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"Why Me?"Written By: Kaeru Shisho Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Gundam Wing
or its characters, nor do I make any monetary profit off this story. Rating: NC 17 Warnings: AU, language, male x male Pairings: 1x2, 3x4 Summary: Trowa is pushed into dating Duo in order for Heero to see what he lost, realize his mistakes, and get back together. Will that work? Really? A/N: This was started years ago and I resurrected
it and Waterlily edited it, for which I am very grateful. Hope you
like it!
"Why Me? " Chapter 4 (o) Duo's POV The next day, I was up with a start, hearing unexpected noises. Then remembering Trowa had stayed over, I got up to check on my guest. We were going to look over a potential "hobby" ship today! I started to sing "There's a bright golden haze on the meadow! There's a bright golden haze on the meadow. The corn is as high as an elephant's eyyyyye-" We met halfway to the bathroom, he leaving it. "Yo." "Morning, morning, mooooour-ning!" I couldn't keep the excitement out of my voice. Trowa's stunned expression couldn't even knock me down a notch. He probably thought I was as high as a kite, forget the elephants! Heh, heh... He grunted and tossed the folded blanket onto the couch. "You didn't sleep on the air mattress?" I asked, looking for it. He turned to stare down at the shriveled plastic lying amid empty beer bottles and greasy donut bags, testament to our previous night of wholesale gorging. "Until it sank into the floor, I did, then I chose the couch." "Want anything to eat?" I asked next. Nothing was going to tone down my enthusiasm this day! Trowa tossed his bangs out of his eyes and answered, "No." "Good. We can get to the shuttle port that much sooner and pick up something to eat there." He approved my plan and we were on our way in no time. We skipped past the canteen and got down to the spacecraft first. My passionate interest in what we were doing and where we were seeped over to Tro' after he grabbed a coffee from a vending machine. He contributed a smile. We sat and waited for the ship's owner to show. I could smell the exhaust and the shuttle fuel and breathed deeply of the noxious fumes that spoke to my misguided youth. The roar and flare of firing space vehicle engines was like the best background music ever. I couldn't sit! I wanted to fly! Just the thought of flying again got my adrenaline charged! "I want to fly! Up there! Again!" I punctuated with enthusiastic arm waving. "Flying was my ticket off L2; it meant freedom, manhood- all that stuff." "Yeah. I know just what you mean." Trowa joined in after drinking the last drop and tossing the cup. "I had the circus performing to get off on, but Heavyarms was power and a step into adulthood." "Exactly!" "Are you Maxwell or Barton?" asked a man walking over to their table. The younger man standing a little behind him chuckled and whispered, "That's Duo Maxwell. You can't miss the braid." Well, it was my flag! The owner had brought this assistant techie guy and we all introduced ourselves. The technician opened her up and we examined the craft. Some wear and tear, blown, frayed and damaged areas, but no major- read: outrageously expensive- replacements. Thrusters and engine needed maintenance, nothing Trow-man and I couldn't do in our free time. "Month or two of work, you think?" I estimated. I could hear the hope and excitement rise in his voice. "Yeah, maybe less! We should hire out the body work." "Yeah." I could feel my grin grow. "Boring tedious stuff." "Best left to experts with dust-free spray rooms," he added in agreement. Trowa climbed down using the ladder placed just for that purpose. I found handholds, then scrambled and slipped to the ground. "Hey! That's not the right way to go down!" shouted the ship's owner. He was right but the man didn't know who I was, what I had been, or how my perverted mind could convolute an innocent statement, obviously. "I dunno," I said with a wry smile. "I've been told I'm pretty spectacular." "I should imagine so," Trowa agreed. I figured he was thinking "sexually creative" as well, and gave him a wink. The owner stalked off grumbling, but gave us space to talk it over. "So... whaddya think?" I wanted his frank opinion first. "Ship's good," he told me, but then he gazed directly into my eyes, "but that you know yourself. It's a commitment, and we're just-" "Good friends," I supplied. "I can live with that. I trust you to hang in there and complete this with me. I can share my toys." "Like you did your Gundam?" "Eh, this isn't that personal a toy." And I met his smile with one of my own. "Yeah, you know I just wanted to be sure you'd considered Quatre's point of view-" "I have. Quatre wouldn't mind my new hobby taking up a good chunk of my free time." "Right, yeah, like I didn't hear the irony in that!" I struggled to maintain a balanced point of view myself. I wanted this ship and I didn't want Trowa to back out on the deal, but I hoped he would if it might mean causing a rift between him and Quat. I didn't want to have that guilt hanging over me! Trowa chuckled a little. "I'm not dense. I really do know Quatre's feelings on that topic. He's complained plenty about the overtime Preventers demands of me. He could make time for us- so should I." "Oh, yeah. He'd love you sharing what precious little free time you have left over with me . No, I do not want to face the wrath of Quat." "Hey! It's your fault starting all this. You can't renege now. I'll make time." "Somehow, huh? Okay then." We shook on it, Tro' and I. All that was left was settling on a price. I was a wheeler dealer, low-balling initially, sensing their limits, and getting us a price considerably lower than Trowa had expected, he told me later. Very affordable. We walked away with a spacecraft needing TLC and a year lease on a berth for repairs and storage, and he started laughing. You don't much see Trowa laughing like that, so I had to ask, "You okay?" He shook his head in the affirmative. "You realize that I share almost as much debt with you as I do with Quatre?" "Scary thought." "Quatre and I are in a committed relationship. You and I aren't. I feel the difference between friendship and love, but do you?" Where was I in this process, I assumed was what he was asking? "Yeah, I do. I propose we have a chat over breakfast." "Fine. I'm hungry now," he agreed with gusto. Maybe we should have delved into that hornet's nest instead of stuffing our guts? Truly food for thought. "I'm no fool," I started out. "I know Quat's not going to be thrilled to share you with me and a ship. You don't have to tell me that he's pretty high maintenance." "Mostly it's Preventers," he hedged a bit. "He's been bitching about how my job interferes all the time with our lives." "Oh yeah? 'Ro did that, too. He took a different position which helped, but I dunno if I can. I didn't know what I could do and... well, I do like the excitement of the chase I get with field work. Could I give that up?" "Oh, you can," he assured me. "Don't tell me Yuy can't cook up something exciting to keep you... primed and pumping." I nearly choked on my coffee. "Damn!" He smiled down at his scrambled eggs and hash. "It broke us up. I don't know..." I hesitated over what to say next. "I've been looking for a change," he submitted, surprising me a bit. I thought he was a dyed-in-the-wool field agent like I was. "Guess now I'll be looking seriously." "No longer an agent? You? You'd do that for Quatre?" "If I want to keep him, I'd better carve out some spare hours in my schedule, because I want to have time for my new hobby." "Heh, heh, yeah. So, what kind of job do you think?" I asked, interested. This conversation was actually helping me work through what I'd been feeling since Heero had given up being an agent. Field work, carrying a weapon in particular, was a part of who Trowa was, or had been. But it didn't have to be for him, then what did that mean for me? "I was thinking... Maybe I'd take that mechanics opening I've been looking over. Quatre mentioned it. Eight to five and leave the job at the workplace?" "And have two days off a week," I said in a dreamy way. "That I could become accustomed to. No ten week missions end-to-end with a layover in the hospital." "If you want to fix this new ride of ours and actually get a chance to fly her, you'll need real time you can count on." "Do you think that will fix things?" I asked, and I wasn't talking about only repairing a ship. From the way he suddenly avoided my eyes, I knew he knew what I was getting at. Getting Trowa to talk feelings was not so different from extracting similar admissions from Heero. Neither guys liked it, or me, prying about. I felt a kind of solidarity with dentists. "It can't hurt-." Trowa said that, but his expression was one of excruciating pain, muted Tro-style. Well, too bad. It wasn't as if I started this, was it? "- Much," I said, because I'm so funny. "Duo-," he began and then stopped. I waited him out. I could be patient as death itself. Heh, heh... I could just lie in wait... "- you and Heero need to talk things over, then decide if you want to try again." "Talking to him is like chatting up a brick wall. Rough on sensitive areas." "Yeah," Trowa muttered and looked to the side where a family toting luggage shouted loudly at the departure delays . He looked like he'd just as soon be traveling with them, or neck deep in a pit of vipers, rather than talking about relationships. Heh, heh... "Yeah," he repeated (to buy him some think-time was my guess), "But going into a conversation where he gives in on some things and you... don't, well, that seems doomed from the onset." Shit. I hated it when he was right on target. "Yeah, yeah... right. Okay. I haven't been fair," I admitted. "He's right. You're right. I spend more time with Preventers than anything else, and take too many risks-he said that worried him. I'm not really wedded to dicey, nasty missions." My eyes slid over toward our new acquisition. I sure did want to fly. "It's up to you." Yep, Big T, it was, wasn't it? It was my turn to make a move, if I wanted Heero back in my life. Trowa would be a great friend to hang with, but... I really was missing 'Ro. I took out my mobile device. "Where did you look up the job openings at Preventers?" (o) Heero's POV "Do you think we've moved past that awkward date?" I asked. I certainly hoped Quatre was content with how our time together was coming along. He looked like he was suffering the evening before. I know I made him uncomfortable at first, but finding common ground helped. Horse riding was another of our common interests. "Our what? Oh! I am not used to how direct you are, Heero. Yes, I can't remember enjoying a gallop so much in a very, very long time! Thank you for suggesting this." The morning air was crisp and smelled of meadow grasses crushed under the weight of the horses' hooves. Quatre was an excellent horseman and owned a stable full of Arabians. His favorite mount had a coat dappled with grey and was full of spunk. He let me choose, and I picked a spirited white mare that could run like the wind. "My pleasure," I assured him. "It's something I've missed doing. Duo wouldn't go near a horse by choice, not even to touch one." "That's not too surprising, but I bet you wouldn't guess Trowa won't ride with me?" "Didn't he ride horses in the circus?" "I suppose. Trowa likes the animals, but his appreciation just doesn't go as far as riding, although he could if pressed." Quatre smiled and shook his head. "With so little time to spend together, I'd rather it be doing something we both like, don't you think?" "Absolutely." We climbed a hill and stopped to enjoy the view. The estate house and its outbuildings were the only ones visible within miles. The horses grazed, contented, at ease with their stable in their line of sight. "I'm sorry you felt you had to do this for Duo and me," I said at long last. "You should have had this afternoon- last night, too-to be with Trowa." "Oh! Don't say that! I have no regrets whatsoever! Being in the saddle again has been wonderful! And there is something more at stake here." I felt his reticence to say what he was thinking, and he was ten horse-lengths away now. I didn't let that stop me from pressing him for information. "And that is?" "Duo is my friend, too!" he began defensively. "I couldn't stand back and let him waste his life like that! There's a better view from the next hill." Waste his life... with me? Is that what he meant? What was he saying?! I chased after him. I could tell he was upset, but his insights were worth listening to. I brought my horse alongside his. "Waste it ... how?" "That terrible infiltration assignment." He looked as if he'd bit into a sour lime, expecting a sweet orange. "Which one?" "Don't tell me you really didn't know?" "Quatre. I have no idea what you are referring to. Just start at the beginning and keep it simple." He brought his horse to a stop. "You need to know. All right. Right after Duo moved out, Trowa told me he had a few rough interactions with some criminal-I don't know the specifics-someone that had been arrested. Let's just say his commander wasn't pleased with what Duo did and considered putting him on a leave of absence." "Not a bad idea," I acknowledged. Duo and I could have, maybe, worked on our problems with time to be together. "We all thought so, except Duo." "What did he do?" I asked, sighing, expecting to hear something I wouldn't like. "He volunteered for some awful, endless infiltration job. Trowa mentioned Columbia drug trafficking." "Shit. There's always one of those available for an agent with a death wish." Oh, Duo... "Trowa attended the same meeting and argued against the assignment and the entire operation." "He would. He's had something to live for since he's been with you." "Thank you, Heero. I hope so. But Duo has, too, and he had no business offering to go on a hopeless mission, no matter how dark he thought his future might be." "He didn't go," I pointed out. "No, he didn't. Trowa volunteered to go as back up if Duo insisted on the assignment, and then Zechs called for a break. Trowa told me Merquise had given him his word that he'd make sure the mission never happened and that Duo would be re-assigned. Anyway, as far as Duo was concerned, the meeting broke up for further discussion and the entire operation has been deferred for the time being." "Zechs." So, that's how he had become involved in our relationship problems. "Yes, he was mindful of the mental stress Duo's been under, ever since he and you broke up." "So, you and he and Wufei- for some reason he couldn't keep his nose out - thought up this... mixed up dating scenario to fix things?" And undeniably Zechs made certain we all had this weekend available. I waited to see a curt nod from my riding partner, before adding, "He's certifiable; you know that?" "You keep reminding me that's how you feel about our favorite count," he replied with a smile. "And I agree that in the past he was unreliable when everything was failing around him, but lately I find he's a brilliant observer." "I don't know what more I can do to make a relationship work with Duo," I said honestly. "If he won't make the time for us, then what more can I do? My next step is to just quit Preventers entirely so we don't run into one another." "I'm sorry," he said, offering me some sympathy. From anyone else, it might sound insincere, but not Quatre. "I don't want to lose him," I admitted. "I don't know how others feel or deal with it." "It? With love, you mean." "Yes." I don't know how he could say "love" aloud without blushing. I couldn't. I hadn't even said the word to Duo. "How did you know it was love, Heero?" "How?" Not the question I was ready for, but I decided to find out what Quatre was getting at. "I wasn't sure it was, but it struck me one day- like a punch, actually. When I looked at Duo, all I wanted was him to feel the same about me. How could I win him? What could I offer? All that and more ran through my head. But Duo let me know in mysterious ways that I couldn't do any of that, including an actual punch to the arm. I'd have to earn his heart, share a piece of mine, prove my worth, and then let him make the final choice. And I thought I'd done all that." "You did, Heero. You two lived together for almost a year." "And then to lose him..." God, just thinking about it, my throat tightened enough to choke me. "It's awful." "If you feel that strongly, there's hope, Heero." I nodded and focused on relaxing enough to speak. "Maybe. Now, I wonder if there are words that could make him mine again?" Quatre smiled and reached across my horse to pat my arm. "I believe that Trowa's capable of showing Duo a thing or two about making time for what's important." He wiggled his cell phone at me. "He messaged me to say he's learned what he has to do to help him and me, and that Duo's on the cusp." "Cusp? Trowa used the word 'cusp'?" "It's shorter to type than 'borderline'." "Cusp. Well I hope it's a good place, then. Duo's not one to vacillate for long. Trowa say anything else?" "Why, yes, he did." "And that's why we only rode in a loop and the horses are on their way back to the stable?" "Yes! You are so-" "I am observant, I know, Quatre. Just tell me what the plan is." "Ha, ha! Very well. We are going to meet Trowa and Duo for lunch. A nice place. And we can talk." "I don't know if I can-" "Try?" Why fight them all? "All right." I felt his hand on my knee. "Thank you." We rode on, heading back down into the valley. I breathed deeply and settled my nerves. "So, how do you and Trowa make time for one another?" I asked, letting the horse go the way she wanted. Once "home" was in sight, there was little I could do to steer her otherwise. "Well, that's been a problem, just like for you and Duo." He stared off into the distance, looking for answers, maybe? "Would you leave Winner Co. for him?" I asked. I was anticipating his pained expression, but didn't get one. "I do like running a business, but Winner Corp is so large and cumbersome. There's family fighting over directions and the internal power struggles are enough to kill me. I also think I'm more of an entrepreneur and would like to start something of my own." "Interesting. I didn't think you'd divorce the family." "Ha! It wouldn't be that hard. I'd have more time, or could make it, but ... there isn't much point. Trowa's field work eats away at his time just as much. We never can plan a thing." "But his message said-" "Something nebulous yet optimistic." Again, Quatre smiled. "So I'm hoping right along with you, too! Oh, you look so sad, Heero!" "I need to show up with something to offer, some solution. I'm at the point where I might do anything to have Duo back. That's what I'm thinking. Maybe I should return to field work? At least then we might share missions once in a while." "No, no, no. That's backwards thinking. Having a few alternatives in mind wouldn't hurt. What if we both tried something really fresh and unexpected?" "What have you in mind; I know you've come up with something." "I have. What do you think of this? We could work on this Zero-application project full time and start a small company?" "Won't that necessitate a huge time commitment? What about your current company obligations-?" "Yes, I'll need some time to disconnect myself from the day-to-day operations, but that's not the biggest stumbling block. A start up can be a time sponge, but it doesn't have to be." "Okay... Well... If I quit, it would leave my job open at Preventers. Duo is the best qualified person I know who could fill it..." my voice trailed off as my thoughts turned inward. I wondered if Duo would go for it. "Trowa has been looking at other job prospects-without much urgency, I have to say." "He and Duo are both adrenalin junkies," I observed. "Trowa likes guns. They should both take up target shooting," Quatre said making his disapproval face. "If we all made changes for the better, to do things we are happy doing and are good at, while also restricting our work hours and leaving time to do things we enjoy with our lovers and friends, maybe all our problems will resolve themselves?" Would it all fit into place for a change? "I'd like that to happen." "We have a proposal to put out, then." He climbed down from his horse and let the stable man take both horses away. "It's always good to go into a meeting with a plan in place." "That's what I said. And I thought this was going to be a lunch date." "Oh, it is. We just want to be in control of the outcome. Come on! Let's get cleaned up and changed. We have quite a drive ahead of us. This will be great fun!" I may have liked Quatre more when he feared me. (o) Wufei's POV "We can't loll about in bed any longer," Wufei insisted. "It isn't...seemly." How can that man sleep when the sun is up already! "Ah, now that's the Chang Wufei I haven't heard for several hours," Zechs said, fending off a punch to his midsection and dragging the smaller man back to his side. "I mean it! I've missed breakfast already. And, no! You may wipe that expectant look right off your face. I don't consider sucking dick a dining experience." Wufei had intended that to be funny. A laughing Zechs was an awake Zechs and he had plans that entailed they be at a certain restaurant at a certain time and their mountain retreat was an hour's drive away. They never made it past Wufei's apartment the night before. A good night's sleep before driving to Zechs' cabin- it had sounded reasonable, and would have been had they actually slept. Instead they had indulged themselves until very, very late. When Zechs tugged on his arm in an attempt to entice him to share a shower, Wufei had to put on the breaks, again. "Absolutely not! It's not... hygenic. We'll be messing around and miss lunch." "Hmmm? Are you really all that hungry, my Wufei, or do I detect a cunning counter maneuver going on in the background?" "Nothing terribly cunning about it, if it's that apparent, and I ... ah... wasn't, actually, attempting to hide it." I was caught off guard by possessive sound coming from the "my" part of that. "It?" What had I been talking about? "It? Yes, it. Our luncheon date." There. It was said. All was revealed. "Ah, I see. We aren't dining on the way to the cabin. We are doing what first? Spying on which couple?" "Both, and we won't be spying. Exactly." "Observing the outcome to make certain the sanctioned alliances are achieved?" Drat, there was no hiding anything from the man. "You make it sound like a military movement-" "Or a political détente? Or a little of both, I think. Well, as long as it doesn't take all day. I have plans of my own, necessitating we arrive at the cabin in order to carry them out." I was about to quiz him further, but he waggled a finger and shook his head "no" as he stepped into the bathroom and closed the door. It could only be good. Zechs was a fabulous lover who didn't push for more than I was willing to do. Penetration would be out of the question for a good long time, and he seemed perfectly willing to accommodate my wishes. I listened to the spray of water and with little effort imagined the water flowing over his magnificent naked body. My mind took it a bit further, taking me on a fantasy journey into the steamy shower, where I wrapped imaginary arms around his, intertwining slippery limbs, and enjoying the illusionary experience tremendously. "Wufei?" I jumped. Eyes flying open out of my day dream. Zechs towered above me wearing a towel and a leer that made my knees weaken. "That was fast." "Really?" he asked and gave me a curious look. A long sweep of hair was dry; he must have worn it up in a towel out of the spray. How considerate of him to hurry preparations along! "Your turn, unless you've had a change of heart?" "No." I tightened the knot on my robe and squeezed by him. I must have been deluding myself to think he'd let me pass un-molested. He had me in a tight embrace, my toes hardly touching the ground, and grinding a kiss into my face. Before I could pass out from lack of air, he pushed me aside, set me on my feet, and patted my ass. "Hurry now!" he said. I was on fire from his touches and shot into the shower for a cooling bath. We did make it to the restaurant five minutes before the other two couples arrived; fortunate, because it allowed us time to find seats where we could observe but not ourselves be seen. "There's Trowa and Duo. They look happy, don't you think?" Zechs asked. Maybe too happy. "If only it were Heero and Duo looking that happy, then we could leave with a feeling of accomplishment," I said. "We'll simply have to wait to find-Oh, not so long a wait." Zechs seemed all too much amused by the pantomimed greeting of the two couples, friends, comrades in arms, brought together by forces more powerful than any single human could understand and now the ties being reconstructed with what amounted to chewing gum. "You mustn't look so glum," he said. "See? Duo and Heero are returning smiles. Isn't that an improvement?" It was. "Barton looks the most relieved." I couldn't help but notice. "Possibly, but I'd say Winner may have aged overnight." "Yuy can be intense and if Winner's empathy is real, I could imagine him looking strained today." "Not too strained, it appears, to do most of the talking." Zechs shook his head at the offer of menus and ordered for the both of us what he knew I'd eat, saving me the time and worry over superfluous details. "Thank you. What you ordered sounds fine." We nibbled on warm buttered bread and surreptitiously watched the other table every few minutes. All seemed to be going well there. No yelling. Our main courses arrived: broiled filets of unidentifiable fish, yellow rice, and steamed vegetables. Perfectly acceptable. The waiter refilled our glasses and left smiling. I tested the water and must have made a face. I have never liked ice in mine. Zechs offered to spoon out the ice into his glass and trade me his lemon slice. "Permit me?" "Thank you." I liked the sour citrus addition and he didn't. We paired up suitably. "Mommee!" The screech was the only warning before the little hellion child ran pell-mell around the tables and knocked Zechs' elbow sideways. Ice scattered across the table. Ice flew in the air. Ice water sloshed across the table and into my lap. "Ahhhh!" I screamed and hopped to my feet. Zechs reached my side inside of a second, toweling me off with his napkin and beseeching me to alternatively "forgive" him and "shut up". Standing here, breathing in Zechs' smell- that intoxicating mixture of male and musky aftershave that was uniquely him- every time I inhaled, was arousing me, and it shouldn't! There were other patrons of the restaurant next to us. That should have been a turn-off - thinking of ice water-of titanic proportions! It should have been enough to eradicate even the most potent dose of lust ever created. But it wasn't. Not with his ministrations to my pants. Something started growing in size in my shorts, which had no business doing so under the circumstances, and my eyes widened in shock. "Stop it!" I hissed. I pushed away his hand before I castrated myself with the butter knife. "Hey, look!" came a shout from across the room. "It's 'Fei and our fearless leader!" I froze in place. Our eyes met and Zechs whispered, "I'm truly sorry for this." "It wasn't your fault," I admitted. I cast about for the guilty child to blame, but the little demon had disappeared. There was no avoiding the other couples now. Winner had the staff rearranging tables to fit us all and move our plates over to join the crowd. Lovely. Luckily, my slacks were of a color and fabric that didn't discolor when wet and most of the water ran off anyway, so I looked presentable. "I'm moving back with Heero!" Duo announced right off the bat, as he would say. "Yeah, and changing jobs." "Really? Leaving the field?" Zechs asked, sounding surprised. "What will you do?" "Well, if you approve and all, there's this IT posting that's about to open and it's mine, giving you all a seamless transition." Duo and Heero locked eyes in an almost dreamy kind of way. Oh Lord. How much more of that would I be able to take? Heero spoke up. "He is referring to my position. I will be leaving Preventers, in fact, when my two weeks' notice is over, starting on Monday." "Yeah, we talked it all out and things will get better from here on out," Duo said in a manner indicating that he believed it was true and could happen. "And Trowa will be making a change too," Quatre said. Trowa cleared his throat. "Um, yeah. Seems I'll be leaving too... two weeks and all...Monday... like Heero." "Is that so? We'll be losing our two best field agents?" Zechs said. He sounded cross and for a moment we all sat in silent thought, and then he smiled. "About time." Duo laughed aloud and the others looked relieved enough to chuckle. Trowa, it turned out, had found a terrific opening in ship maintenance at the shuttle port. With his background and experience, he'd be managing a crew of twenty after a month's training. Quatre couldn't have looked happier, I thought. "We just needed to sort things out," Duo said. "Set priorities and agree on them," Heero clarified. "I'm happy to have someone interested in fixing up a space craft and share flying again," Trowa said. "Oh, did I mention Duo and I bought a fixer-upper?" "An investment!" Duo corrected. "It will be great. You all gotta come see her." Heero buried his face in a hand and said nothing. Quatre smiled and patted his back. "Don't worry. You'll get to see more of Duo than ever before, in spite of the fixer-upper." "Hn." "You know I how pleased I felt to have someone to share my interest in modeling a Zero-like system and turning it into an interrogation device." Quatre grinned when he said that so none of the rest of us knew that he was serious, even if only partly. I felt Zechs tense as he spoke up. "Pardon?" Heero sat up and shook his head. "I'll be helping him so you can trust nothing too crazy will go on." "This coming from the man I brought back from the dead after blowing up his Gundam?" Trowa asked him, although he looked steadily at Quatre. "We will be working on perfectly harmless applications," Quatre said. "I promise." "That's too bad," Zechs muttered under his breath. "You had me interested in that interrogation device for a second." That caused a twittering and chuckling of nervous laughter and all the stress seemed to fade off. Even the staff, hovering about clearing dishes and bringing new ones and waiting for the next water glass to tumble, smiled more freely. With their most immediate problems solved, their other problems would have to sort themselves out later. So, it appeared, everything worked out fine. At last, Wufei thought, he wanted to eat, leave, and see Zechs' cabin. "So," Duo drawled. He wore his scheming face today, and I didn't like it opposite me. "Gonna tell us about what you've been up to?" "You and Zechs seem very happy today," Quatre added, in case I didn't grasp Duo's meaning. "We had a lovely drive to get here," Zechs inserted. "I'm hoping for time to drive through the pastureland next." Nice save. "There are no pastures between here and Sanc," Heero pointed out. "Roundabout way," Zechs said airily, fooling no one. "Uh, huh," Duo said, unperturbed and yet not entirely put off. "Well, you do that. But you can bet over drinks one of these days I'm gonna pry the good story out of one of you." But not this day. Zechs and I parted from them on good terms with promises to meet again Monday night to toast the upcoming parting from Preventers. "Well, that's that," I said, brushing off any lingering sap from my hands. Heero making liquidy-love eyes at Maxwell was sap defined. Zechs smiled and kissed my cheek. "I love a happy ending." "The story was a romantic comedy, what did you expect?" "No problem; I said I liked it." "It was stupid. In what universe can two people like each other and yet manage to become engaged to their best friend and somehow not figure it all out until the day of the wedding?" "I believe you have this story confused with another. No one became engaged here-" "No?! Well, that's immaterial to my point. I mean, if this were how people ordinarily acted, then there'd be no human race." "These are gay men. They wouldn't have produced offspring under any circumstance, however, if you see a lack of population to be a problem-?" "No! Of course not. I was referring to plot plausibility. People aren't that dense, is all I'm saying, and yet we are expected to just ignore normal human behavior and accept - What? What's so funny?" The End. Thank you for reading!
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