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"Coffee Shop Encounters"Written By: Ashkara Disclaimer: I sadly enough do not own them. Sigh. Rating: PG 13 Warnings: definitely an AU, Pairings: 1+2, 3+4, 5+SP, 6+IW Summary: Quatre Winner, the young CEO of Winner
Enterprises, meets and befriends four college students at Roberto's
Cafe. They turn out to be exactly what he needs to turn his life around. "Coffee Shop Encounters" CSE-4: Mocha Roberto was a nosey man. He always had been, but owning
a coffee shop like his had made it worse. It was for that reason that he was wandering down the
street on his day off, heading for the Hope Home, as the orphanage
on Eighth Street was commonly called. Since he had caught the braided
boy in between classes and running to visit a sick child in the hospital
two years before, Duo had been a faithful customer and, as Roberto
liked to think of those he met and talked to daily, a friend. And he hadn’t seen his friend in almost two weeks
now. It wasn’t that great a part of town, but you could
see that someone had gone out of his way to make the Home look good-
the red brick building was kept tidy and respectable-looking. He could
just see the tops of a few trees from the street- Duo had planted
them in the inner courtyard, where the swing sets were, thinking that
a little bit of green would help keep the kids’ spirits up. There
were no broken windows- a feat, considering the neighbourhood- and
Roberto saw brightly-coloured curtains, unlike the institutional ones
you usually saw in these type places. It was no wonder the kids from the place liked it so
much- Duo had made it into as close to a home as he could. The Cajun walked up the small brick stairwell and knocked
on the door. There was a short wait before he heard running footsteps
and loud laughter. The door was yanked open- A small boy grinned up at him. “Hi, Welcome to
the Hope House!” He couldn’t help smiling down at the kid. “Hello,
I’m jus’ passin’ by, and I thought I come to see Mr.
Duo if he’s aroun’. He in?” The boy nodded. “Yeah- in his office, but you’ll
have to wait a moment- we’re not supposed to let people in…
HEY, DUO!” Roberto chuckled as he heard an answering call from
behind one of the many doors off the main hallway. He watched in no
small amusement as the third door on the right opened and a braided
figure stepped out, looking a little confused. “Yeah?” He
looked down the hallway- Duo smiled as he recognised Roberto at the door and
immediately walked over, but the Cajun’s face slid to a frown.
The smile was still there- Roberto secretly thought that the braided
teen was incapable of really frowning- but there was a certain vitality
missing from the young man, both the spark of his face and the bounce
of his step. Not to mention how pale and thin he seemed. There was something wrong. Duo smiled at him. “Roberto! This has gotta
be a first! I thought I was supposed to come to your place, man!”
The Cajun chuckled. “Well, since you weren’,
I decided to come see you.” He followed Duo back to his office,
quickly noticing how right his first assessment of the boy had been.
If he hadn’t known better, he would have thought Duo was seriously
ill. But he knew that wasn’t possible- if there was one thing
Duo was, it was dedicated to the well-being of his charges, and allowing
any sort of sickness to stay close to them would not have been an
option. Duo winced at the question. “You don’t mince
words, do you?” Roberto merely glared. Duo collapsed into his seat behind his cluttered desk.
“I just haven’t been sleeping well, man. Finals, a kid in
the hospital again…” Roberto couldn’t believe his ears- had Duo just
lied to him? Sure enough, the boy wasn’t looking him in the eye…
“Dat’s bullshit an’ we both know it, boy! Where’s
Heero?” “Studying- he has finals, too, you know.”
Roberto stared down at the younger man. “Look-
I know you don’ want to tink about it, but sometin’s eatin’
you and you should let it out. Talk to Roberto, okay?” Duo almost seemed shaky. “If I do… you can’t
tell a soul, you got that?” The Cajun just nodded. The braided boy heaved a heavy sigh. “The new Poverty
Bill is a mess- they want to cut the Orphan’s Programme by 15%-
a full seven million less on the budget than even what we need to
run these places, let alone improve on them, or open up more spaces!
If they pass that Bill… I don’t know. I don’t know
what will happen to these kids.” He looked close to tears. Roberto shrewdly asked, “Have you told Heero about
it yet?” Duo’s eyes went guarded. “No. He’s had
his own problems, and way more work than he can handle already…
I’ve been working on a case against the Bill- we’ve arranged
to have key lawmakers come through here and see the place, and they’re
gonna allow me and a few other colleagues to speak to the Congress,
but working to prepare for that, on top of everything else…”
The Cajun sighed out something that sounded like, “Salopards![1]”
as he relaxed back into a chair. “Who’s been helping you?”
“Wufei,” Duo responded with a slight smile.
“He knows how to present some of the stuff we need to say, and
he’s been great, helping out with research…” “When’s the las’ time you sleep?”
Roberto asked. Duo glared at the other. “Look, Mom, I’ll
catch up on it when this is all over and I have time, okay? Jesus,
I’m doing the best I can…” A fist slammed down in his desk, making the braided
boy start in tense fear. “Dammit, you’re being a fool, boy!
If you don’ tell Heero, then I will…” “Tell me what?” a voice asked from the doorway.
They turned- Heero was standing there with his arms crossed over his
chest, his eyes fixed on his lover with an intensity that was almost
frightening. Roberto turned back tot he braided boy and glared, as
well. Duo began to shake. “They… they want to cut
my funding, Heero. The new Bill… and I’ve been trying to
fight it… gonna have to turn kids away…” Heero was across the room in seconds, gathering the
shaking form into his arms as Duo finally reached the end of his line
and sobbed into his chest, his hands curling in the Japanese boy’s
jacket. He looked up into Roberto’s face and a silent communication
passed between the two- I’ll be there later with the others,
and I need to know everything he said. The Cajun merely nodded and let himself out. Heero cradled the other boy close as the sobs quieted,
finally brushing Duo’s long bangs out of his eyes as he leaned
down to give him a light kiss. “For now, koi, I think you need
some sleep, and then something to eat. We can talk this over later.”
Duo’s eyes were apprehensive. “I sh-should
have told you, H-heero. I’m sorry.” The Japanese boy shook his head. “Don’t apologise.
Not your brightest move, but it’s already happened, so getting
angry won’t change a thing. And here I thought you were studying…”
“I was! And… well, and doing research on this
stuff, at the same time…” Heero stifled a laugh as he pulled back and set the
braided boy on his feet. “Now, you are going to go upstairs and
get in bed, I’m going to make you some hot chocolate, and then
you’re going to sleep. I’ll watch the place for you, okay?”
Duo just nodded- he was too tired to fight it anymore.
*** It had taken a while to track her down, but Heero had
finally managed to get a hold of Sally Po, who readily agreed to take
over at the Orphanage for him. And now he was sitting around a table
with Wufei, Trowa, Quatre and Roberto. The Cajun sighed. “De silly boy- he didn’
want to make you worry, Heero. And you!” he said, turning to
glare at Wufei, “Why didn’ you say someting, huh?”
The Chinese boy blushed uncomfortably. “He made
me promise not to say anything- and he never really told me how much
it was bothering him, the baka!” Heero shook his head. “Okay- enough! This isn’t
going to help me and it’s not going to help Duo. So tell me everything.
Now.” Three sets of eyes widened as Wufei and Roberto began
to talk- Trowa’s in shock, Heero’s in concern, and Quatre’s
in growing indignation. It wasn’t long before the small blond
businessman’s hand slammed down on the table. “Those bastards!
That wasn’t even discussed- they just don’t want the money
coming from their budgets!” Four heads swivelled to stare at him confusedly. “Care
to elaborate, Quat?” Trowa asked. The blond blushed, surprised by his outburst. “Oh-
it’s just… I was at the budget allocation meetings, and
that money was supposed to come from the National Defence budget,
not the Poverty Bill rewrite. I wonder who they paid off…”
Heero pinned the blond with a stare. “Is there
anything that we can do? This is his life…” “I know- I know…” Quatre was staging
into his coffee mug, rubbing his temples with his hands absently.
He looked up quite suddenly. “You said they’re being given
a chance to fight it?” Wufei nodded. “Yes- Duo’s been working night
and day to get some sort of defence ready, or at least find evidence
to support his claims that they need the money, but it’s been
taking forever…” Quatre’s eyes began to gleam. “Of course!
He wouldn’t know where to look, but I’m almost sure…”
He turned to Heero, with the same manic glint in his
eyes that Duo usually wore. “When he wakes up, could you bring
him to my office? We’ll be able to work from there much better…
yeah…” It was obvious that the small blond had an idea. Heero
shared a small smile with Wufei as Quatre seemed to collapse against
Trowa and the taller boy’s arms went around him. The two stood
up. Wufei looked at his watch. “Look, I have class
in fifteen minutes, but I’ll drop in when it’s over, okay?”
Heero nodded. “Fine- I’ve got to get back
before he wakes up and goes ballistic that I’m not there. I’ll
call you on my way over, Quatre.” The blond looked up distractedly. “Huh?” The Japanese boy smiled. “I’ll see you in
a bit, okay?” Quatre bounced to his feet, dragging Trowa up with him.
“Sure! I want to do some ground work first, anyway… Trowa,
come with me?” Heero didn’t bother to wait for the green-eyed
boy’s answer. No one doubted where he would be. Roberto stopped Heero on the way out, though, with a
hand on his shoulder. “Hey, you stop by here on de way, okay?
Ole Roberto’s got an idea, too.” *** Heero slipped into Duo’s room to find the other
boy slowly waking, blinking his eyes confusedly as he tried to focus
on anything… His eyes came to rest on his lover and a smile bloomed
over his features. “Hi, handsome.” The Japanese boy gave him a smile. “Have a nice
rest?” He playfully reached over and brushed some of Duo’s
hair from his face. The American caught his lover’s hand and didn’t
let go. “I’m gonna lose these kids, aren’t I?”
he asked in a low whisper, his eyes haunted. Not if I have a say in it, you won’t! Heero,
Trowa and Wufei were the only people who really knew about Duo’s
own past. He had been an orphan, as well- he had never known his real
parents, or even why they had left him. All he knew was that there
had been a war, and he had been left to his own devices in a church
orphanage, one face among so many other war orphans. Sure, he had
been adopted, but Duo was in a position to know exactly how cruel
life could be and often was- he had gone from home to home, never
staying with one family for more than a year or two before they decided
he was too much trouble and gave him back to the State. As soon as
he was old enough, he got away- he went to school on a full scholarship.
They had all met at school. Four months into their freshman year, Duo Maxwell had
come across a bunch of kids beating up on a smaller boy. He had quickly
darted in and broke up the fight, but the boy had been too badly hurt
to walk home alone. He had carried the boy back where the kid told
him to go… And gotten his first glimpse of the Hope Home. It
was a different place, then- run down, unattractive, dirty… He had been furious when the Administrator didn’t
even take the boy to the hospital. In fact, he had been so furious
that, within six months, the other administrator was out and the State
had hired a new person in his place- Duo Maxwell. Since then, the
Home had become something truly worthwhile, and Duo had finally been
able to let some of his childhood ghosts go. That some Dickhead Senator wanted to destroy that was
completely unacceptable. Heero kissed the other boy gently, trying to convey
his support and love, and pulled back only when he began to feel light-headed
from a lack of air. “Duo? I don’t want you to be angry,
but I’ve spoken to the others…” he flinched at the
look of pain on his love’s face, “and they all want to help.
Quatre’s asked us to come down to his office to work on a good
defence.” Duo’s eyes misted over with tears. “I’m
so sorry- I should have told you before, but I’ve been scared…”
“No more of that now!” Heero scolded lightly,
kissing Duo’s forehead to lighten the impact of the words. “You
up to going out?” Duo shook his head. “Someone has to be here…”
Heero smiled. “Sally’s already downstairs,
and she’s told me that she’ll stay as long as we need her
to.” Duo let the other boy pull him out of bed and to his
feet, but then grabbed hold of him and hugged him hard. “Thanks,
Heero. Je t’aime, tu sais?”[2] Heero grinned- he knew at least that much French! “Je
t’aime aussi.”[3] *** Roberto grinned as the two boys walked into his café
and waved them over. “Hey! I was jus’ tinking about you!
Glad you come by- you stay over dere, okay?” They sat down self consciously- several people were
staring at them quite openly, after the bartender’s overly- vivacious
greeting. Heero scowled. “I hate it when he does that!”
Duo gave his lover a small smile. “Awww, but he
likes you so much…” he teased gently. And eeped only seconds later as a hand grabbed hold
of the end of his braid and tugged gently. “Any more teasing
out of you and I’ll teach you what the word ‘exhaustion’
really means!” He got a saucy smile in return. “D’you promise?”
“Baka.” “Dere you go!” They both jumped as a shadow
fell over them and something large landed on the table with a thump.
They sniffed- coffee and… dinner? Duo looked up with a smile. “How much do I owe
you for this, Robbie?” The Cajun grinned. “You worry about dem kids, okay?
This way I know you’re taking time to eat, too, boy! Now get
out, bot’ of you!” They laughed as he chased them out, but they didn’t
forget their package. *** Julia was barely containing her laughter as she listened
to the pandemonium inside her boss’s office. Quatre had decided
to leave at a normal time, for once- normal for real people, that
is, and here he was, back in the office… Not that she had minded, once she knew why! It was why
she was still there, as well. All the same, Heero had shown up with another young
man she hadn’t seen before- she hadn’t believed that a boy
would want hair like that when Quatre had described Duo to her, but
now that she’d met him she understood it completely. It was impossible
not to like Duo- he had called her ‘Jules.’ She didn’t bother knocking on the door as she picked
up her printouts and headed for her boss’ office- no one would
have heard or cared, anyway. Wufei, Quatre and Heero were huddled
over Quatre’s desk, noisily tearing into the budget as they found
all the things Defence had managed to splice into it, without telling
anyone, and planned to fund with HHS money. Trowa and Duo were at
a side desk, the latter wringing his hands nervously as the former
read through what looked like a copy of a speech. She walked over
to the braided boy and gave him a smile. “Got the wording right?”
He sighed uneasily. “Trowa’s checking that
right now.” Trowa yawned and stretched. “Pretty good, Duo.
I like the personal side of it.” Julia craned her neck to see the pages in the green-eyed
boy’s lap. “Could I have a look?” she asked. “I
used to help write Master Winner’s speeches…” Duo grinned tiredly. “Sure, Jules! Any help is
appreciated- I probably need it…” She shot him a dirty look. “If you go in there
with that attitude, you won’t get anywhere, you know.”
Duo smiled back, but she didn’t miss the way he
was playing with the end of his braid nervously. She sat down and
began to read. Five minutes later, she looked up with a smile. “Oh-
this is gonna be good! It’s already good, but would you
mind of I made a few changes? Just a couple little ones…”
Duo peered over her shoulder as she began to write furiously.
He gave a startled yelp. “I can’t say that! Do you
honestly think that…” She smiled back up at him. “It’s true, isn’t
it? Where’s your sense of adventure?” He stared at her blankly for a moment or two before
he, too, grinned evilly. “Since you put it that way…”
Trowa grinned, as well, as he finished reading Julia’s
changes, and then went over to check on the others. He pitied the
person who tried to counter this argument! *** Roberto had insisted on feeding and caffeinating them
before they headed to the Senate. Duo found himself wishing he had
declined the extra coffee- he was shaking so badly that, he was certain,
a light wind would have pushed him over. He fidgeted where he sat- Quatre had insisted that he
borrow a power suit for the occasion, and he felt like a monkey in
it, even if it did make him look far more respectable than
usual. It was disgustingly reassuring to know that the billionaire
would be at his side as they presented the case- even more so to have
Heero, Wufei and Trowa sitting in the public gallery. Quatre turned to him with a calming smile. “Hey-
you’re ready for this and it’s gonna be fine. Think of how
the visit went yesterday…” He smiled at that. He had arranged for a group of Senators
to visit the Hope Home only the day before, and that it went well
was an understatement. Heero and Wufei had called around, and it seemed
like people from the entire neighbourhood had rallied to his side,
dropping in to help clean up and polish every surface and lend their
support in any way they could, including speaking to the Senatorial
community on his behalf. Now if this hearing could only go as well as the visit
had… He clasped his hands tightly in his lap to hide his
shaking as the Committee Chairperson began calling for silence. It
comes to this… They can’t take it away, they just can’t…
“I’m calling this meeting to order! Before
we pass our votes, are there any comments on the proposed Poverty
Bill?” Chairman Walker asked, his eyes swivelling towards Duo
and his small group. He gave the braided boy a small smile of encouragement-
he had been one of the committee members who had visited the orphanage
the day before. Yet to everyone’s surprise, Quatre Winner stood
to begin the arguments. The blond flashed a self-assured smile around
the room. “We have an issue that needs to be addressed, Mr. Chairman!”
Walker nodded his acceptance, even as every person in
the room scooted forward in their seat in interest. What was Quatre
Winner doing, involved in this? “That chair recognises Mr. Winner
and his team. You have ten minutes.” Quatre nodded his assent- he had expected the time limit.
“Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am here before you today to express
my concern over certain sections of the Poverty Bill, in particular,
those pertaining to the Orphans’ Programme. “It was with great concern that I learned of the
proposed cuts, not only for the sake of the persons involved, but
also as a non-voting member of the Budget Committee, as the cuts written
into the Bill in question were never approved by our body.” He
paused for effect, as he heard several members of the committee flipping
through their notes, trying to find the figures he was referring to.
“While I am not the right person to address the human side of
the proposed cuts, I would like to say a few words about the remainder
of it. “Firstly, this,” he said, hefting a copy of
the approved budget, “is a copy of the approved budget that went
to committee three weeks ago.” Quatre picked up another book
and brandished it in the air. “This is a copy I obtained not
three days ago, bearing no signs that it has been changed or appended
to. But there are serious differences between the two documents.”
The businessman paused for a sip of water, surpressing
the grin that the amount of sudden whispering brought to his face.
“Changes were made, ladies and gentlemen! Without the consent
of the Committee, ten billion credits were added to the Defence budget,
in order to fund two new projects that had previously been tabled
in Committee! That money…” he waited for the noise level
in the room to die down- “That money came out of the Poverty
Bill, reflecting the changes that have been made to it.” Walker gulped. “Those are serious charges, Mr.
Winner…” Quatre nodded and gestured behind him to the Chairwoman
of the Budget Committee. “They are, and that is why I have requested
the presence of Senator Une. Lady Une, if you please?” Walker nodded. “The Chair recognises Senator Une.”
The tall woman stood gracefully and moved to the microphone.
She had been fully briefed on the problem, and would keep her comments
short. “Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen, good morning. I unfortunately
have very little time to speak with you, so I will be brief. I was
contacted by Mr. Quatre Winner eight days ago with this information
and have since found it to be completely true. We do not know when
these changes were made or by whom- that remains to be investigated-
but the fact remains that the Budget was tampered with and, as a result,
your Poverty Bill has suffered some serious cuts that are unauthorised,
to say the least. That they are inhuman and completely against public
interests is another story which I shall leave to people better suited
to speak on this than myself. Thank you.” She sat again. Walker swallowed a smile as whispers once again filled
the room and rapped with his gavel for silence. “The Committee
will come to order! Mr. Winner, do you have any other comments?”
Quatre shook his head. “None at this time, sir,
but I would like to introduce a concerned party, to speak on behalf
of erasing these budget cuts.” He motioned Duo forward. “Ladies
and gentlemen, this is Duo Maxwell, who runs a small orphanage known
as the Hope Home, right here in New Port City.” More whispers. Walker waited for silence before nodding
his assent. “The Chair recognises Mr. Maxwell.” The most effective plans always save the best for
last. That’s what Quatre had told them all, but Duo was still
shaking as he got to his feet and approached the microphone, under
the forbidding stares of the Committee members. He cleared his throat. “Thanks, Mr. Chairman. Good
morning, ladies and gentlemen. As Mr. Winner told you, my name is
Duo Maxwell and I am the administrator of the Hope Home, which several
of you visited yesterday.” His voice shook as he continued, “I have come before
you this morning to urge you not to pass the cuts made in this Bill!
Not only, as both Senator Une and Mr. Winner have informed you, were
these cuts made because of bogus budget decisions, but it is important
not to lose sight of what this bill does and who it affects. “I was an orphan, as well. I never knew who my
parents were, and neither did the administrators of the small orphanage
I was sent to. I can only assume that they were killed during the
War, or forced to give me up at some point in time during it. Anyway,
I grew up in an orphanage myself, and I can honestly say that being
there is what has made me the person I am today. It kept me off the
streets and away from the gangs that I have watched destroying other
boys’ lives. It gave me a place to stay where people would look
after me and make me feel as though I was important and worthwhile.
It gave me the environment I needed, in order to get a good education
and continue on to college. But most of all, living in that small
place with Father Maxwell and Sister Helen taught me human compassion.
“As an administrator today, I can tell you with
all confidence that I daily see children who were not as fortunate
as myself. It has become far more dangerous to be on the streets,
ladies and gentlemen! When I was a small boy, the main concern was
avoiding the various gangs and druggies that preyed on kids of my
age. Today’s kids deal with those things among others. Ladies
and gentlemen, there are kids out there today who are going through
far worse! I have personally been involved with several police operations,
in which we rescued small children of both sexes from sexual predators
who prowl the streets looking for innocents to harm! There are children
in my home right now who wake up every night, shivering with nightmares
of things they lived through before we took them in- kids who pretend
that they weren’t crying, that they’re not hurting, and
do you know why? Because they’re afraid that we will get rid
of them if they bother us! They’re afraid, ladies and gentlemen,
of being alone.” Duo’s nervousness was gone by now- his eyes flashed
expressively as he spoke, flushed cheeks speaking to the power of
the feelings he was expressing. The Committee watched with silent,
complete attention and respect. “Ladies and gentlemen, I cannot
vote on your Committee. I cannot make you change your vote. All that
I can do is remind you- I look at your Bill and I see numbers
on a page. But when I look at those kids, I see myself, fifteen years
ago. I look at them, and I see potential for a future full of happiness
and prosperity, if we only take the time and effort to help them!
I see fear and sadness- I see hope and possibility. In short, I see
people who have been given a chance to be anything they want
to be. Don’t let yourselves see them as anything less
than that- don’t see them as numbers, I beg you!” A single
tear slipped down his cheek, and he wiped at it furiously, ashamed
of it. “I realise that I am out of time, so I will conclude with
a question- what do you see? If you can’t see the people
these changes are impacting, then I think you need to re-evaluate
both it and yourselves before you vote. Thank you.” He trembled as he collapsed into his seat- the room
was utterly silent, and he stared down at the table in front of him,
trying not to shake as he felt despair taking over- it wasn’t
going to work! He was going to fail, and all those kids… His head came up as he heard a strange noise, and his
eyes widened in disbelief as he realised that a Committee member was
standing and applauding. He felt tears breaking out as the man was
joined by several others- he could feel Quatre at his side, squeezing
his arm reassuringly. I refuse to fail! Father, Sister, I will not
let you down! He made himself sit up straighter in his seat. Chairman Walker rapped again for silence. “The
Chair thanks Senator Une and Misters Winner and Maxwell for their
statements. The Committee will debate the issue on the table. The
Committee Secretary will please set the time limit of twenty minutes.”
“Requesting permission to address the current issue,
Mr. Chairman!” Walker turned to face the voice- it was one of
the men who had not taken kindly to Duo’s speech- Senator Nikol.
Walker nodded with a frown. “Senator Nikol has
the floor.” Nikol nodded his thanks. “Honestly! Are we expected
to believe this? Fellow Senators, what we have seen this morning was
heart-breaking, it is true! And perhaps Mr. Maxwell sincerely believes
in what he said. But can we truly change our policy, based on this?
The emotional outburst of someone who obviously has his own
psychological ties to this issue? Earth Sphere Defence Planning is
the single, most important item in the budget! As it must be!”
Another Senator stood to address the assembly. “As
important as Defence is, have you ever visited an orphanage, Mr. Nikol?”
The other man stopped for a moment to think about where
this was leading. “Well, no…” “Precisely!” Senator James said, as he stood.
“You have never seen some of these children or heard their stories.
May I safely assume, Mr. Maxwell,” he said, turning to face the
still-shaking young man, “that you could provide us with specific
case studies of children who have been rescued by the Orphan’s
Programme?” Duo nodded, and James turned back to his colleagues.
I had the privilege of visiting the Hope Home yesterday, along with
several of you, and I can tell you with all due gravity that cutting
their budget would be a criminal act!” Nikol seemed taken aback, but he recovered quickly.
“Truly? And it didn’t bother you at all that the administrator
of the facility is a homosexual male?” Duo’s eyes went wide in shock and hurt as it seemed
that every voice in the room began speaking at once. He gripped the
arms of his chair so hard that his knuckles were white as he stared
ahead in horror. They would do it- they would discount everything…
because of him. Walker rapped for silence before turning on Nikol with
furious eyes. “I would remind the Committee that we are not here
today to hold Mr. Maxwell before a glass and humiliate him publicly
for being honest enough to bring his concerns to us! As for Senator
Nikol’s remark- I would challenge him to visit the Hope Home
and find even one child or employee who would say a word against Mr.
Maxwell, based on his sexual preference, if they would say anything,
at all.” Duo was vaguely aware of Quatre at his side, a reassuring
grip on his forearm telling him that he was not alone. I’ve
done it- it’s my fault! God- I’ve ruined everything! Everything…
Walker rapped again as the debate ended. “The Committee
will take a ten minute break before we vote.” Quatre was immediately on his feet, pulling an unresponsive
Duo up and dragging him out into a small side room, to avoid the press
outside. He was gratified, a few moments later, as the other three
burst into the room and hurried to their side. Everyone stood back
respectfully as Heero pulled Duo into his arms and did not let go.
Wufei was fuming. “That honourless bastard! How
dare he! I swear I wanted to beat that jackass to a pulp…”
Heero shot them a look that said, quite plainly, that
Nikol was in serious trouble if they ever met in another setting.
Duo gulped for air. “They aren’t going to
listen! Because of me, they’re going to throw out all the work
you guys have done, and it’s all going to be over…”
Heero shook the braided boy urgently. “Yamero!
Stop that and listen!” He flinched as Duo looked up at him with
eyes that were full of misery, but he kept going. “We’ve
never hidden what we are, and they gave you the job, knowing it beforehand.
It isn’t you on trial out there, no matter how hard that shitface
Nikol tried to change that- maybe you didn’t see it, but we were
hardly the only angry people in the room! You’ve got to
be positive!” The shaking young man looked up at them all. “Thanks
for everything, guys. You’re all the best- even if I screwed
it up. Jesus!” He buried his face in Heero’s shoulder again.
Quatre looked down at his watch worriedly. “Duo?
I’m sorry, but we have to get back out there- it’s almost
time to vote.” Heero eased the other boy back and wiped his face gently
before kissing him with equal care. “I believe in you, okay?”
Duo had the time to give a trembling smile before Quatre
whisked him back out to their seats. *** At eleven AM, the TV set in Roberto’s Café
was usually set to the Jazz station. Not today. The bartender had let out a string of curses in several languages as Senator Nikol made his comment- some bright cameraman had thought to zoom in on Duo’s face, and all of the bar’s patrons could
see the shock and anguish clearly written there. He looked slightly better as Quatre dragged him back
to their seats, and Roberto found himself gripping the sides of the
bar, almost as tightly as Duo’s hands were clasped together as
Senator Walker called the meeting back to order. “The Committee will now vote on the proposed Poverty
Bill. Please give your vote to the Secretary for tallying,” the
Chairman said. Roberto was not alone, staring at the TV set as though
God himself was making an appearance- the other patrons had gathered
by and were watching just as closely as he. Roberto’s eyes zeroed in on Duo as the votes all
came in and were tallied- the young man looked as though the world
was ending, and all the Cajun could do was pray that it would end
properly… The bar went silent as Walker rapped for attention again.
“A vote has been reached. If you will please read the vote to
the assembly, Mr. Secretary.” Roberto broke into a deep, hearty laugh as he watched.
On the screen, tears poured down Duo Maxwell’s face, but he had
never seen him look so happy. *** People were shaking his hand, and he automatically smiled
back and thanked them as he moved. He could hear people calling his
name, but it all seemed so far away, so detached, and he ignored the
voices as the blond man at his side guided him through the throngs
of people and towards a secure exit and the waiting car. Heero was there, and he clung to the other boy. They
were all there, and the only thing that was truly registering was…
warmth. Everything was going to be okay- he hadn’t screwed
up, after all. The bubble broke as suddenly as it had formed, and Duo
smiled brightly as his hands ceased shaking- he grabbed Quatre in
a huge hug. “It’s over! They aren’t going to take our
funding away!” The blond laughed. “You see? Congratulations, Duo.
You deserve it.” Quatre’s driver knocked on the glass. “Where
are we going, sir?” Heero responded before anyone could, grabbing hold of
Duo’s hand. “The University- Emerson Building.” “Very good, sir.” The glass closed again.
Trowa turned to Heero with a raised eyebrow. “Your
place?” Heero’s room tended not to get too much use, but
it was always a good place to run, if you needed some quiet time to,
say, tend to a seriously shaken boyfriend who needed to know that
everything was alright. The blue-eyed boy smiled. “Yeah- my place.”
Everyone smothered smiles behind their hands. Heero was the first out of the limo as it pulled in
front of his dormitory, much tot he surprise and amusement of the
other students there. As Duo followed him out, Wufei stopped him for
a moment. “Duo? We’re going to be meeting up at Roberto’s
tonight- he’s probably dying of curiosity right about now. Would…
will you two be there?” The braided boy smiled and hugged the Chinese tight.
“Would Duo Maxwell miss a party?” He laughed out loud as Wufei kicked him out of the limo
and it pulled away. He felt arms coming around him, and he smiled
as he relaxed back into Heero’s embrace. The Japanese boy kissed
his neck. “You were magnificent today.” Duo felt his knees going weak at the touch and fought
to stay upright. “Couldn’t have done it without you all.”
He turned and kissed Heero, long and lingering, savouring the feeling
of love and security he had, encased in those arms. “I love you.”
Heero gave the smaller boy a squeeze. “Love you,
too. Want to… go inside?” Duo giggled at the suggestive look on the other’s
face. “Sounds like fun to me!” Hand in hand, they vanished through the Dorm doors.
*** A shout went up as the two walked into Roberto’s
that evening, and Duo was once again flustered as he was surrounded
by a crowd of people, all congratulating him. He smiled, but clung
to Heero’s hand like a lifeline. Roberto leered at the couple. “You’re late!
And jus’ where have you been?” Though Duo blushed a bright red, Heero merely laughed
at the comment. “A celebration of our own, Roberto!” “Hey, look! They’re here! Guys, get over here!”
Roberto laughed again as he watched the couple make
their way back to the table Quatre had hailed them from. “Heh-
dose five! What a bunch!” owari [1] This one means something close to ‘bastard,’
though it has several other nasty meanings! [2] “I love you, ya know?” [3] “I love you, too.” |
