"Robot Lover"

Written By: Artemis

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing and its characters are copyright to Sunrise, Bandai, Sotsu Agency, and associated parties. I make no money with this fic.

Rating: NC 17

Warnings: Romance, Angst, Humor

Pairings: 1x2x1, 3x4, 13x6, 5xR

Note: My initial inspiration for this story came from the live drama series "Zettai Kareshi" (Absolute Boyfriend) based on the manga by Yuu Watase.

Summary: Heero Yuy risks his job for a chance at love when Duo Maxwell orders an Ideal Lover robot from his company.

First place winner in the 2010 Moments of Rapture long fic category!

"Robot Lover"

Level Five

Heero pushed the apartment building door open with his shoulder as he carried the two plastic bags of groceries. He had gotten all the ingredients for their chicken francese dinner, and since Duo had given him more than enough money, he had gotten a chocolate cake and whipped cream, too. The cake was for dessert and the whipped cream was for a late night adventure.

It was right to leave Duo with his friend, but Heero had been nervous as he walked out the door. How much influence did Quatre Winner have on Duo? What if Quatre told Duo that getting a robot was a mistake, and talked Duo into sending Heero back? The thought made Heero a little queasy, but he'd cross that bridge when he came to it.

As he walked through the lobby, the manager's daughter, Grace, spotted him and came running over.

"You're Duo's friend?"

"Yes."

"I'm Grace." She had stopped, forcing him to stop as well.

He was reluctant to speak with her, but he expected he would see her again, and it might pay to be cordial. "I'm Heero."

"I saw you earlier." Even though she was standing next to him, she kept moving, rolling from the balls of her feet to her heels and back again like an excited school girl. "I haven't seen you around here before."

"Yes?" That sounded impatient, but he couldn't help it. He had been gone forty minutes and was anxious to learn his fate.

"You making dinner?" She nodded to the grocery bags.

"Yes."

"That's nice." She grinned.

"Well, it was nice to meet you…" He started to step away and thought he heard his name, but it hadn't come from Grace. He turned back, looking towards the entry door, and his stomach dropped to the floor.

"It is you," Trowa said. Trowa jogged over to join him, giving a nod to Grace, who eased back towards the manager's office. He was dressed for work in black slacks and a tan shirt and polished loafers, and carrying a robot maintenance kit in the guise of a black briefcase. "I thought you'd taken vacation leave."

"I did."

"You could've told me, you know."

Heero nodded. "I should have."

"Zechs said something about Australia."

"Yes." Maybe he should continue that charade and tell Trowa that he would be leaving on Monday, but somehow he couldn't bring himself to perpetuate the lie.

"When did you move here?" Trowa asked, looking around the wide lobby with its cherry wood paneled walls and ornate tiled floor. "Your other place was nice, but this is… swankier."

"Yes, it is."

"Well, I'm here to see a client. You remember, Duo Maxwell? Wait, of course, you do." Trowa smiled knowingly. "You had a crush on him, didn't you?"

"Maybe."

Trowa shrugged. "His AR was delivered on Thursday." Trowa knew to be careful when speaking in public spaces, and that Heero would understand AR to mean Autonomous Robot. "I called him to see how things were going."

"You spoke with him?"

"No, he texted me back this afternoon. That's when I arranged to come by for baby's first check-up." He patted the briefcase, and they started towards the elevators. "Did you know he lives here?" Trowa hit the call button.

Heero ignored the question. "Wouldn't want any anomalies forming."

"What? Oh, right. I got the impression that things were good for him though."

That was nice to hear, but in a couple of minutes Trowa would learn the truth. They stepped onto the elevator and Heero pressed the button for the 10th floor.

"That's where I'm headed," Trowa said.

The door closed. Heero watched the numbers light above the door, indicating their steady ascent.

"You're welcome to join me. It wouldn't be against protocol for you…"

Heero hit the emergency stop button, and the elevator jerked and stilled.

"Why'd you do that?" Trowa placed his legs wide for balance as if expecting the whole thing to topple on its side.

"We need to talk."

"Huh?"

Heero set the bags down and leaned against the elevator's wall, folding his arms over his chest. "I've done something… rash."

"Yeah, you hit the emergency stop."

"Trowa," Heero stared hard at his friend, feeling the weight of his decision bearing down on him. "That robot never got delivered."

"Well, of course it did. Duo signed the invoice himself."

Heero took a deep breath. "Yes, he signed the invoice, but the AR was not in that crate."

"Why wasn't I informed if there was a mix-up?"

"Because no one knows."

"Except you, apparently." Trowa crossed his arms over his chest, mirroring Heero's tight posture. "Since when do you monitor our deliveries?"

"Since I decided to take the robot's place."

Trowa stepped back and chuckled disbelievingly. "You did what?"

"I'm in love with him, Trowa. I couldn't stand by and watch Duo be paired with a robot."

Trowa shook his head. "You're pulling my leg. There is no way you would do something like that."

"A few days ago, you would've been right." He watched his friend's features for the dawning realization, but it was slow to come. To Trowa's credit he thought the best of Heero and couldn't imagine his friend doing anything like this. So, he would have to try a little harder to come clean. "I changed the shipping label on the robot and sent it to Australia, then I made a new label and shipped myself… here."

"You expect me to believe that you put yourself in one of those crates and…" Trowa's eyes widened. "You're pretending to be a robot?"

"Yes."

"Oh, God." Trowa stumbled awkwardly until his back hit the wall. "You're serious. You really did this."

"Since Thursday afternoon, I've been living as Duo Maxwell's Ideal Lover. He has no idea that I'm not a robot."

"Why? Wait… Don't answer that. It doesn't matter. You can't do this. You'll be fired. You'll be arrested!"

"No one has to know."

"But I know!" Trowa shouted as he stood fully again. "And now I'm part of this!" He shook his hands at Heero as if to suggest culpability.

"Calm down."

"Are you nuts? This is completely unethical."

"I know that."

"Do you? For God's sake, the guy's a corporate attorney, Heero! He'll sue the living crap out of AR Industries for this stunt."

The continued force of Trowa's words and emotions made Heero falter a little. He stepped back, leaning against the wall again and sighed. "I had to do this."

"No one has to do anything."

He looked up sharply, meeting Trowa's furious gaze. "I know I shouldn't ask this of you, but if you could see how happy he is—"

"He's not going to remember being happy when he finds out you've been lying to him."

"I'm asking you not to tell him, not to tell anyone."

Trowa opened his mouth to speak, but Heero held up his hand. He needed to be heard, and in a way he needed to convince himself again that this was the right path.

"Everything you're saying, I've thought about—the ethics, the lies, all of it." Heero stood straight to bolster his confidence. "You're right, this isn't like me, but when I saw Duo in the evaluation room that day something changed inside me. The more I thought about him and worked on his robot's protocols, the more I realized I'm his match, not some artificial intelligence wrapped in synthetic skin."

Trowa frowned. "Listen to yourself. You helped develop that technology."

"I'm not bashing it. It's just that there was no other way. I had to be with him."

"I should've talked to you when you brought up your feelings in my office, but I had no idea you felt like this. We need to clear this up. I'll go to his apartment and tell him he got someone else's robot. He still might sue us, but at least it won't be for willful intent to deceive." Trowa pressed the resume button on the control panel, and the elevator began moving again.

"Trowa…"

"Heero, this has to stop."

Heero's stomach knotted in pain. That was it? His dream of building a life with Duo was over in less than three days?

The elevator stopped. They had reached the 10th floor. The doors opened and Heero stared into the corridor beyond. Trowa stepped into the hall with his briefcase in one hand, and the other hand holding the elevator doors open.

"You don't have to come with me. In fact, it's probably better if you don't."

That was the coward's way.

Somehow he found the strength to pick up the groceries and join Trowa in the hall. Trowa gave him an assuring nod, and Heero gritted his teeth. He wasn't sure he could go through with this, with losing Duo, but there was no way to stop Trowa. He might stop him for the moment, but Trowa would eventually tell Duo everything.

They walked side-by-side down the carpeted hallway until they came to # 1002. It was quiet, and Heero wondered if Quatre had gone.

"I was hoping he'd fall in love with me," Heero said as he stared at the door.

Trowa looked to him, seeming puzzled. "You said earlier that you're in love with him. Is that true?"

Heero nodded, and returned his focus to the door. He could feel Trowa staring at him and was about to tell him to get it over with when the door opened.

"Hey, you're back!" Duo said, smiling cheerfully. "Quatre said he thought he heard voices." Duo took a step back and waved for them to come inside. "Hi, Trowa."

"Hello, Duo."

Heero went inside first with Trowa close behind. The hair on the back of Heero's neck prickled in anticipation of Trowa's next words. Duo was at Heero's side, giving him a warm kiss on the cheek as he grasped his forearm.

"I was starting to worry." Duo gave him another quick kiss and then took the bags from his hands. He headed for the kitchen as Quatre came to greet them.

"Oh, Quatre," Duo said from the kitchen. "This is Trowa Barton from AR Industries. Trowa, this is my best friend, Quatre Winner."

Trowa and Quatre stepped towards each other and shook hands.

"So nice to meet you," Quatre said, his face beaming with obvious delight.

"Thank you. It's very nice to meet you as well."

"Trowa? Can you stay for dinner?" Duo asked. He came back into the hall and slid his arm around Heero's waist. "Heero's going to make chicken francese. I'm sure there'll be plenty."

Heero tried to enjoy the feel of Duo close to him, but his body tensed with impending doom.

"What's wrong?" Duo asked, bumping Heero's hip playfully. He leaned closer, putting his lips to Heero's ear and whispered, "You bought whipped cream, naughty boy."

Heero couldn't possibly respond. He looked to his friend. It wasn't in his nature to beg, but in this moment he nearly did.

"Oh, maybe you two need some quiet time?" Duo asked, pulling back slightly. "I forgot you're here on business."

Trowa nodded. "Yes, it'll only take a few minutes to run the diagnostic… if you don't mind."

"Sure, but I can vouch that everything's in working order." Duo laughed and gave Heero a wink. "You can use the guest room."

Heero nodded and led the way down the hall.

"Don't be long. I'm hungry!"

Heero wasn't sure what to feel—numb or relieved. Trowa hadn't said anything yet, and it seemed Duo's talk with Quatre had gone well. He stepped into the guest room and waited the few seconds for Trowa to join him. When his friend arrived, Trowa closed the door.

"What are you waiting for?" Heero asked.

Trowa set the briefcase down and sighed heavily. "It's tougher than I thought."

"Isn't that big lawsuit motivation enough for you?"

"It was a few minutes ago…" Trowa walked over to the bed and sat down.

"What changed?"

Trowa looked up at him, exasperation visible on his face. "What you said… about hoping he'd fall in love with you. Did you mean that?"

"Yes."

"This isn't a game to you, is it?"

Heero gave a snort. "You thought I was trying to get my rockets off?"

"I don't know what to think." Trowa shook his head. "Damn it, I just don't know."

Heero walked across the room and reached behind a law book to retrieve his wallet. He held it out in his hand to show Trowa. "Here, give this to Duo when you tell him."

"What is it?"

"I smuggled my wallet with me in the crate… as a back-up plan. In case we didn't click. Actually, I was pretty sure we would click and thought it'd be nice to have a way to buy him flowers or tickets to a ball game."

Trowa chuckled. "Flowers? He doesn't seem like a flowers kind of guy. But maybe Quatre is… "

"You interested in him?"

Trowa feigned uncertainty, but Heero knew his friend had a weakness for blonds, and Quatre was a pretty blond.

"Hand me that case?" Trowa asked, pointing to the maintenance kit.

Heero picked up the case and brought it over to the bed.

"Sit down… please," Trowa said, evenly. He opened the case on the bed.

"What are you doing?"

"Sit down, please."

Heero's eyes narrowed suspiciously, but he put his wallet away and grabbed the desk chair. He sat in front of Trowa and watched as he calibrated the equipment.

"We should look like we're performing the check," Trowa said.

"Why?"

Trowa plugged the cable into the unit and held the loose end in his hand. "I saw the way he looks at you."

"What?"

"Duo has feelings for you."

Heero's breath caught. He was elated and distressed all at once. "And?"

"I can't be the one to tell him."

"Then you'll help me?"

Trowa frowned. "For now. I can't believe I'm doing this."

Heero clasped his hand on Trowa's shoulder and smiled. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet. Sooner or later you've got to tell him the truth."

He knew that, though he didn't like to consciously think about it. If Duo fell in love with him, then he'd consider revealing his secret.

"He likes me as a robot," Heero said, resigned to that fact.

"By all accounts, very much." Trowa nodded. He seemed to want to say more, but pursed his lips, perhaps thinking better of it. He raised the cable in front of Heero. "This won't hurt a bit."

They heard footsteps coming down the hall, and seconds later a tap at the door.

"Come in," Trowa said.

The door opened slowly to reveal Duo standing there. His eyes were wide with curiosity. "I hope you don't mind me checking on you."

"Not at all," Trowa said. "I can explain this process, if you like."

Duo smiled and stepped into the room.

Heero watched as Trowa entered some information on the keyboard and a data stream of numbers and letters scrolled on the small monitor. "This is the readout from Heero's databank. Everything is fine, but we'll go over the data at the lab to be sure."

"There's nothing personal in there?"

Trowa grinned. "No, it's merely a log much like a cardiogram or a scan of brainwaves. Anything you've said and done is not recorded here, and not accessible by our equipment."

Duo smiled a little easier and put his hands on Heero's shoulders. "I can't thank you enough… for him." He gave the shoulders a squeeze and Heero's heart started beating faster.

"You're welcome. I'm very glad our efforts have succeeded in providing you with your established ideal."

"They have. Now, you're staying for dinner, right?" Duo leaned over Heero's right shoulder and lowered his voice. "Quatre's counting on it."

"In that case, it's definitely a yes."

"Great." Duo laughed. "If you're done with Heero, I need him now… in the kitchen that is."

Heero looked to Trowa, still uneasy about their pact.

Trowa gave a firm nod. "We're done here. Right, Heero?"

"Hn." Heero got up from the chair and didn't look back. He put his arm around Duo's waist and walked with him to the kitchen.

Quatre was standing there with a glass of wine in hand. He gave Heero a tentative look, but then raised his glass to him. "Duo and I had a long talk."

"He's okay with things," Duo said, quickly.

"I'm glad," Heero said. "Your friendship is important."

"Yes, it is," Duo said with a smile. "Now let's get dinner started. I see you bought plenty."

Trowa joined them then, and Quatre's attention quickly shifted to the tall brunet. Heero was grateful for the respite. He wanted desperately to be alone with Duo, but just having him at his side in the kitchen was enough for now.

"You okay, Heero? You seemed tense when you came home."

Heero looked into Duo's eyes and felt the wariness of the last half hour drift away. Those eyes were like the rare blue-violet gem Tanzanite, rare and beautiful, and captivating. Those eyes called him back again and again, wanting more, hoping for a glimpse into Duo's heart.

"I'm fine," Heero said with a grin. "I wasn't sure how your talk had gone, that's all."

"Well, it was shaky at the start, but we worked it out. Like you said, Quatre was only being protective."

"Good."

They set about preparing dinner, with Duo listening carefully to Heero's instructions for pounding the chicken breasts, seasoning them and dredging them in egg and flour. By the time the meal was cooked, Quatre and Trowa had set the table and opened another bottle of wine. In a way, it felt like the gathering of old friends, except that Heero knew that for Duo and Quatre, he was just a robot. Well, not just. He could see now that Duo was beginning to have feelings for him, too. It made him believe that his hope of turning Duo's desires into love was a real possibility.

He wasn't sure when the dream of gaining Duo's love had begun, but it had coalesced in his mind and his heart when he thought that all was lost. Sometimes fear was a great impetus for change.

He smiled with the others as they raised their glasses in a toast.

"To new friends," Duo said.

"To new friends," they repeated in unison.

~ ~ ~

Hilde was leaning against the wall outside his office door Monday morning. She was always early, but Duo didn't usually see her hovering around his office until after she'd made a pot of coffee and rattled off a to-do list to their paralegal while sipping the dark brew.

"So, who is he?" Her arms were folded over her chest in cross-examination mode.

Maybe he deserved her court façade. He had phoned her ungodly early last Friday, in the middle of her workout. She probably had a right to know about the guy who kept her boss home that day, but he wasn't sure how much he wanted to share. These few days with Heero had been out of this world. Almost too good to be true.

"His name is Heero Yuy," he said, walking past her into his office. He set his messenger bag on his desk and shrugged out of his leather bomber jacket, laying it over his bag.

"And?"

He looked over his shoulder. "And what?"

"Details!"

He couldn't help, but grin. He had to admit he liked her curiosity, and he liked the idea of spending the morning talking about his new lover. The problem was he had taken a day off and that meant a lot of work was waiting for him.

He turned around and leaned against the desk. "He's everything I've ever wanted in a guy. How's that?"

Her eyes grew wide. "Really? So he's the one?"

"Could be." The indecision was mostly for Hilde's sake, to quell her enthusiasm so he could get to work. Heero was beautiful beyond words.

"What does he do?"

Duo's brow furrowed. He hadn't thought about filling in the details of Heero's identity. "He's between jobs."

"What kind of work is he looking for?"

"Technology… IT stuff." It made sense, seeing how Heero was a technological marvel.

"Computer nerd, huh? That's a new one for you." Hilde smiled. "When am I gonna meet him?"

Duo's thoughts drifted to earlier that morning when he had left his condo. Heero's kiss had been warm, but careful, knowing anything too tantalizing would've made Duo late for work.

"I'll make sure you meet him soon, but paws off."

"Huh?" Hilde batted her eyelashes in her best attempt at appearing sweetly innocent. "When have I ever stolen a guy from you?"

"There's never been one worth stealing until now."

"Oh, I knew there was more to this story. Do tell!"

He glanced at the pile of case files and messages stacked neatly on his desk. "Your inquiries are gonna have to wait. Is there anything I should know before I start?"

She sighed heavily and came into his office. "Yeah, that creep, Frank Nick, stopped by Friday. He was not a happy camper. Said he had an appointment."

"Damn, I forgot about that." Duo dropped into his desk chair. "What'd he say?"

"He was rambling about his wife trying to steal his company."

"Sorry, Hil. He's on the verge of filing for divorce, and I've been working with him to protect his corporate assets."

"Well, there's something slimy about him. You should find him a divorce attorney and wash your hands of the entire thing."

"Yeah." He should've realized the guy was bad news when he told Duo that he and his wife liked to beat the crap out of each other. That was never a good sign.

"Hey, did you ask Stephen out?" Hilde's face brightened, and Duo was pleased he had remembered.

"We're going out tomorrow night. I think he'd been waiting for me to say something."

"Gotta watch out for those bashful types."

"Since when have you dated anyone bashful?"

Duo shrugged. It was getting harder to remember anyone from his past. Heero was doing a damn good job of erasing his mistakes.

Hilde wandered off and Duo started the long process of sifting through the paperwork. He was fortunate he didn't have court, since he was tired from the extra-curricular activities of the long weekend. It had been a smorgasbord of delights, and felt a lot like he was catching up on the normal relationship stuff he had missed all these years. Well, it wasn't normal to choose a robot as your life companion, but as far as couples went, they had everything else going for them.

Just after twelve o'clock, one of his assistants buzzed him on an interoffice line. He suspected she was taking lunch orders.

"Where you getting lunch?" he asked.

"We're making a sandwich run, but it looks like you'll be dining out."

"Huh?"

"There's a Mr. Yuy to see you."

Duo's heart thumped. "Heero's here?"

"Yes." There was a muffled sound and then a whispered, "I've never seen anyone so…"

"I know, Melissa. Please tell him I'll be right there." He got up from his chair and checked his hair in the reflection of his framed law degree. Thank goodness Hilde wasn't around to see that or he'd never live it down.

He wasn't expecting Heero, so he hoped everything was okay at home. He headed to the reception area, his pulse quickening. When he turned the corner he saw Heero examining the botanical prints on the wall.

"Hey, Heero," Duo said, smiling.

Heero turned to him and grinned. "I hope I'm not disturbing you." He was carrying a bouquet of sunflowers in one arm, and a bag in the other.

"Those… for me?"

Heero nodded and handed him the flowers. "I thought they'd brighten your office… and aren't too girly."

Duo chuckled, even as he glimpsed Melissa with her mouth gaping open. "Nah, they're not girly. Thanks. What's in the bag?"

"Lunch. There's a park across the street. I brought a blanket for a picnic."

Now Duo was the one slack-jawed and speechless.

"Should I have called first?" Heero asked.

"Uh, no…" Duo grabbed Heero by the arm and took him down the hall to his office. He laid the sunflowers on his desk and turned to Heero, overwhelmed with the sweetness of this surprise. "No one's ever—"

"Duo, if I'm intruding on your day—"

"Heero." He put a finger to Heero's lips. "This is incredible. Thank you."

"You like it?"

"Very much." In the back of his mind he remembered an evaluation question about thoughtfulness and surprises, but it still felt genuine. Heero got a gold star for that. "Before we head over to the park, I need you to meet someone…"

He heard footsteps hurrying down the hall and seconds later, Hilde was standing in the doorway.

"Oh, you have company," Hilde said, feigning surprise.

"This is Heero Yuy. Heero, this is Hilde Schbeiker, the other attorney in this practice and a friend of mine since college."

Heero set the bag on the desk and held out his hand. "It's very nice to meet you."

Hilde shook his hand and smiled. "The pleasure's mine."

"Hil…" Duo said in a warning tone.

"We were just talking about you this morning. Were your ears burning?" She laughed.

Heero looked over at Duo and grinned. "Talking about me?"

"You know, girl talk." Hilde giggled. "Duo says you're looking for work in the computer field. Anything in particular?"

Heero's brow furrowed and then smoothed. "Intelligent design."

Hilde blinked. "Programming…?"

"Yes, programming robots."

"Uh, Heero, I think we'd best have our lunch. I've got a lot of work ahead of me." Duo scooped the bag into his arms and grabbed Heero by the hand. "See you later, Hil!"

They were through the office and out the front door before Duo slowed down and let go of Heero's hand.

"You're upset," Heero said, walking along side of him on the city sidewalk.

"Close call is all." He glanced at his lover and back to the sidewalk, crowded with pedestrians. "Why'd you say that?"

"It seemed appropriate… and it was the first thing that came to mind."

They crossed the street to the park, and found a spot near an oak tree to spread out the blanket. Duo sat down with the bag next to him, and stared up at Heero who remained standing.

"Duo, if you're unhappy…"

"It's not that." He patted the blanket next to him. He waited for Heero to sit and then turned to him. "I guess there are things we still need to work out… like your backstory."

"Backstory?"

"Yeah, people are bound to ask questions. I got nervous when you improvised."

"I see."

He placed his hand on Heero's knee. "You definitely need a story, for now, until I work up to telling more people."

"That I'm a robot?"

"Yeah." Duo nodded. "I'm happy that you're a robot, but not everyone is going to understand."

"Do you like me because I'm a robot?"

Duo cocked his head, surprised by the elicit self-awareness in that question. "That's a complicated thing to ask. I mean, you are a robot, but if you were say… a man, I'd still like you."

"You would?"

"Sure, why not? We get along, I like your personality, your looks, and you're great in bed." Duo nudged him with his elbow. "What's not to like, right?"

"Right."

"So, how about that lunch?"

Heero seemed a little subdued as he pulled the food items from the bag. Was it possible for a robot's feelings to get hurt?

"There's salmon salad sandwiches, melon slices, kettle chips, and a split of white wine." Heero grinned, seeming more himself again. "Can you drink at lunch?"

Duo nodded as he watched Heero prepare a plate for him, and pour the wine into a plastic cup. "Thanks. This is really sweet of you."

"I'm glad you like it."

They touched their plastic cups together and smiled as they dug into their meal. It was a warm afternoon, but the shade from the oak bathed them in welcome coolness. The conversation eventually turned to more lighthearted topics such as the annual art fair.

"The last few years, I've bought paintings from up and coming artists. I redecorated my bedroom around that abstract painting hanging above my bed."

"That's what inspired you?"

"That time. Sometimes it works the other way around. My living room was done when I found that clockwork sculpture."

"You have some open wall space in your entryway," Heero said. "Have you thought about purchasing art for in there?"

"That space could use… something. Maybe you can help me pick it out."

"I'd like that."

Duo smiled as he leaned towards Heero for a kiss. Since they were in public, he settled for a quick peck on the nose, but it was enough to make his lover smile back at him.

"This was perfect, Heero. I feel pampered and… loved."

Heero took his hand, nestling it between his like he was holding something precious. "I do love you, Duo."

Duo's breath caught. "You do?"

"You're perfect in every way."

"I wouldn't go that far." Duo laughed, nervously, even as his cheeks blushed with warmth.

"I would." Heero's voice was serious, and laced with that sexy tone he used when things were heating up between them.

Duo put his other hand over Heero's and squeezed. "I wish I didn't have to go back to the office…"

They looked into each other's eyes a moment longer, and then Heero pulled back. He set about gathering their empty plates and packing away the leftovers while Duo watched. He had never experienced so many emotions in such a short time as he had since Heero came into his life. This afternoon was no exception.

The Ideal Lover Program was worth every penny in his estimation. Billions of pennies. Maybe someday that infomercial would feature him and Heero walking barefoot and holding hands on a white, sandy beach.

From that day forward, Duo made an effort to show the same thoughtfulness. He didn't want this relationship to be a one-way street. Maybe some people bought robots to have a love slave, but Duo's intention had always been to have a life companion. Heero was proving to be that companion every day. He looked out for Duo in innumerable ways. From making breakfast to making love, Heero's actions spoke of commitment and love.

Yes, Heero had said he loved him. The moment had been slightly awkward, but not because it was a robot telling him what he wanted to hear, but because Duo had believed Heero. Call it crazy or delusional—Quatre surely would—but Duo had felt it in his heart.

It was a strange journey searching for love all those years and never finding it with another human being. Instead, it had taken a beautiful robot to open Duo's eyes to the true meaning of love.

 

 

Chapter 6

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