice. Duo knew what it felt like to have that tone directed at him – like the times when he had 'borrowed' toys from Heero and accidently broken them. "Well, there was no meeting," Darlian backpedaled. "I just gathered an informal poll." "Hn." "Odin's will is ironclad," Trowa spoke up and Duo forced himself not to look at the other man. Not that it helped much, the sound of his voice was enough to remind Duo of their Friday night make-out session in the bathroom. "You aren't seriously suggesting that Duo Maxwell become a senior vice president and CEO of Yuy Inc.?" Darlian demanded. "No, Odin did." Trowa pointed out, a bit of steel in his own voice. "Duo, what do you think?" Heero asked. Duo looked up at his brother. He looked exhausted, with faint bruises under his eyes and his messy hair just a bit messier than usual. Duo wished that he and Heero had spoken more in the past two weeks. He wished they had the kind of relationship where regular conversation was even possible. More often than not, every time they spoke they ended up fighting. And then not speaking for months. He sighed. "I think it was a pretty crappy thing for Dad to do this without consulting anyone." He began. "But, Dad was a lot of things. Stupid wasn't one of them. I'm sure he had a good reason for doing what he did, and well, I guess we're kind of stuck with this for the next year." "What about your job?" Trowa asked. Duo flattered himself by thinking that there was concern in Trowa's eyes. Duo shrugged. "Well I'm guessing that I'll have to quit." "You're quitting?" Nathalie demanded beside him. He looked down at her. "Yeah, for a little while. I need to help out my brother," he nodded at Heero, "with our Dad's company." She scowled. "So I'm going to have some new asshole as a math teacher." There were several gasps from around the table, and Duo forced his smile into a neutral expression. "Well, maybe. Maybe not. Tell you what, I'll personally pick my replacement and make him – or her – promise not to be an asshole." Nathalie seemed to consider the proposition, and then nodded. "Fine," she sighed and took another bite from the pancakes drowning in syrup on her plate. Duo made a mental note to arrange a visit to the dentist for her in the near future. "So, just like that, you'll go back to work." Heero said. "I'll go back to work at Yuy Inc. I've always worked." Duo sneered. "The board- " Darlian began. "The board will have ample opportunity to discuss their concerns at the next meeting," Heero interrupted. There were a few moments of tense silence after that, as everyone ate and avoided eye contact with the fuming Darlian. "Well, my charity ball is next week and I do hope you boys plan on bringing suitable dates," Celia broke the silence at last. Duo groaned. He had completely forgotten about the ball. He had been a bit preoccupied with his father's death, the funeral, and everything else in his life. He looked across the table and noticed Heero's scowl. It appeared that he, too, had had other priorities. "Mother –" Heero began. "Darling, it's a black tie affair, just as your father always enjoyed. You will honor his wishes and attend, of course." Duo winced. He wondered how much mileage his mother was going to get out of that threat before it lost its power. A few years, at least. "So I can bring whoever?" Duo asked with a smirk. Celia's eyes narrowed. "I would prefer it if you would take one of the suitable men of our acquaintance," she bit out. Duo shrugged. "Yeah, bit boring, though." "I'm still free," Relena suddenly spoke up, her large blue eyes fixed on Heero's face. Duo rolled his eyes. "Yeah, you aren't really my type, Relena. But since you still haven't been asked out, I guess I could take you." It took two seconds for his words to sink in and she turned furious eyes on him. He grinned. "Of course I've been asked! Trant would be thrilled to go with me." "Okay, well, I just thought – what with you throwing yourself at me –" "You thought wrong! I'm going with Trant!" Across the table, Heero shot him a relieved look. Duo winked. "I'll bring Hilde, if you don't mind," Duo told his mother. She immediately relaxed. "Lovely. She is such a charming girl." Celia had long harbored the secret hope that the smart, attractive tom-boy that Duo had claimed as his best friend would turn out to be man enough for Duo to marry. She had no idea that, Duo's preferences aside, Hilde would rather have a go with her than with either of her sons. Duo shuddered as the memory of that confession came back to him. "Heero?" She turned to her other son. He frowned. "I'm certain that Trowa and I will be working late. I will put in an appearance, however." "Nonsense, both of you will." She smiled at the new lawyer. Trowa blinked but looked neutral. Duo scowled as he looked at his mother, practically seeing the wheels turning in her mind. Was she trying to set them up? He slumped back in his chair and glared at his food. Celia Yuy seemed to vacillate between denying that both of her sons were gay and whole-heartedly embracing their sexual preferences. It wasn't unusual for her to spend an entire dinner party shoving Relena into Heero's lap and then introduce him to the handsome, successful son of one of her friends the next day. And Trowa, Duo mused, was exactly the type that Celia liked to push in Heero's direction. He was handsome, obviously intelligent, obviously well connected, successful. Duo's dark thoughts turned even darker when he noticed Heero looking over at Trowa, his lips slightly turned up. It seemed that Celia wasn't the only one in favor of the matchmaking attempts, then. "Hey, Trowa, mind if I borrow you for a moment? For some legal expertise? In private?" Trowa gave him an exasperated look, but Duo rose from the table, and the other man, obviously more well mannered than Duo, followed him. Duo walked until they were on the beach, far out of sight and ear-shot of everyone else. "Duo – we can't –" "Relax, I'm not going to jump you. I really do need legal expertise." He was gratified to notice that Trowa looked slightly disappointed. "Nat's mother kicked her out of the house on Thursday night, and I found her yesterday. She's going to be staying with me for… as long as she wants. Anyway, it might become a legal issue. So, thought I'd give you a heads up." Trowa's jaw dropped. "It might become a legal issue? Duo, that girl's mother could charge you with abduction –" "Sure, if she was sober enough to even spell it," Duo muttered. "Look, I'm not interested in a lecture. Just…what can you do that keeps her away from Nat?" "Is that really in the best interests of the child?" Trowa asked thoughtfully. "Well yeah. Unless you think being homeless and/or having the shit kicked out of her by her own mother is better for her." Trowa scowled and swore under his breath. "I'll see what I can do to get you temporary custody. Family law is…very far outside of my area of expertise. I might need to refer you to someone else. But I'll take care of it." Duo grinned. "Thanks. See, I knew you'd be good at private, legal discussions." Trowa rolled his eyes, but smiled slightly. Duo marveled, not for the first time, at how amazingly good looking Trowa was. He had dressed appropriately for brunch in knakis and a navy, v-neck sweater that hugged his arms and chest just enough to show off a toned body without looking obscene. Duo looked behind them, back towards the house, but no one had followed them. He decided to risk it, and closed the distance between them. "Duo," Trowa said warningly. "Hey, there's a lot of space out here. Not like in a bathroom. I'm not backing you up into a door. You can run if you want." He was glad that they were almost the same height, with Trowa's nose just slightly above his own. He bumped their noses together, and Trowa smiled. Duo took that as encouragement and brushed his lips over Trowa's. There it was again. The fireworks. The electricity. He was aware of Trowa's arms wrapping around him even as he pulled the other man closer and grabbed his ass. Trowa's tongue seemed intent on locating his tonsils, and Duo was perfectly satisfied to let the man search to his heart's content. Duo had never been a fan or raspberry jelly, but he could taste it in Trowa's mouth, and he was quickly revising his opinion of it. It was several moments before they pulled apart, Duo with a groan and Trowa with a resigned look on his face. "We're playing with fire," Trowa said. Duo was pleased to note that he hadn't pulled away entirely. "Always been a bit of a pyromaniac," Duo confessed. Trowa chuckled and then stepped back, his arms falling away from Duo. Duo let him go and instead shoved his hands in his pockets, wondering what would happen next. He watched as Trowa ran a hand through his hair, momentarily lifting his long bangs away from his face and revealing both of his eyes at once. "I'm going to see you every day," Trowa said. "Yep," Duo agreed with a grin. "Fuck me," Trowa muttered. That startled a laugh out of Duo. "That was definitely on my to-do list," Duo assured him. Trowa smirked and then sighed. He jerked his head back in the direction of the house, and Duo started walking back with him. "So… dinner on Tuesday?" Duo asked with a grin. Trowa started to shake his head, but Duo pushed him into a tall hedge and kissed him again. "So?" Duo repeated after he pulled away. "Not fair," Trowa said and then tried to brush the leaves out of his hair. Duo chuckled at the sight. "I'll cook for us," he said. Trowa arched an eyebrow. "What? I know how to cook." Trowa still looked skeptical. "You'll see," Duo promised him and then walked ahead. He resumed his seat beside Nathalie and ignored the curious looks from everyone else. He refrained from looking over at Trowa when the other man sat down beside him. The rest of the meal was spent in relative peace, with Wufei making a few pointed remarks about what a drastic lifestyle change Duo was about to undergo, and Relena making a fool of herself as she attempted to flirt with Heero. Duo managed to keep his eyes focused away from Trowa for the most part, but his gaze did stray a few times. As they got up to leave, Trowa held Duo back a moment. "Seven?" He asked. "Sounds perfect." Duo looked at his lips, imagining the way the felt on his, and then turned around and winked at Nathalie. She rolled her eyes. "You're pathetic," she said. "Whaddya mean?" "It's so obvious that you like him." "It is?" She gave him a look. "You might as well have started passing notes. It was gross."
~ * ~ tbc... |
