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"Witness Protection"Written By: Snowdragonct Disclaimer: Don't own any part of Gundam Wing
or the characters, more's the pity. This is for fun...no profit involved. Rating: R Warnings: Warnings: AU , yaoi, swearing (lots),
some OOC (probably), violence, drugs, sex, a naughty Duo (i.e. he
has a potty mouth and is a bit, er, slutty)…if you are wedded
to the “pure, chaste” version of Duo, he might be a bit
dark and crude for your taste…ditto for the other characters
in here…hey, Quat’s a lawyer…how much lower could he
get? Pairings: 1X2 eventually, 3X4 also eventually, (past 2X3, 6X2) A/N: I’ll apologize in advance that Zechs is, well, deceased right from the start. I like him a lot, and there’ll be mention of him…but mostly in the form of discussing/investigating his murder. Sorry. Summary: When Zechs Merquise is found murdered,
detectives Heero Yuy and Wufei Chang are tasked with the unenviable
chore of keeping the only witness to the crime alive long enough to
testify against the leader of the Oz syndicate, Treize Khushrenada. "Witness Protection" Chapter Thirty Nine: On the Road Again It seemed like minutes instead of hours, when a sharp rap on the door jarred me awake. “Check-out time in fifteen minutes!” called the gravelly voice of our “friend” the desk clerk. “Then go the fuck away for fifteen minutes!” Duo called back irritably. I heard a muffled chuckle and footsteps fading away down the hall. When I turned my head and opened my eyes, I was met with a warm indigo gaze that made for a much pleasanter awakening than the pounding on the door. “Hey,” I murmured drowsily. “Hey,” he grinned back, snuggling a little closer. “’S nice to wake up with you still here,” he whispered, laying a palm against my cheek and running his thumb over my lips. “Y’think I’d be breaking my promise to behave if I stole a kiss?” From the other side of the bed I heard a heavy sigh. “So long as it doesn’t lead to the two of you fucking right next to me—go ahead.” The weary resignation in Chang’s voice made me smirk, and then Duo kissed the smirk right off my face, pressing still closer and tangling his legs with mine…and then his tongue with mine…and if my partner hadn’t been behind him, I think a lot more things would’ve gotten tangled up. “Mm—love you,” I murmured as quietly as possible when our lips parted. “Sucker,” he teased, his chiding tone softened by the heat in his eyes. He rolled over me, slowly and suggestively, before climbing out of bed and heading for the bathroom. And meanwhile, I lay there savoring the way he’d felt on top of me. “Oh, you are so lost,” came a rueful sigh. I looked over to find Chang’s dark eyes fixed on me with a combination of amusement and concern. I think I might have grinned stupidly at him. “Hai.” But his worried expression only intensified. “Tell me something…what do you plan to do when he goes into relocation?” I closed my eyes and shook my head as the pleasant feelings just melted away. “I have no idea, Chang,” I admitted, my voice a bit hoarse. “And with the need to focus on keeping him alive, I haven’t allowed myself to think that far ahead.” At least, I’d tried not to. “Oh, Yuy.” The pity in his voice made me swallow a lump that rose in my throat. It wouldn’t do to dwell on my bleak future without Maxwell while I needed to be grounded in the present. “I’ll be fine, Chang,” I said gruffly. “I’ll just—cross that bridge when I come to it.” “Well, if you need a hand with the crossing, I’m sure I’ll be around to lean on,” he offered gently. I managed a weak, but genuine smile. “Thanks.” “That’s what partners are for.” Partners. I was singularly relieved that he still wanted to be mine, and just plain awed that he’d come so far so fast—from a homophobic, judgmental ass, to a man willing to accept others as they were. Or at least, he was trying to. I could tell there were suppressed feelings there—old hurts and grudges that were hard to let go of. But he was doing it remarkably well. Then again, when someone saves your life, a debt is certainly owed. And if Chang’s way of repaying his debt was to tolerate Maxwell’s place in my affections, that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Plus, I honestly felt he couldn’t help but reluctantly admire Maxwell’s spunk and sass. Despite all the setbacks and pitfalls, I knew he’d been warming to my irresistible lover since the moment we left the hospital. Duo strolled back out of the bathroom, unbraiding his hair as he walked. “Why the new ‘do’?” Wufei asked, sitting up and stretching. “Gotta look like I did when we got here,” replied our witness. “Only messier.” He tousled his luxurious mane of hair and pulled it back into a sloppy ponytail. Then he grinned cheekily. “Do I look well and thoroughly fucked?” I splayed a hand over my face, imagining all the ways I could well and thoroughly fuck him. “Close enough to fool the desk clerk,” I hazarded. “You sure?” he asked from much closer. “Or d’you wanna help mess me up a little? The disguise would work better if I smelled like sex—all sweaty an’ stuff.” “Not this morning,” I sighed. “We need to get moving—not lie around in bed.” “Who said anything about lying around?” “Plus we’re down to ten minutes,” I added with a stern look. “I could—.” “Maxwell!” growled Chang. “Yes, mom. I’ll behave,” he sighed in mock disappointment. He was in rare form, cocky as hell, after having procured us our showers and room. And frankly, it was nice to see him so upbeat after all we’d been through. Chang and I took turns using the bathroom, and with a few minutes to spare, the three of us headed downstairs to check out. The same heavyset clerk was at the desk, reading the racing section of the morning paper. He looked over the edge with a leer as I tossed the key on the counter. “Everything satisfactory, boys?” he ran a practiced gaze over Duo, who was slumped against my shoulder, sort of leaning on me for support. “Looks like your little boy toy might’ve had a rough night.” “Nothin’ I can’t handle,” Duo replied with a bored yawn. “He was—splendid,” Wufei said stiffly, holding out an arm, which Duo took with a delighted grin. I gave the sour-faced clerk a dark glare. “Next time keep your suggestions to yourself. We can pick our own whores, thanks.” I followed my two companions out into the early morning sunshine, listening to Duo compliment Wufei on his dignified exit from the seedy hotel. He stopped short of bringing up the subject of homophobia, but made it abundantly clear that he appreciated the way Chang didn’t act disgusted when he touched him. And with typical Chang class and culture, Wufei politely explained that he was not disgusted by Duo’s touch—as long as his boundaries were respected. He even went so far as to use the phrase “among friends” in his dialogue, eliciting a startled look and then a wide smile from my lover. Yeah, I could see a fast-developing friendship there—and I almost breathed an audible sigh of relief, knowing our job had become a million times easier now that we could all work together amicably. We ate a quick breakfast at the same Dunkin’ Donuts from the previous night, and then went to the car, taking our duffel bags from the trunk and putting them in the back seat, so we could have a change of clothing at our next pit stop. Duo, of course, didn’t wait that long, but peeled out of his snug clothes while Chang was driving through city streets towards the highway. “God, I’ll never be able to wear these again!” he complained, rolling up the clubbing outfit and slipping into faded jeans and a loose tee shirt. “They’ll make me feel just—dirty.” He flung himself back against the pile of duffel bags, fished out his brush, and began taking out the ponytail. I gave him an encouraging smirk, enjoying the rare sight of his unbound hair as he started brushing it. “You didn’t look dirty,” I said, recalling the way the leather hugged his ass. “You looked—hot.” He snorted and rolled his eyes. “Nice try, Yuy. But you won’t get me into ‘em again.” His gaze turned a little thoughtful. “I didn’t used to mind feeling a little ‘down and dirty.’ But now—?” He sighed deeply. “Goddamn you, Yuy—you’re takin’ all the fun out of things I used to enjoy.” “Me? How?” I asked, genuinely clueless this time. “I told you,” he reminded me, while separating his silky hair into sections. “Your opinion matters.” I scowled at him. “Did you see contempt in my eyes last night?” “No—just in the way that desk clerk looked at us,” he admitted, fingers deftly twining his hair into the familiar, characteristic braid. “But I didn’t like it.” “Tired of playing the slut, Maxwell?” Chang asked, picking up on Duo’s change of heart very quickly. His tone turned a bit teasing. “So Yuy’s spoiled you for other men, hm?” Oh—now he was including me in his taunting? That seemed rather undeserved. “Bite me, Chang,” muttered Duo sulkily, tying off his braid and flipping it over his shoulder in a contemptuous gesture, before folding his arms and looking out the window. “Not in this lifetime,” came the smooth reply. “Wouldn’t dream of stepping on Yuy’s territory.” He glanced at me for a reaction, but I simply looked out the window like Maxwell was doing. I heard a satisfied chuckle from my partner, but he refrained from further comment. We drove until noontime, stopping at one of those large plazas on the highway for lunch. Chang and I changed clothes in a restroom, and we purchased meals to go so we could eat at a picnic table outside and then get right back to driving. By the time we stopped for supper, a steady rain had moved in, making travel a bit slower, and promising to drag out the final leg of our journey. So we chose a small, family-style restaurant, figuring we deserved a decent meal and some down-time from eating on the run. With his braid stuffed down the back of a hooded sweatshirt, and a baseball cap obscuring his chestnut head, Maxwell looked about as nondescript as he was going to get. And while I wasn’t concerned about the possibility of imminent detection, I was a bit worried about how quiet he’d gotten during the afternoon hours. We’d settled into a booth and ordered coffee and meals before I felt compelled to comment on his silence. “Duo?” “Hm?” he glanced rather distractedly at me. “Are you all right? The shoulder an’ all?” Indigo eyes blinked owlishly at me. “Sure. Fine. Why?” “You’re—quiet,” I pointed out. “That’s putting it mildly,” Chang added. “C’mon, Maxwell, spit it out. What’s eating at you? You’re never this quiet unless something’s on your mind.” “I’m just wondering if Quat and Trowa are okay,” he replied, shrugging nonchalantly in a poor attempt to conceal his deep concern for them. “There’s no reason to believe otherwise,” Wufei said soothingly. Duo gave a derisive snort. “Y’mean with all those SUVs and men with guns there’s no reason to think they might not have gotten away easier than we did? Right.” “But we got away,” I pointed out. “And I believe they did as well.” “Not like we’d know if they didn’t,” he muttered unhappily. I sighed, wanting to reach across the table and touch him—reassure him. But this was no place for a public display, and I didn’t think anything short of hearing Quatre’s voice would help. “We can try Winner’s cell phone,” I offered. He gave me a haunted look. “And what if there’s no answer?” Oh. He had a point. If no one answered the cell phone, it could mean they were in a place without service, that the phone had been lost or shut off, or that they were unable to pick up. I frowned, momentarily defeated, and then looked up at him with a small smile. “What if there is?” He drew a sharp breath, obviously mulling over the possibilities. “Is it safe to call from your cell?” he asked. “I mean, it won’t lead anyone to us—or them—will it?” “I wouldn’t call from mine,” I told him. “There’s still a disposable one in my luggage, with an untraceable number.” “Yeah—but suppose the Feds had Quat’s phone? Couldn’t they trace your call?” “Do you know how long it takes to triangulate on a cell phone signal?” He shrugged. “It takes several minutes,” Wufei told him confidently, while darting me a worried look. “Unless they’ve improved the technology. But that’s still not much time.” “It’s enough. We’ll keep it short,” I replied. “If there’s no answer, all it proves is that Winner’s phone is turned off or out of range—it won’t mean they’re in trouble.” At that Duo mustered a weak smile and a nod. I exchanged a look with Chang. “Shall we take a chance?” “It’s worth it if we gain peace of mind,” Wufei answered. I ducked out to the car and returned with my disposable cell phone. And as my two companions waited tensely, I dialed Winner’s number, hoping for Duo’s sake that he’d pick up and tell us he and Barton were safe, sound, and holed up in a cozy motel room somewhere. Instead I got a recording. “You have reached the voice mail of Quatre Winner…at the tone…” I looked up at Duo, whose expression darkened as he interpreted mine. “’Ro?” he asked in a small voice. “It’s gone to voice mail,” I told him. “That means he’s shut it off. Nothing more.” “It also means he’s in range to receive a call,” Wufei pointed out. “Which he should be, if he and Barton are trying to meet us at the next safe house.” I glared at the phone in frustration. “I don’t dare leave a message, though, in case…” In case he’d dropped it while fleeing…in case the enemy had killed him and taken it…in case… There was just no point in letting anyone who might acquire that phone hear my voice and know I was within range. “Hey, Tro’ an’ I had a code worked out—y’know—for if we were running late to work, or to meet up somewhere,” Duo told me, brightening just a bit. “Hit the button to leave a callback number.” “Are you sure he’ll know it’s you?” A perfectly lascivious grin lit his face. “He’ll know. Punch in 694-3837.” “Whose number is that?” I questioned, even as I followed his instructions. “His and mine,” he smirked. “69 4-ever, Yuy. Get it?” I felt the all too familiar rush of blood to my face—and other parts of my anatomy. “Jesus, Maxwell!” He gave an unrepentant shrug. “He’ll know who it’s from, and that will be enough to let him know we’re okay.” “Plus,” Chang spoke up from across the table, his face probably mirroring the color of my own, “if anyone sees it on his caller i.d. they’ll be looking for a fictitious number. There’s no way it could be linked to Maxwell at all.” He gave my lover a rather scolding look. “At least not by someone who didn’t know his—habits.” Duo leaned back in his chair, his previously subdued attitude conspicuously absent. “Yeah, it can be habit-forming all right,” he smirked. I swallowed hard, grabbing my glass of water and taking a quick drink to cover how completely flustered I was. But visions of being in such an enjoyable position with Duo flashed tantalizingly across my mind. He chuckled under his breath, and I heard a deep sigh, as apparently his mind headed in the same direction. Fortunately our waitress chose that moment to arrive with the coffee pot to refill our cups and tell us it would only be a few minutes until our meals were up. The interruption allowed the thread of the too-explicit conversation to slip away. And when she left, Chang was all business—perhaps doing his own part to change the subject. “Well, at least we know Winner’s phone is functional.” The shadow of worry returned to Duo’s eyes. “That doesn’t tell us who has it, though,” he pointed out. “Yes, but regardless of that,” I pointed out. “If Trowa and Quatre check their messages, they’ll know you’re okay.” He nodded, obviously realizing that was as good as it was going to get for the time being. “Thanks for trying.” Our food arrived soon after, and we enjoyed a pleasant respite from our journey, with hot meals, fresh rolls, and even apple pie for dessert. As good as it was, I couldn’t help thinking Duo’s cooking was better, and I resolved to tell him so the first chance I got. But once we hit the road again after eating, he curled up amid the duffel bags in the back seat and promptly dozed off to the patter of rain on the roof of the car and the steady purr of the engine.
I think I fell asleep not long after Duo, waking some time later when Chang stopped for gas. “Where’re we?” I muttered, rubbing sleep from my eyes. “East Bumfuck,” Duo chirped from the back seat, looking a lot more awake than I felt. “Ah.” I stretched, watching as my partner ducked under the overhang above the pumps and made a quick dash through the rain to the building to pay for our fuel. “So we’re almost to Timbuktu?” Duo leaned over the back of the seat, running a hand through my hair and leaning in for a kiss. “I’d follow you anywhere, Yuy.” “Now who’s the sucker?” He searched my face with his eyes, giving me that long, smoldering look that made my blood heat up and my pulse flutter. “Guess I am,” he admitted in a husky voice. “A sucker for you.” But he couldn’t remain serious for long, and that typical impish look crossed his face. “Speaking of sucking—. Remember last time we were in a position like this? Only I was handcuffed. An’ I offered to kiss you an’ lick you…suck you an’…” “I remember!” I said quickly, recalling all too well the first time he’d seriously hit on me. He chuckled warmly. “Never thought I’d get to do it though.” As his eyes caressed my face, his fingers slid over my jaw and he ran a thumb across my lips. “I’d like to do it again,” he added before leaning in for a longer, deeper kiss. “Me too,” I assured him breathlessly as our lips parted. “I’d like a demonstration of that phone number you and Trowa use.” “Hell yeah!” he said enthusiastically. “Y’think when we get to the next hideout we can ditch Chang for a few hours?” “I think,” I said pensively, “that he might even ditch us. Possibly on purpose.” “He’d seriously turn a blind eye to you fucking a witness?” came the skeptical response. “He knows there’s a bit more to it than that,” I pointed out. “And if he wasn’t there, it wouldn’t exactly be turning a blind eye, now would it?” Duo looked past me, and I sighed, realizing Chang must be on his way back. In a rare show of discretion, Maxwell pulled away from me and stretched back out amid the duffel bags. Chang slipped back into the driver’s seat, holding out a little cardboard tray with three coffees steaming in their styrofoam cups. “Welcome back to the world of the living, Yuy,” he said, wiping droplets from his face with a sleeve. “Thanks.” I took a cup and passed one to Maxwell. “Want me to drive?” “I’m good for another hour or two.” I nodded, sipping the black coffee, appreciating the boost it would give me. “By then the caffeine should reach my bloodstream.” He smiled back. “I’m counting on it.” We continued in shifts like that—I took over at midnight, driving through the predawn hours and the lessening rainfall. And by the time I found a rest stop for breakfast, the sun was rising and the air had a salty tang to it. “What’s that smell?” Duo asked, stretching languidly over the duffel bags as I nudged Chang awake. “The ocean.” “Seriously?” Maxwell sat up sharply, looking around us. “I don’t see any ocean.” “It’s a couple of miles to the coast,” I told him. “But you can smell it on the air long before you’ll see it.” Wufei yawned and brushed my hand off his shoulder. “’M awake,” he muttered, sitting up. “I’ll get to see it though, right?” Duo asked. “According to Barton, the circus property is right on the water,” I told him. “Yessss!” he declared triumphantly. “One more thing I can check off my ‘things to do before I die’ list.” I turned sharply, my mouth open to protest that he damn well wasn’t going to die—not on my watch. But my partner gave a wry chuckle, cutting into my thoughts. “What else is on that list, Maxwell? You’ve already seen a sunrise in the mountains, fondled a llama, been within a few feet of a wild bear, learned to swim…” …been fucked by a cop…repeatedly… I kind of hoped Chang still thought Duo and I hadn’t consummated the relationship. I mean, all he’d noticed was the mutual attraction between us. He’d said nothing about knowing to what extent we’d acted on that attraction—though the fact that we’d shared a room and spent an entire day alone should have clued him in. “…fallen for a cop…” Chang added, giving Duo an appraising look, almost as if he wanted some sort of admission from the braided man. Duo merely smiled smugly. “I’m just makin’ up for lost time.” “Well then,” I cut in quickly, before Maxwell might be tempted to tell Chang a few more things he’d done recently—including stealing a cop’s gun, and heart, “how about we get a decent breakfast in us, so you’ll have plenty of energy for sightseeing during the drive today?” “Excellent plan,” agreed my partner. We all freshened up in yet another public restroom—changing clothes in a toilet stall—and then we had a large enough breakfast to hold us through several more hours of travel. I let Duo drive for a couple of hours, to keep him occupied for part of the morning, and after our lunchtime pit stop, he slid into the passenger seat, leaving Chang to find space among the luggage while I drove for the final leg of the journey. I almost wished I’d made Duo keep driving when he got progressively antsier about seeing the ocean. The route we were traveling paralleled the coast without really bringing us to it, and it wasn’t until my partner called him a juvenile brat for refusing to let the subject go, that Maxwell subsided into a sulking pout. Frankly, the silence when they both fell asleep was rather soothing. I was almost reluctant to wake them when I caught the first glimpse of sparkling sea water as we turned onto the dirt road leading up to the circus property. The road was well-maintained, in spite of being dirt and gravel, and it wound along a rocky, windswept hill overlooking the vast expanse of water. “Maxwell—.” I reached across and shook him by the shoulder, trying to do it while keeping my eyes on the road. “Huh? What?” “Wake up. There’s something you need to see.” He pushed upright, rubbing his eyes, even as Chang also woke up and looked around rather blearily. If I’d thought Duo was impressed by a sunrise in the mountains, or the view of the lake from our last safe house, that was nothing compared to the utter astonishment and awe on his face when he saw the ocean. “Whoa,” he breathed, hurriedly rolling down the window and practically hanging out it to get a better look. “That’s the ocean?” He looked over at me with wide eyes. “It’s—huge.” Wufei snorted his amusement. “Maxwell—you are singularly easy to impress sometimes.” Our witness turned a glare on my partner. “Look, Chang—you know where I’m from. D’you honestly think I ever in my life got the chance to see something like this?” The look he got in return contained a fair amount of pity, and I was a bit surprised he didn’t get pissed about that. “I would have expected Merquise to indulge you a bit more,” Wufei said rather sadly. “Weren’t you two in love? And didn’t he have access to limos and jets and all the most expensive and exotic places?” Duo looked back out the window, shrugging slightly. “Zechs was a busy man,” he admitted. “And I had a full-time job. It’s not like he could just whisk me away for a couple of weeks in the Caribbean y’know.” “How long were you dating?” Duo turned in his seat, scowling a bit. “What’s it to you?” he asked defensively. “I just wonder how serious you really were. That’s all.” The indigo eyes narrowed warily. “Wondering if I’m just messing with your partner? Is that it? You don’t think someone like me knows what real emotion is, do you?” Wufei shook his head. “That’s not it at all,” he insisted. “I’ve seen how much emotion you’re capable of, Maxwell. I just wonder about Merquise. Was he capable of loving someone?” “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Duo retorted. “You never met him; you never knew him. And yeah, he knew how to love someone—he knew how to love me.” Duo folded his arms on the edge of the door, leaning his chin on them and looking out at the sunlight dancing across the waves. “You should just shut up about things you know nothing about, Chang.” “What makes you think I don’t know anything about love?” growled my partner, his own hackles starting to rise. “Because you’re a stiff-necked, stubborn fuck, who wouldn’t know how to sweep someone off their feet even if you could pull the stick out of your ass long enough to try.” Duo lifted his chin and turned a snide look on the hapless man in the back seat. “Bet you’re still a virgin,” he taunted. “We already established that I’m not—back at the lake house,” Wufei shot back, reminding him of one of their previous verbal sparring sessions. “Oh yeah…” Duo’s irritability dissolved into curiosity. “So, who’d you lose it to, hm? High school sweetheart? Some pretty little Chinese girl?” Fuck! Maxwell had no idea the topic he was treading on. Wufei’s face flushed a deep red, and if I hadn’t been driving, I’d have closed my eyes and groaned at the storm I glimpsed brewing in the dark eyes. I hurriedly turned into the driveway leading to the farmhouse and barns, hoping to get there before my two companions blew up at one another. Yes, they’d been getting along better, but then, two days stuck in close quarters was enough to try anyone’s patience. Plus they’d both just woken up, stiff from hours in a moving car, and probably hungry for supper by this time. “Who I lost my virginity to is none of your goddamned business, Maxwell,” Wufei said icily. “And who’d you lose yours to? Or don’t you know?” “Chang!” I snarled, seeing the color drain from my lover’s face as the significance of the question sank in. “Jesus fucking Christ, Chang!” Wufei caught himself at once, his own face paling, as he recalled what had happened to Duo as a child. “I—I’m sorry Maxwell. That was uncalled-for.” We were pulling into the yard by the farmhouse, and Duo didn’t even wait for the car to stop before he threw open the door and got out, stalking quickly away towards the rocky shoreline. My partner started to open the door to go after him, but I threw the vehicle into park and reached around to catch his wrist. “Let him go,” I said sternly. “There’s nothing you can say right now.” “I—he just pushed all the right buttons,” came the apologetic reply. “I thought of Meilan, and how if she hadn’t—that we might’ve—.” He shook his head miserably. “I lashed out at him with the only thing I knew would sting enough to pay him back for making me think of her.” “He doesn’t fucking know about her,” I reminded him. “So making you think of her wasn’t deliberate. What you did was!” “I wasn’t thinking about the molestation—just his promiscuity. And I’m sorry! Okay? I’m sorry.” I sighed, turning off the car and opening my door. “I’ll tell him that. You go on up to the house and see if Catherine’s here, and let her know we’ve arrived.” He nodded, still looking miserable about what he’d done, and I got out and headed down the rocky slope towards the beach. Duo was standing on the shore, his arms wrapped around himself, staring out at the waves. The wind was strong enough off the water to blow his hair back from his face and make him shiver slightly against the chill. I walked up behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist, pulling him against me for warmth as much as for comfort. Then I nuzzled my face into the side of his neck, kissing the spot just under his ear that made him shiver for entirely different reasons. “Are you okay?” I asked simply. He shrugged a little, and shook his head. “Chang was out of line,” I told him. “He had no right to remind you of—.” He nodded to show he knew what I was talking about. “Guy knows how to take a cheap shot, doesn’t he?” “Unfortunately.” I rubbed soothingly on his arms. “If it’s any consolation, he was trying to take a shot at your morals—not bring up bad memories.” That got an almost amused snort. “Don’t see why he got so pissy about being called a virgin—you’d think he’d have taken it as a compliment.” “He has—issues,” I said vaguely. “What kind of issues?” came the grumbled reply. “What’d he do—lose his virginity to gay guy or something? He hates me because I’m gay, and he hates me because I ran with a gang—and he’s uncomfortable as hell with sexuality of any kind. What the fuck is his problem?” “He’ll have to tell you that himself,” I explained. “It’s not my place to share his secrets.” But he does have them. Duo nodded his understanding of what I’d left unspoken. He’d have to ask Chang directly if he ever wanted to know the answers. And he’d have to hope Chang was willing or ready to give them. “Why’d he have to bring up Zechs, anyway?” he asked quietly. “Does he not know how much it still hurts to talk about him? And it’s like he wants me to hate him.” “He probably does,” I said gently. “Merquise was a criminal, and Chang can’t see beyond that.” “What about you?” “I saw beyond it when that stupid web site was up and running. There were pictures of you and Merquise, and the way he looked at you in some of them—it was obvious to me that he cared.” I tightened my grip around Duo. “If he genuinely cared about you, he couldn’t have been all bad,” I assured him. He relaxed slightly, leaning back into me and turning his face towards mine. “He wasn’t,” he said in a whisper. “He was no saint—but when we were alone, he was funny, and warm, and—caring. An’ I might not have liked the public image he projected, or the fact that his work and his organization always seemed to come first—but I knew they were part of the package. So what if we never got to go away for the romantic vacation he always talked about? At least he wanted to. And he really was trying to find a way out of Oz. He wanted a more peaceful life—and he wanted it with me.” I had to force myself not to let the pang of jealousy I felt at those words overwhelm me. Duo didn’t need me to be envious of a dead rival for his affections. But I was. On the other hand, who could blame Merquise for wanting Maxwell? He was gorgeous, full of life, intelligent, and challenging. What was not to love? More importantly, he was in my arms—not Zechs’. And I wanted to remind him of that without letting my jealousy show. I once again rubbed my cheek against his, delighting in the skin to skin contact. “And what did you want?” I asked him gently. “Did you want to run off and live happily ever after with Merquise on a sandy beach somewhere?” “I wanted—more,” Duo shrugged. “The club scene was starting to wear thin, and I was starting to want more out of life than working nights, partying, and sleeping my days away. And when Zechs came along and took me to fancy restaurants and elegant clubs, it was a nice change.” He glanced sideways at me. “When he talked about leaving and starting a new life, that looked like an even better change, y’know?” “You’ll get your new life,” I pointed out, thinking of how empty it would leave mine. “Ironic, huh? He had to die for that to happen,” sighed Duo. He turned in my arms so he could wrap his around me. “An’ now I’m not sure it’s enough.” “Don’t—.” “I don’t want a new life if you’re not in it,” he said earnestly, his indigo eyes searching mine. “Come with me.” “I told you,” I said stiffly. “They won’t let me.” “Don’t ask them. Just do it.” I shook my head helplessly. “Duo—right now all that matters is keeping you alive. If we can do that, and if you can testify, then maybe there’ll be some kind of future to consider.” “And if I get blown away by the next assassin Khushrenada sends out, it won’t matter anyway—is that it?” “No,” I said hotly. “I’m not letting anything happen to you, Maxwell! And if it does, it’ll happen to me, too.” “Then if I get relocated, why can’t that happen to you, too?” “I just—don’t know,” I sighed. “Please can we not talk about this right now?” “Yeah,” he said, heaving a sigh of his own. “I’ll try to stick with living in the moment,” he offered. “If this is all I get, well, I guess I’m glad I got you for my watchdog. I got to see those pretty eyes of yours look at me in a whole new way, an’ that’s worth everything to me.” I couldn’t imagine why earning my respect had mattered so much to him. Was it like he said—he’d fallen for me at first sight? It kind of made me sorry I’d been such a prick to him when I first arrested him. We wasted so much time bickering and fighting—time that would have been better spent getting to know each other. I tightened my grip a little, putting my lips to his ear. “C’mon inside with me,” I urged. “You can introduce Chang and me to Trowa’s friend Catherine, and we can have supper and relax. I want to just—sit and talk for a change.” “Talk? About what?” He turned a slightly quizzical look my way. “You,” I said with a smile. “I want you to tell me about yourself. We’ve slept together, and I don’t even know your favorite color, or food, or if you know how to play checkers or chess, or anything. And I want to know it all.” “You do?” “Absolutely.” “Does that mean you’ll tell me about Heero Yuy—where he grew up, and went to school, and how he decided to become a cop—shit like that?” I nodded. “Deal,” he agreed swiftly, turning in my arms to face me. I took the opportunity for a soft, lingering kiss, hoping
it conveyed the message that if we ever got time alone again, I wouldn’t
stop at a mere kiss.
tbc... |
