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"Into The Fire"Written By: Ashkara Disclaimer: I sadly enough do not own them. Sigh. Rating: NC 17 Warnings: Angst, sap, Lemon Pairings: 1x2, 3x4 //BLAH// indicates character thoughts. Summary: Heero finally meets up with Duo again
for a mission in New York, but Lady Une and Relena make sure that
nothing goes as planned! "Into the Fire "
Lady Une looked up expectantly as a soldier walked in and cleared his throat. “What is it, Corporal?” He gulped nervously, staring into the face of OZ’s Dragon Lady. “I th-think you should look at this, Ma’am.” He held out a laser disk in a shaking hand. Une raised one eyebrow in query, but accepted the disk and immediately fed it into her machine. She opened the only file on it, marked [Arizona, 4/7/196, 1442] and waited expectantly. An image slowly formed on the screen, and as it began to take shape, she growled at the machine, willing it to go faster or risk destruction. It finished loading… “When did this get in?!” she asked in a dark, excited tone, her fierce eyes boring into the man’s skull. “Um, only a few minutes ago, Ma’am. I think our agent might still be on the network…” “Get him on, and I mean NOW!” Une ordered. “Yes, Ma’am!” He practically ran from the room and, within seconds, her vid screen came to life. The man’s face was obscured, but that didn’t bother Colonel Une in the slightest. “Report!” A leering grin. “Operative Alpha reporting, base. A Gundam, Ma’am. I think it was 05, though I’m not all that certain. I can still track it…” “Do that! Take another man and follow it back to its lair. I want them alive if possible, Alpha, but I’m not too picky on that level.” He nodded once, and the screen flickered to blank. *** Chang Wufei jumped down from his cockpit easily, landing with a small grunt. The mission hadn’t been long- he had been assigned to destroy a small shipyard that was actually a cover for the construction of aquatic mobile suits. It had been tiring, though. I just want to sleep! No loud music, no braided bakas trying to drag me out to the mall again, no more midnight calls… He stumbled wearily towards the small safe house. Wufei and Duo had almost constantly been on assignment since they left together for the El Salvador mission. Wufei, in particular, had been pushing his limits far beyond the breaking point, unable to admit to his exhaustion. That was probably why he didn’t notice his tail until it was far too late. *** “Roger that, base. We have positive ID on the pilot, pilot 05. What are your orders?” Une smiled wickedly. The Corporal had been right on the money- it hadn’t taken long to find the small hideout. And now she had a great chance… Perhaps I should send troops in… No, they would hear them approaching and they would be ready. Better to use our Assassins… “Eliminate them.” “Roger.” *** Duo was twitchy. Something felt very wrong- it was a similar feeling to what he got entering battle, accompanied by a surge of adrenaline that had every nerve in his body humming with anticipation. Wufei’s back- I heard Nataku flying overhead- so that can’t be it. What the hell is it, then? He drew out his gun as he cautiously made his way down the stairs, sticking in the shadows silently, like a stalking panther. His night vision was particularly sharp- he could make out Wufei’s form moving through the darkness outside, stumbling slightly in weariness, and beyond him… “Holy Mother of God!” he whispered, recognising the stealthy shapes beyond the Chinese boy for what they were. What are you doing, Wufei? Wake up! They’re right behind you… Duo bounded to a window and opened it silently, blessing whatever saint it was that kept him so small as he shimmied out and landed on cat’s feet, drawn weapon in his hand. Where are they… There! Oh God! Wufei snapped to full awareness as he heard gunshots- four objects buzzed past him and he immediately dove for the ground and rolled, coming to his feet a few metres away, pistol drawn. Sloe eyes widened as Wufei turned and realised what he was seeing- two bodies lay there, bleeding from identical head wounds. Double tap to the forehead. He recognised the style. Turning back, he called, “Maxwell?” The braided teen emerged from the shadows, his eyes still scanning the darkness beyond the small courtyard they were standing in. “Are you okay, man?” Wufei felt slightly shaky, actually, but he would never had admitted to it, not to Duo Maxwell. “Fine. You?” Duo shook his head. “They followed you in. There might be more- I hope not.” He knelt next to one of the bodies and quickly checked it over. OZ assassins! Of course, but how’d they know where to look? Damn, they almost got one of us… He spotted the radio piece in the man’s ear and pulled it out, sticking it quickly to his own as his other hand searched at the dead man’s collar, looking for the voice transmitter. He found it quickly. The earpiece crackled before a voice came through. “What is your status, Alpha? Are they down?” Duo gave a little laugh as he keyed the small microphone. “Colonel Une! How nice to hear from you! Sorry, but Alpha decided to tangle with Shinigami and can’t come to the phone right now. Better luck next time. Bye!” He tossed the pieces down onto the dead man’s chest and stood quickly, whiping the dust from his hands onto his pants. Wufei turned to him, having finished a final sweep of the grounds of his own. “We should leave here. Now.” Duo’s grin widened. “No shit, buddy! Une’ll
send suits out for us soon, if she hasn’t done it already.” Duo shrugged. “I dunno- something felt funny, ya know?” “Arigato, Maxwell. I owe you one.” Duo gave him a quick smile. “Don’t mention it, man. Let’s get packed.” Fatigue forgotten, the two pilots darted back into their no-longer-safe house. *** Treize Kushrenada smiled as he opened to door to Une’s office and found her slumped over her desk and shaking, as if either laughing or crying- he couldn’t tell which. He walked quickly to her side. “How goes it, Lady? Was our team successful?” He head came back up and he could see her face now- He knew of her split personalities, and took it as a sign that she was coming back together that he could see tear streaks on her face, even when she was in Colonel mode. Even if she was laughing now. Une was torn between laughter and depression, utterly embarrassed to have been outsmarted yet again. “Listen to this, Mr. Treize.” She played back the last transmissions and watched his face as pilot 02 responded to her call. She let her head fall forward towards her chest. Treize found himself laughing, as well, as she hit the stop button. “Mission failure, then. Not unexpected, Lady.” She looked up into his face. “I fail you so often- it’s no wonder that you prefer Lieutenant Zechs’ company to mine, sir.” Treize tipped her chin up. “I would have been disappointed if we caught them that easily, my dear Lady. It does not reflect on you. As for Zechs, well, that is another matter entirely.” He turned to walk out, his cloak swishing around him. “We’ll need to bring them to us if we want to catch them, Lady. Bring them to us, and maybe we’ll win the next round of our game.” *** Heero frowned at his computer screen- it wasn’t normally this easy- even for him- to hack into an OZ mainframe. Especially one this important! The North American Mobile Doll Defence System- still being developed. Hn. Prototype for further developments… The question was- why? Why was it so easy? The obvious answer- someone was trying to get their attention. Somebody out there wanted them to notice and investigate. Someone was remarkably stupid. Heero closed the laptop with a snap and stood. As long as he knew it was a trap, he could get closer in and investigate further. Undercover work wasn’t exactly his forte, but he could and would do it. Mission accepted. He smiled to himself. The new system was based out of New York. And maybe… maybe I’ll see Duo and apolog… talk to him. *** Message to 04: *** Message to 01: *** Heero’s eyebrows shot up as he read Quatre’s reply- he wasn’t supposed to contact Duo? Why not? Then again, knowing that baka, he’s probably come up with some crazy cover story that I don’t want to know about! And Wufei on backup? So Quatre thought this was going to be big- well, he was probably right. He sent a quick reply- Ninmu Ryoukai- and picked up the small map and set of instructions that had accompanied the short message. Quatre had enrolled him in some ritzy downtown boarding school- under a brand new identity. Heero breathed a sigh or relief. Relena had never heard that name, so it would take her a little longer to find him this time. There had been many times when the Japanese pilot had wanted to know just how she was able to track him so well- the girl was disgustingly good at keeping tabs on him. If OZ really was as smart as they like to appear, they would have caught on to that and just tracked her to find me. Hn. As Wing Zero took off and Heero switched on the auto pilot, he couldn’t help wondering just what his braided counterpart was up to, though. Duo would contact him… how? He must be the lead on this mission, then, not me. I’m going to have to follow Duo’s directives… The Japanese boy frowned. Depending on whether or not Duo had forgiven him for his incredible stupidity, he was going to be in for a very rough ride. And I deserve it, if he is still angry. Damn! Heero still cringed every time he remembered how furious Trowa had been, and then incredible sadness in Quatre’s eyes and voice. Chances were, Duo had been hiding both those reactions behind that mask of his. And knowing what he now knew… Heero growled at himself and testily closed his eyes, determined to get some sleep. He would need his rest, he quite rightly reminded himself! *** Duo fought to suppress a wave of giddiness as he read Quatre’s message- Heero was coming to New York! Heero is coming here… God, I hope I can do this with him here! He was suddenly very uneasy, looking at his reflection in the mirror. This mission had called for someone to go seriously undercover- they were expected to show up, after all- and he had been the most likely candidate. He had been there long before Quatre had approved his plan. His long, chestnut brown hair was pulled back into a tight, serviceable ponytail and then wrapped into a forbidding-looking bun, bangs held back with hairpins, light makeup on his face, a long skirt and sweater combo, lab coat… He smiled suddenly. He looked the part of an engineer to the “t.” A female engineer, in effect. One last addition, and then back to work… His eyes watered terribly after he put in the green contact lenses. Quatre was right- his own eye colour was far too distinctive to be left for chance, so he had purchased these colour lenses. His disguise was complete. He gulped down a quick cup of coffee before running out the door of the small apartment he had rented, cursing a little under his breath at the short strides the skirt forced him to take. “Damn skirt is gonna kill me one of these days…” He was currently driving a sedate-looking Honda Civic, a tame little number that had fit the disguise so well that he couldn’t pass it up. After all, it was exactly the sort of car that Doris McAllister, a recent college grad who just happened to be ‘brilliant’ at physics and chemical engineering, would be able to afford. Duo had nearly laughed when the OZ lab director had offered to pay off his student loans- the funds had been transferred to a special secret account, thank you very much! He arrived with just enough time to clear the security checkpoints before his supervisor made the daily rounds- Doctor Resenfeld liked to check the status of each technician every day, in order to keep on top of the many projects he had going on. Duo smiled a hello to the other members of his team as he went to hang up his coat and grab his second cup of coffee of the morning. As he returned, he couldn’t help smiling. The others were discussing a bombing attack that had taken place over the weekend. His attack, to be precise. “Animals!” Jack Forrester shouted. “Those damned Gundams should be destroyed, and the pilots! Do you think public torture is too much?” You gotta catch me first, asshole… ‘Doris’ smiled demurely. “That’s against about a hundred laws, Jack. You know that.” The others groaned- it had fallen into a pattern. Jack would rant, Doris would show up and rain on his parade, he would retaliate, and the battle of wits would ensue. Jack growled, “Anyone who can blow up an entire base like that doesn’t deserve to be protected by the law!” Duo glibly replied, “But who’s to say when you should suspend the law? Who’s to stop him from suspending it whenever he wants to if, say, someone pisses him off?” It was almost as good as sparring with Wufei. “Enough chatter, people,” Resenfeld called over to them. “I want to see some results, and I don’t mean a new political doctrine!” Duo sighed and turned back to his work. The actual programming he was responsible for was easy- he had been working for OZ for about a month and a half now, and he knew the ins and outs of these programmes like he knew those of Deathscythe. He was more worried about the mission by now. If Heero was coming into town and Wufei was being put on standby, this had to be high priority. But how was he supposed to get in touch with Heero and make it seem to be a casual encounter if he spent all his time in the lab and Heero was at school? He tensed slightly as someone tapped on his shoulder, but forced himself to look up calmly, with a small smile. It was Director Resenfeld. “Yes, sir?” “Follow me, please.” Curious, Duo quickly saved the piece of code he was working on and followed the other man out. He was surprised to find several others standing there, wearing similar looks to his own. Resenfeld waited until he had their attention. “Ladies and Gentlemen, as you may or may not know, OZ is starting a recruiting programme, aimed at attracting new talent right out of our high schools and colleges. You have been selected to assist with the local schools by my superiors.” And one extremely tricky blond dude. Way to go, Q-man! Duo fought hard to contain his gleeful smile. It was perfect- he would have all the opportunity in the world to speak with Heero, maybe even get him on the base… “You will all have an assigned case- those of you who convince your ‘case’ to join us will receive a bonus. I have all the materials you will need, as well as a full informational dossier on your subject up here for you. Please come forward when I call your name.” Resenfeld began to call out names. Duo waited his turn, but was unable to contain his smile when he opened his dossier. Well, well, what have we here? Name- Shiiro Yoneda, Age- 17… that’s pushing it, but okay, picture… Now that’s what I call a picture! He grinned down at Heero’s image- it was one of the few shots that anyone alive- other than Duo himself, of course- had caught of a smiling Heero. It was enough to make his heart speed up and his knees suddenly feel weak. He turned as he heard someone behind him laughing. Another female programmer was standing behind him, looking pointedly at the picture in his hands. “Aren’t you the lucky one! Man, I wish my subject was that good looking!” Duo managed a laugh of his own. “He’s only a man! I’m sure he’s got plenty of faults to make up for his looks- like maybe he’s moody, or obnoxious…” The woman cut him off short. “For those eyes, I’d put up with it!” She wandered off. Duo looked back down at the photo. Yeah- so would
I. “Excuse me, but could I speak with Mr. Yoneda, please?” Heero froze as he heard the voice- it wasn’t so much that the unknown person was asking for him- he had no doubt that he could handle almost anything OZ would throw at him- it was the voice. He knew that voice! Mr. Collins, his chemistry teacher, replied glibly, “Certainly, Ma’am! He’s in lab, but I’m almost certain he’s finished by now. Let’s go see.” Heero could just see Mr. Collins coming around the first lab table. “Students, we have a visitor, and it’s a great honour! I’d like to present Miss Doris McAllister, from OZ’s AI Institute, Aerospace Defence Division.” Students craned their necks to look at the young lady- Heero could only see the back of her head and her rather conservative-looking coat. Yet her hair was a gorgeous brown colour… She turned, and he froze, eyes wide. She was wearing a little smile on her carefully made-up lips, full and pouting- his eyes travelled upwards and met hers. Kami-sama! This has got to be a joke?! Duo? “Ah, Shiiro! Please come here!” He dutifully wiped his hands and walked over. Mr. Collins smiled down at him proudly. “Have you finished the assignment yet, Shiiro?” He nodded- he had finished it five minutes before and had been experimenting in the mean time. “Excellent! Miss McAllister would like a word with you, if you don’t mind.” He turned to face his partner and faked a worried look. “Am I in some sort of trouble?” Duo broke a smile. “Not at all, young man! OZ has no use for troublemakers. You will be coming with me. You are excused from your afternoon classes. Is that understood?” He simply nodded, afraid that anything else might either start him laughing, or crying. He wasn’t sure which. He followed ‘her’ out and down to an empty conference room. Duo silently signalled for Heero to remain still as he quickly swept the room for any possible bugs. He finally gave the all clear signal and turned with a small grin. “Isn’t this funny? Me trying to recruit you for OZ?” Heero glared back at him. “Don’t blow our cover, baka.” Duo made a face. “You needn’t worry, oh anal one! I understand the concept of operational security, okay?” “Sorry.” “Uh-huh. Right. That was so funny I forgot to laugh.” Heero fought down the urge to growl. “No, I meant it. Sorry.” Duo’s eyes went momentarily soft. “It’s okay- forget it.” Remember the mission… we’ve got a job to do… “Here’s the deal- that system will never work properly- I’ve seen to that- but it needs to crash completely, and that’s where you come in. We need a kickass virus like the world’s never seen.” Heero nodded. “Okay- I can do that. How do I upload?” “You don’t,” Duo replied. “My work has been specifically in the security area, and I did my job well. It’ll take half of forever to break into the system. I’ll upload it on the inside.” Heero shook his head. “That’s too much of a risk you’re taking. I should…” “This is my mission to run, Heero.” Duo’s eyes were uncharacteristically hard. “This is how it has to be done. I know the risks.” “Duo, we need to talk…” The American pilot cut him off, “Save it for later, buddy. The mission comes first, remember?” Heero cringed, but he forced himself to take an extra step forward and catch Duo’s hand in his. “No, I want to say this to you now.” Duo opened his mouth to give a retort, but quickly shut it again under the force of the Yuy death glare. Please God- he’s not going to tell me it was one big mistake! Please… Heero took a deep breath, trying to calm the butterflies in his stomach. “Duo, I…” Someone knocked at the door, and Duo snatched his hand away seconds before it opened. Part II Mr. Collins knocked politely and opened the door- Miss McAllister’s head seemed to whip around rather quickly as her eyes zeroed in on him, looking seriously perturbed. “What is it?” He cleared his throat. “Sorry to disturb, Ma’am. I was just wondering if you needed anything…” Duo frowned sharply. One of the nice things about pretending to be a woman is pretending to have a girl’s mood swings… “All that I require, Mr. Collins, is sufficient time to speak with Mr. Yoneda in private. Do I need to remind you that this conversation is privileged and classified in nature?” Collins’ eyes went wide. “Of course, Ma’am! So sorry to intrude! I really meant no offence, and I didn’t hear a thing…” ‘She’ smiled at him sweetly. “Good. See to it that no one else disturbs us, if you please. Thanks!” Duo shut the door in the man’s face. He turned back to Heero. “We can talk later, man, okay?” Heero grudgingly nodded his acceptance and sat down. “What sort of system am I building this virus for?” Duo grinned as he took a seat across from his partner. “It’s got four tiers, so that if one should fail, the system would immediately switch to the next, so that’s our first problem. As I already said, security is nice and tight. But the operating systems… Heero, they’re running off of previously recorded flight information, including recordings of various Gundam battles. They’ve got flight and tactics information on all five of us programmed into the system. Their responses are mostly based on battle data from the Tallgeese and the Elite squadron- what was it called- yeah, the Platinum Eagle Squad.” Heero simply nodded in acceptance, and Duo continued. “The reaction time is sweet- there’s still a small glitch when it comes to changes in tactics- it takes the computer a few nanoseconds longer than it should to evaluate the new threat pattern, but I can’t see that lasting very long. Unless I get to it, of course.” He gave an evil smile. Heero’s right fist clenched under the table- Duo was a beautiful young man- why did he have to make such an incredible-looking woman, as well? “So where do we sabotage it?” A small laser disk materialised in Duo’s hand- he passed it across the table and Heero quickly made it disappear again. “All the information you should need is on that disk. I’m not the expert on this- you are- so I’m leaving it up to you to chose how to do it. Just try to keep in mind that it should be latent- something that we can trigger when we actually take the system on.” Heero’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “We’re going to face the system?” Duo nodded enthusiastically. “Yep. It’s gonna fail against us and only then eat itself, see? Sure- they’ll go back to the drawing boards with it, but it’ll give us more time to adjust against the new threat.” “That makes sense. Now recruit me.” Duo blinked. “Huh?” “The others will be curious about you and what you wanted to talk about- I need something to tell them,” Heero responded reasonably. Duo shrugged and handed over a new disk. “Specs on the newest generation of mobile suit prototypes- the Omega. It’s got tons of problems still- it won’t be ready for even initial testing before next year, but they want new brains to work on it. You- they want you to re-design its tracking computers.” Another raised eyebrow. “They’ve already assigned us jobs?” “Overconfident bastards!” Heero ‘hn’ed’ his agreement, and then went back to staring into Duo’s face. “How about you?” “Me?” Duo blinked. Even the Perfect Soldier couldn’t completely hide the small smile that Duo’s response elicited. “Information about Doris McAllister. In case I’m asked.” Duo smiled. “Tell them that she’s 20, just out of college, into chemical engineering, single and likes dance clubs. That should do.” Heero nodded. “What’s our time frame on this? Any limits?” Another heart-stopping grin. “Before we get caught. Me, I’m not worried about, but you- if Relena turns up, we’re gonna have a major problem, and she’ll figure out where you are eventually.” Heero cringed- that was the last thing he needed, especially since he hadn’t had the chance to talk to Duo yet… “I’ll get right to work on it. How do I contact you?” Duo laughed outright. “You needn’t worry about that! As part of the programme, I’m supposed to stick to you like glue! I’ll be here almost every day- I’m even supposed to help you with your homework, if it’ll get us back to talking about your ‘new job’ any faster.” “Hn. Practically throwing you at me.” Not that I would complain, Duo… The braided boy blushed, much to his surprise. I’ve been dying to see him- why is this so hard?! Does he even want to see me, to begin with? “I’ll give you as much space as you need, Heero…” “No!” Heero slapped himself mentally for his outburst, trying hard not to blush. “I mean, it would look suspicious if you didn’t do your job as you’ve been instructed.” Duo couldn’t hide his smirk- Wufei had been right, after all! If the Chinese boy had been there, Duo would have bear-hugged him until he turned blue. “People might get the wrong idea, Heero.” “It’s for the mission, Duo. Let them believe what they will.” Duo’s heart fell- it was always for the thrice-damned mission! Is it too much to ask you to say that you might enjoy playing my boyfriend? Even if it was only play?! “For the mission, then.” Heero felt almost stunned by Duo’s frosty tone as the long-haired boy stood, his chair squeaking against the linoleum tiles of the floor. “Let’s just get this over with.” Heero stifled a groan of anger as he followed Duo out into the hallway. Great job, Yuy. Just wonderful- you’ve done it again. *** Message to 05- *** Wufei laughed to himself as he read the message and quickly forwarded it on to both Quatre and Trowa. Still chuckling, he hit [Reply.] Message to 02: He hit send. *** Heero was distinctly nervous as the doors ahead of him swung open with a hiss and a smiling tour guide waved him into the restricted area with a broad smile. On second thought, the smile was directed towards ‘Doris,’ at his side. Heero’s face sank into a dark glare at the man’s back. Omae o korosu… “This is where the main programming for the Omega gets done,” the man was saying. “We have over 2000 technicians working on her at present, though we are sorely understaffed, due to the Doll Project…” “Foreman!” Duo’s voice snapped out. “Remember protocol!” The man took one look at Duo’s flashing, angry green eyes and sputtered nervously. “Ah- yes, of course, Ma’am! As you can see, Mr. Yoneda, all our equipment is state-of-the-art, only the best…” The man was droning on, and Heero quickly tuned him out, instead watching everything around him with avid interest. Especially the ‘woman’ standing at his right. He had tried to take Duo’s hand earlier to help him out of the car, and the other boy had slapped him away with a scowl and a muttered, “Damn you, Yuy!” And yet now… Now Duo was standing as close as he possibly could without blatantly invading his personal space and shooting him looks out of the corner of his eye every few seconds. Heero, unlike Duo, knew perfectly well that none of the other boy’s actions were based on an act. He certainly wished that Duo would become aware of it, too, yet he realised that he would have to do a couple things before that had even a prayer of success- item number one being sucking up and admitting that he had made a mistake- apologising. Item number two was just as hard- convincing the Shinigami pilot that he truly did want to spend time with him because he was interested and not just for the sake of the mission. He had been up very late the night before, replaying the scene in his head in order to figure out just what he had done, and come to the conclusion that telling Duo it was just for the mission hadn’t been very smart. Watching the boy now, he amended that statement. That was probably the worst tactical move I’ve made since blowing up the doves! It’s absolutely amazing- how stupid I can be… “Shiiro? Are you okay?” He abruptly realised that Duo was talking to him and blinked hard. He tried a smile. “Fine, sorry- my mind must have wandered for a second.” Duo watched him carefully. “We’re going to take a look at the new prototype’s predicted armour now. Interested?” Heero nodded and followed his partner through yet another set of doors. Duo, for one, smothered a smile behind his hand. He hadn’t been able to help the slight double-entendre of his words, and he had caught the slight twitch of Heero’s lips as the other boy responded. Wufei’s right- I do have to give him time, even if it drives me crazy. I wish he’d just get to it, though! Jesus, Yuy- pick up the clue phone! Both pilots were hard-pressed to control their facial expressions as they looked over the specs for the Omega. As beefed up as it was, it had the same defect that all OZ suits had. The new suits were far more powerful than even the Tauruses, but they were still vastly inferior to a Gundam. Then again, what world dictator would trust an underling with a weapon of mass destruction like that? Titanium shell and armour- tough, but not nearly as tough as Gundamium. Or as resistant- you just can’t get the same speed and maneuverability with a titanium suit. Duo smirked, but quickly wiped the look from his face. It’s so nice to know that the next generation of suits is gonna suck! The visit took forever- the American pilot was fighting an urge to twitch as they finally made it back out to the main entrance of the development facility and found that the sun was already setting. He was vaguely disappointed that a whole day had been wasted to this, even if it was time spent with Heero. As much as he enjoyed spending time with the other boy, every day more they spent meant another day closer to detection and possible capture. He was so lost in thought that he was surprised when Heero turned to him with a small blush. “Um, since it’s so late already, how about dinner?” Duo felt his heart stop beating for the second time in his young life, his stomach describing a full triple backflip into a shoulder roll before settling again. He could feel heat pooling in his face at the question. How about dinner? Damn- of course! Why bother asking? Unless he’s looking for a way out… He felt his insides calming at that thought, and he gave a hesitant smile back, not wanting to hear what he was certain was coming next… “I don’t want to inconvenience you, Shiiro…” “If I didn’t want to, I wouldn’t have
asked, Doris. Please- join me for dinner.” Breathing was suddenly hard for both boys as they stared
at each other, both silently praying that the other would… What the hell. If he’s playing with me, I can always kill him later… Messily… Prolonged, painful death… Duo willed himself to breathe. “In that case, I’d love to, Shiiro.” Heero felt relief washing over him. At least he hasn’t rejected me flat out yet- even if I do deserve it. He found that it was disgustingly easy to smile at the other- he even wanted to, and wasn’t that strange? “Good! I’m glad you accepted.” He felt… almost giddy. The facility foreman watched the two leave with a smile on his face. It wasn’t every day that you saw a couple like that coming together. Part III I can’t believe this is happening! Heero held Duo’s hand tighter as they pushed their way through a rather large crowd in front of The Pier, an exclusive, trendy restaurant housed in an old-fashioned schooner on New York’s harbour. Duo stared up at the boat with wide eyes. He turned towards Heero and whispered softly in Japanese, “Heero, we can’t possibly afford this place!” The Japanese boy swallowed his smile and squeezed the slender hand in his. “The money comes from one of Relena’s accounts. Don’t worry!” Duo smiled devilishly at that. “Lead on, then!” He let his eyes linger on his companion as Heero turned back into the crowd. The Japanese pilot was wearing a tight pair of blue jeans and a white button down- by now, the top two buttons were undone and the sleeves were rolled up against the heavy heat of a humid New York evening. He couldn’t help the small sigh that escaped his lips- Heero looked so good, and he seemed to be completely unaware of it! And just playing out a game- I can’t let myself forget that- this is just for the mission, no matter what he said before! He tried very hard to make himself believe it, but it was… He couldn’t help wondering if he was wrong. He couldn’t help wishing… All it took was a quick flash of Duo’s OZ credentials to get them a table in a semi-private corner of the deck, where cooler air rolling in off the water, accompanied by the gentle lapping of waves against the side of the ship, made it seem that they were in a completely different place and time. It somehow made Heero calmer to see that even Duo was nervous about this- the normally talkative-to-an-extreme boy was fidgeting with the napkin in his lap and chewing on his lower lip, unsure of what to say or do. Heero felt a calm settling over him- with Duo in his disguise, it was actually much easier to do this. It meant he’d be able to say what he wanted to say in front of the whole world, without having to worry about any possible recriminations against either of them. Now he just had to work up the courage to do so! He looks so good- even as a girl- he’s so beautiful! Duo was wearing khaki cargo pants that emphasised his slim, tight figure, a black mock-turtle necked t-shirt and his signature cross, glinting silver against the dark cloth of his shirt. For the occasion, he had undone the tight bun his hair had been in, and it flowed down his back in a ponytail, glinting now in the dying rays of the sun. Heero still had issues with the contact lenses, but he could live with them for the moment- all that mattered was that Duo was sitting across from him, and he had a debt to repay. He could still remember the wonderful feeling from all those weeks before, when Duo had confessed his love for him. And then the looks on his two friends’ faces when he finally told them what had happened that night and the morning after… I don’t deserve him. I don’t- but I want him anyway. Him and no one else. Conversation was a little strained at first- neither of them wanted to screw up and say the wrong thing. And for once the silence wasn’t oppressive- they were both content to be in each other’s company and to just let it be. The waiter seemed to know that there was some unspoken tension in the air by the way he smiled at the young couple. “Are you ready to order?” Duo looked over to Heero questioningly, and the Japanese pilot gave him a small smile back. “Anything you want tonight.” Duo’s whole body thrilled to the little double-entendre and he smiled down into his menu, trying to regain his control before looking up again. No good- his eyes came back up and were immediately grabbed by the cobalt-blue ones of his companion. Blushing slightly and just a little out of breath, he smiled over at the now grinning waiter. “I’ll have the grilled chicken pesto primavera with a salad, please.” The man wrote it all down with a flourish before turning to Heero. “And for you, sir?” Heero never broke eye contact with Duo. “The same, thanks.” Neither boy noticed the smile on their waiter’s face as he turned away. Heero had butterflies in his stomach again as he stared across the table into his partner’s wide eyes. It’s now or never- I might never get a chance like this again… Please God say he forgives me… Heero fell back into Japanese as he lowered his voice and said, “Duo, I need to tell you something.” Duo gulped for air. His whole body was tingling in anticipation of what the other boy would say. It’s not an act… It’s not an act… It’s not an act… Jesus- it really isn’t- he means it! It took everything in him to hold his voice steady as he replied, “Hai?” Heero felt his heart jump at the hopeful catch he detected in Duo’s voice- it gave him the nerve to continue. “I’ve though a lot about… you know. About you- about that last night… And…” Duo was barely breathing as he waited for the other boy to continue. “Yes?” Get a fucking grip, Yuy! Heero grinned suddenly, as he remembered Trowa saying those exact words to him. “Spending that night with you was the best thing I’ve ever done. I’ve tried… not to admit to it. I pushed you away because it scared me, but I’ve realised… I don’t want to push you away. I want you…” Duo’s hands were clasped tightly in his lap to keep them from shaking, and he found that it was difficult to breathe, waiting for Heero to finish his sentence. He’s really saying this! This is not some dream- it’s real! I suppose God might just exist after all… “You want me to…?” Heero smiled- a real, from-the-heart smile, and Duo felt himself melt, literally. “Just you, Duo. I… I love you, too.” He immediately went tense and alert as he saw tears pooling in Duo’s eyes and spilling down his cheeks unheeded. His hand shot out to grip Duo’s arm- “What is it? Are you okay? Are you hurt…” But then Duo smiled, and it was as if time stopped for Heero Yuy completely. Duo spoke- and the words drowned out the rest of existence: “Nothing’s wrong- oh, Heero, everything is perfect! Perfect… I’ve just dreamed of this…” Their hands clasped over the table. “I’m so sorry I hurt you,” Heero whispered, feeling tears stinging his own eyes as he now clearly recognised the joy he saw in the other pilot’s face. “I was a baka, and I don’t deserve you…” “Aw, shut up, Heero! I love you…” Duo gasped as Heero brought his hand to his lips and kissed it gently, his tongue slipping out to caress the warm skin in a lazy circle of moist heaven. Heero turned Duo’s hand over and pressed a kiss into his palm, kissing his way to the other boy’s inner wrist… “Ahem.” Both boys turned, startled, to find a smirking waiter standing next to the table. “Your salads are ready.” *** A limo pulled up in front of the school, and a single person stepped out and went up the stairs with even, purposeful strides. It had taken a very long time to find the place, after all. Relena quickly found out that Heero had been out all day and no one knew when he would return. It didn’t bother her in the slightest. She could wait- she was good at it. And he would come back eventually. Back… to her. *** Heero wrapped his arm around Duo’s waist protectively as they left the restaurant, strolling along through the throngs of people on the docks. It all seemed surreal- they were in the middle of a rather hairy mission with a very high risk factor, and neither of them gave a damn about it! Duo leaned his head on Heero’s shoulder, unable to truly think about anything as they walked. All his senses seemed heightened- the feel of Heero’s body against his, the heat of him, was driving him crazy, rubbing against him confidently, as if challenging the world to say a single word in disapproval. The scent- Heero’s smell mixed with the spicy cologne the Japanese boy had put on that morning… The sound of Heero’s heartbeat- or was it his own? He didn’t know. He didn’t care. They slowly made their way back up towards Heero’s school, uncaring of the many people who saw them and smiled at the picture they presented. It was glorious, but it was torture, as well. They both knew that this was over when they reached the school- from then on, it was back to the mission and double time. Even for someone with Duo’s skill at infiltration, staying inside this long was extremely dangerous. Heero kept the pace slow, unwilling to rush back to their masquerade. It felt too good to hold on to Duo and enjoy the scent of his hair and the way it felt, brushing against his arm as they walked. He frowned suddenly and tightened his hold on the other boy. “Duo?” “Hai?” He stopped walking as they reached the steps to his dormitory building and turned to face the other. “We’ve got to wrap this up soon- I don’t want you getting caught.” For once, Duo didn’t fly into a fake rage at the words- Heero wasn’t trying to cast any shadows on his abilities. He was trying to show that he was worried for Duo’s safety, and it touched the long-haired pilot to see it. “You’re right, and I’m being extra careful. When can you have the virus done?” Heero reached up to brush a few stray strands away from Duo’s face. “Tomorrow.” His fingers trailed down over Duo’s cheek and cupped his chin, turning the American boy’s face up towards his. “I’ll have it ready tomorrow- I promise.” Duo smiled softly. “Okay.” He licked his lips. Heero watched the pink tongue caressing the other boy’s lips and felt an unmistakable jolt of lust running through him- his grip tightened around Duo’s waist. “Duo… can I… can I kiss you?” The look in Heero’s eyes sent a blast of fire straight through Duo’s heart and to his groin, and it took everything in him not to whimper as he felt Heero’s arms tightening around him even more. “I- I suppose so…” Heero cut off anything else Duo’ might have wanted to say with his lips, gently claiming the American’s with a soft, deep kiss. His tongue stroked along Duo’s lower lip, asking entrance, and he felt yet another thrill as the other boy’s lips parted for him and he tasted Duo for the second time. He did whimper this time, and Duo’s hands came up to bury themselves in Heero’s hair, pressing himself forward as he felt Heero’s hands on his butt, pulling him even closer than he thought was possible. They pulled apart, trembling, smiling into each other’s faces. Duo was predictably the first to recover his voice. “So… I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” Heero’s fingers stroked up Duo’s back and then around his ribs as he released the American with great regret. “Ryoukai.” He smiled. “I love you.” Duo smiled back, and pressed a kiss into one of Heero’s hands. “I love you, too.” Waving and with one last smile, the American pilot turned and left. Heero remained on the stairs for a while, watching the slim figure of his partner receding away. With a sigh, he finally turned to walk in when the American pilot’s body faded into the darkness. He completely missed the only other figure in the entranceway, as he walked in with a goofy smile, the feeling of Duo in his arms still fresh in his memory. But Relena watched him with tears in her eyes as he walked up the stairs and disappeared down a hallway. She turned back to the doorway and scowled- she hadn’t heard a word the other girl had said to her Heero, but she had seen how they acted together, and that was enough for her. Some strumpet had dared to touch *her* Heero! Whoever it was would have to pay. *** Duo was still in a daze as he let himself into his apartment and locked up behind himself. It had been… the most wonderful evening of his life! So beautiful- and Heero had said… He does love me, and I love him! Jesus- Treize Kushrenada himself could walk in here and point a gun at me, and I’d just hug him! His eyes glanced to his computer, and he wasn’t surprised to see a small blinking icon, telling him that a message had come in on his secure line. Still smiling, he sat down and opened the message- 05 to 02- Duo laughed out loud, laughing until his sides hurt, and only then did he finally settle down. He hit [Reply]. 02 to 05- He smiled as he tried to figure out the best wording for it all- but three words echoed over and over again in his head- I love you… Part IV Relena was at a loss. She watched Heero from the back of the room, trying very hard not to draw his attention- not too difficult, considering all the other boys were joking at him. She apparently hadn’t been the only one to witness his goodbye to that slut the night before! And, even stranger (at least for Heero,) he was blushing and stuttering as he tried to explain it all! What did that witch do to him?! I swear that I’ll get her for this… if I only knew who she was! She inched closer.
“Man, are you lucky! She’s hot, dude…” “Have you slept with her yet…” Relena wasn’t surprised on second thought that Heero was blushing and stammering. Such questions! Are all Americans so rude and obnoxious? Certainly like that Duo Maxwell… She frowned as she thought of the braided pilot- he always seemed to be in the way, always interfering when she had time alone with her Heero, time to tell him how she felt and hear him say those words back to her… She was jarred back to reality as Heero finally replied, “She’s beautiful and a great kisser, yes. I think I’m in love.” She saw red. It was no fair- he should be saying those things about her- not some American idiot with a cute butt… Where did that come from? Oh my gosh… Relena got ever angrier as she felt herself blushing- had she actually found another girl attractive? She shook her head resolutely. She, Relena Peacecraft, was not a pervert like that! She couldn’t be… She slipped out the door, unable to face a class in her present state of mind. And came face to face with the girl from the night before. It was strange- she could have sworn that she knew the girl, but that must have been impossible… The strange girl smiled at her sweetly. “May I go in?” Relena stepped aside, her manners reasserting themselves over her shock. Who is she, that she simply strolls in here as though she owned the place? Relena slunk into the space between two sets of lockers- she’d follow the tramp on her way out and find out what she wanted to know! *** Colonel Une smiled down at the readout in her hands. “Well, well, what have we here?” It was too good to be true. OZ personnel had apparently sighted Relena Peacecraft arriving in New York the night before, though they had lost track of her almost immediately. Relena Peacecraft in New York could only mean one thing- Heero Yuy was there, as well. With any luck, she would lead them right to him. At least, unless he knew they were looking. But he couldn’t- we stepped up the security on this project with those new programmers from the Mobile Doll Defence System, and I’ve never seen anything like that security… She toyed with a pen as she waited for a report from the man she had tailing the girl- Relena was clueless about security, really. Pilot 01 himself- that must be why it has taken so long to find him. In truth, we never would have known if she hadn’t turned up. She almost jumped as her vid phone beeped to alert her to an incoming call. It was her agent. She smiled at him encouragingly. “What did you find?” He grinned back. “Well, she went into one school, but didn’t stay there long- I’d suspect that he wasn’t there. But she’s trying to follow someone now- I can’t see the subject, but… Yes! The subject is getting into a car now and driving away…” Une was already calling up auto records. “Did you catch the license number?” “Yes- ZLR 4782. Honda Civic.” She tapped on her desk impatiently- Une was terrible at waiting- “Oh my God! This can’t be!” She laughed the next moment. The hair and eyes were different, but there was no mistaking that smile. Doris McAllister my ass! They had found Pilot 02. *** Duo was extremely nervous as he slipped through the shadows again, flitting back towards his own work station. It was a little like that night when Wufei had come back and almost been knifed in their very own front yard… I’ve really got to get out of here! Just a couple more hours… He slipped back behind his desk as though he had never left, Heero’s disk disappearing into one of the many pockets in his clothing. The virus was up. *** Relena walked with her arms tightly wrapped across her chest- it was so unfair! She had loved Heero for so long, and now some other girl… She screamed as hands grabbed hold of her on both sides. “HELP! GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF ME! I’m Relena Peacecraft- don’t touch me!” The soldiers holding her merely laughed. “Colonel Une wants a word with you, Ma’am.” She struggled violently in their grasp, but eventually gave up, as she noticed how many people were watching her, most looking on in fascination, as if watching a good programme on TV. She was unceremoniously stuffed into the back of a van, the doors clanging shut behind her, and her mind yelled Heero! Please come for me… *** The door broke open with a loud crash as OZ gunmen ran in, guns ready… “Aw, shit!” the leader mumbled, thumbing the security of his weapon back on. He stared around the room in dismay- the small apartment was empty! “Spread out, people! I want every inch of this place checked and secured!” As his people began their task, though, the man shook his head. If this had truly been a Gundam pilot’s hideout, he knew they wouldn’t find a thing. The pilots were simply too good at disappearing as though they had never existed. He pulled out a field communicator and typed in the number Colonel Une had given him to use. He waited. Une’s face flashed up, both hopeful and cynical as she read his own facial expression. “Let me guess- it’s empty, no signs that it’s even been lived in.” He nodded. “We’re searching right now, but I doubt we’ll find anything useful, Ma’am. I’ll keep you informed of anything we come across.” She simply nodded and cut the connection. Turning, she looked into Treize’s face and noted his smile. General Kushrenada was laughing. “Hunting season is now officially open.” *** Wufei settled Nataku into the prepared spot and quickly undid his harness. He stretched as he opened the cockpit and stepped out- it had been a long ride… He looked around curiously. Duo had obviously been there that morning- his gear was neatly stacked in a corner and, strangely enough, the braided boy had left him a note. He picked it up with a frown and read: Wu-man, the virus will be uploaded by the time you get
here- I’ve instructed Heero to meet us both at this location
before he goes to pick up Wing, wherever he stowed it. I should be
back by 1600. If I’m not, the mission should go on as scheduled-
there’s a timer on the virus installation, so things must go
as planned! His frown darkened- Duo’s note implied that he expected problems on his end, but that Heero should be safe. Just like the baka to put Heero’s safety before his own! When was he going to learn? Out of curiosity, he walked over to Deathscythe and levered himself up to the cockpit- the braided pilot had been there as well- the stale smell of old coffee met his nostrils as the cockpit hatch opened, and Wufei made a distant note to clean it our before Duo got back… He froze, staring at the still running left viewscreen. Duo had apparently hacked into OZ’s main security network for the area as a precaution. And there it was… [Subject Peacecraft sighted.] The Chinese pilot leapt down from his perch, cursing as he jarred his legs on the landing. Duo had known- Relena’s presence had clued OZ off on Heero’s whereabouts, and now he was trying to run interference, even if it meant getting himself caught… He’d better know what you do for him and appreciate it, dammit! Sprinting to his own mech, Wufei quickly pulled up his comm screen and sent a coded message out to Quatre and Trowa: [Mission in danger- Relena sighted by OZ might have blown cover of both operatives. 02 aware of the danger and pursuing the objective. 01 set to extract in 1 hour. Operation is still go- will be in contact.] He growled as he sent the message and received an acknowledgement. There was, unfortunately, nothing he could do but wait. And hope. *** Relena glared hatefully up at Lady Une. “Even you can’t just arrest a person for nothing. I demand that you release me at once!” Une laughed. “You have nothing to worry about, my dear. Zechs would have my head, after all, if I were to harm his baby sister.” She only glared harder at the mention of her brother. “We just need to ask you a few questions.” Lady Une glared right back at the frightened girl. “Why were you following pilot 02 earlier? Do you know where Heero Yuy is?” Relena was confused. Duo? In New York? But she hadn’t seen him… “I don’t know what you mean. I haven’t seen Duo or Heero!” Une’s eyes flashed. “Duo? Is that his real name?” Relena abruptly realised what she had done, and her hand flew up to her mouth in shock. “I don’t know where they are, so let me go!” Une pulled two pieces of paper from behind her and held them in front of Relena’s nose. She recognised Duo’s face immediately, but the other was that girl she had tried to follow, the one she’d seen with Heero the night before… Une’s voice was harsh with sarcasm. “Even you can’t be blind enough to realise that these are pictures of the same person! Where is he- don’t lie to me!” Relena stared. That was… Duo? Duo Maxwell in drag and kissing Heero… I can’t believe it… Even if it is a cover story for some mission- and now they’re looking for him and Heero… God, what have I done? She quickly gathered her crumbling dignity, refusing to think about the Heero-Duo situation until she could cry in private. “I’ve already told you- I don’t know.” *** Duo grimaced and slunk even lower into his hiding place- it hadn’t taken Une’s people long to figure out that he was Doris McAllister, after all, and now… Now he was hiding out on an enemy base, unarmed, with an undetermined number of people looking for him. It was definitely not a good situation- the best he could say about it was that he had worn black to work; it made hiding much easier! When I get out of here, I’m gonna smack that bitch to Mars and back! Why?! Why does she always have to show up and blow security?! And just to add to his problems, they had probably picked Relena up by now, which meant that she was on the base, too. The base that was scheduled to be blown to hell in just over two hours. As annoying as she was, she was also vital to the peace effort- she would need to be extracted, as well. As a guard came close, Duo tensed, ready to move. He needed firepower and he needed it quickly… Silent as a cat, he dropped to the ground behind the unsuspecting man, swallowing hard as a plan formalised itself in his mind. Reaching out with both hands, his left hand tapped the man’s shoulder… “Huh? Wha…” Duo saw a flash of recognition and fear in the man’s eyes as the guard turned to face him. He flashed a grin as his right hand came up, seemingly in slow motion, with the guard’s very own combat knife in his fist- Blood splashed and gurgled as Duo expertly slashed the man’s throat- he could hear that awful, choking sound as lungs frantically tried to pull in air, only to choke on blood… He snapped the man’s neck. The body went limp in his arms, and Duo dragged it to the side, carefully assuring that no blood smeared as he moved. He quickly searched the body- Jesus, they must be scared of me something bad! The guard had been heavily armed- Duo grabbed the man’s pistol and spare clips, as well as a submachine gun and a few spare magazines of ammunition, stuffing everything into the pockets of his overly baggy pants. He wiped the knife blade carefully and shoved it into his boot. Standing up again, he sighed and let his shoulders droop for a moment. As he looked up again, the Shinigami grin was once again plastered onto his face. He was ready. Part V Heero slipped into the hangar and froze as a knife edge materialised at his throat. “Who are you?” He sighed in relief. “Stand down, Wufei. It’s me, Heero.” He tense quickly, though, watching the small Chinese- he had never seen Wufei look so unnerved! “What’s the story, Chang? Where’s Duo?” Wufei just beckoned for him to follow, and Heero did wordlessly. Climbing Deathscythe nimbly, the two pilots stopped to stare at the left viewscreen: [Suspect Name: Duo Maxwell.] Heero’s fists shook with tension. “How did they know?” “Relena.” Wufei cringed at the dark look on his friend’s face, but continued. “She apparently got in last night- Duo checked the networks and knew. He must have led her on some sort of chase this morning, but they nabbed her and are after him now.” “BAKAYAROU! You complete fucking idiot!” Heero punched a side panel, ignoring the pain in his hand. His eyes were wild as he turned back to Wufei. “How long? We need to go in after him…” “No, we don’t.” The words stopped Heero Yuy short, and he turned with murder glinting in his eyes. Wufei stepped back a pace, but didn’t give up. “Duo’s orders were to continue with the mission as planned.” Orders- yes, we are under Duo’s orders on this. God- say he’s okay! Please… Heero hated himself for it, but found that he was nodding in agreement. “Fine, but we wait till the last possible moment, is that clear?” Wufei gave a ghost of a smile. “Crystal.” *** Une’s patience was slipping. Relena’s glare had softened minutely, her eyes red from tears. But she still wasn’t talking- it was bad enough that she had given Duo’s name up, but that she had given both pilots away by her stupidity… That was unforgivable. She repeated, for the millionth time, “I don’t know where they are.” Colonel Une finally snapped, one hand lashing out to slap the girl across the face. She was glad that Treize had left upon discovery that 02 was actually on the base- not only did it mean that he was safe, but she could also use her own methods of interrogation! “Damn you! You do know and you’re going to tell me! NOW!” Relena’s face throbbed and her shoulders shook as she began to cry again, fear and exhaustion keeping her in her seat. “I don’t know… I don’t…” She looked up to see a slender form slithering out from an opened ventilation shaft… was it possible? Relena flinched as she saw Une’s hand flying upwards again, but as she heard flesh hitting flesh and didn’t feel a thing, her eyes opened- Duo had caught Une’s hand in a tight grip and whirled the tall woman around, pinning her arm behind her. “Aw, come on, Une! I’m a terrorist, and even I know that it’s rude to hit a young lady!” Relena gasped. “Duo! Why did you come here?” He grinned and winked at her as he quickly bound Une’s hands. “Couldn’t leave you in here, could I? Heero’d have my head on a platter… ‘specially after all the work we’ve done to get in here.” Une struggled wildly and Duo, giving up on trying to control her, knocked her in the base of the neck- the Lady collapsed in a heap on the ground, senseless. Frowning, the American pilot dashed over to the comm unit and plugged a number in by heart- Treize Kushrenada’s eyes went wide in shock as he recognised the face on his viewscreen. “I’m not in the habit of receiving personal calls from terrorists on this line, 02.” Duo gave a ghost of a smile. “Shut up and listen, fancy boy. Une’s down, and if you don’t want her dead you’d better get her out of here quickly. Am I being at all unclear?” Treize nodded once. “Understood.” The transmission ended. Duo shook his head to clear it and turned back to a stunned Relena. “Come on- we’re getting out of here.” He grabbed her arm and made for the door- Relena skidded to a halt, and Duo turned to face her, annoyed. “Look- I don’t wanna carry you out of here, so what’s the deal…” “Why are you trying to save her?! She’s a murderer...” “So am I,” Duo responded with a grin, but it quickly faded. “You wanna know? I was caught a while back and, thanks to her- the guards didn’t either rape me or beat me to death. I owe her one for that. Now let’s go before Trieze’s goons get here!” Shocked into silence, Relena followed the American out. Distantly, they could hear the first explosions of a battle, and Duo typed a code into his wrist communicator, followed by a voice command- “Shinigami, start up.” *** Somewhere deep inside the computer centre, a timer hit 1600 and a machine came to life. *** Wufei and Heero were both pale as they approached the base ahead of them- identical thoughts raged inside their two minds. Please say that Duo got out! It’s hard to kill Death… “Incoming bogeys at four o’clock. Evading left.” Wufei banked hard as fire erupted from behind him, and he could feel his battle rage coming on as a gundanium fist reached back and grasped the beam triton, energising it- “Engaging.” Heero’s face betrayed no emotion as he heard and acknowledged Wufei’s maneuvres, but underneath he was roiling in a sea of feelings. I know you’ve made it out, Duo! You have to! And gotten that little idiot out with you- I know you! Please don’t die… Please… He shook his head roughly- he couldn’t let himself be distracted now! He grimaced as Wing was hit from the side and he was jarred roughly, his teeth clicking together painfully. The system was good- implemented locally (ie- on that base,) it was supposed to be unbeatable. Heero smirked evilly. We’ll see about that! *** Relena screamed as gunfire erupted around them again- Duo threw his body on hers and knocked them both behind a barrier of crates, grimacing a little as he levered himself up on one arm. “Stay down, okay?” He sprang back up, and she saw something in his hand- he was throwing it, and her mind belatedly recognised it- grenade. He hit the ground again as it went off, she shuddered as she heard bits of superheated metal pinging around them, and men screaming in agony, cursing, shouting… Another burst of machine gun fire- Relena looked up. Duo was back beside her, breathing heavily as he ejected the empty magazine from his submachine gun and automatically loaded up another. He spared her a small smile before bounding up again, laughing maniacally… She covered her head with her arms, wishing that it was all a nightmare- she would wake up and it would all be over… “Relena? Hey ojousan! Relena, you okay?” She lifted her head- with her ears ringing so badly, she hadn’t noticed that the gunfight was over. Duo was leaning over her, still smiling, but not with the same unhinged gleam as before. He almost looked sorry, in fact. *** “Gundams! 01 and 05 attacking, sir!” The Watch Officer paled, but gripped the arms of his chair tightly. “Initiate our defence, Ensign.” “Aye aye. Dolls coming online now!” The Watch Officer smiled grimly. So the Gundams wanted a fight? Well, he’d give them one! *** Relena gaped as the giant machine settled to the ground in front of them. “How… how on Earth did you do that?!” Duo laughed, though both of them could hear the tension behind it. “They sent me to work in an AI Institute- I just ‘appropriated’ some technology for myself! Now hop in and whatever you do, don’t touch anything, okay?” Relena shuddered as she squeezed into the tight space behind Duo’s pilot seat, trying very hard not to be in the way. They’re fighting, and Duo’s going to join them. I’m participating in a battle. Oh God! She yelped involuntarily as she felt the boosters fire up and Shinigami lurched from the ground. An automated voice answered Duo’s commands- “Cloaking now- estimated arrival time: one minute, seventeen seconds.” She could hear him typing quickly and mumbling to himself as he waited for something. The words finally became clear: “Come on, Heero! Pick up!” *** “Where is my enemy?” Zero was whispering in Heero’s mind as he descended upon the attacking suits like an avenging demon. The world had crystallised down to himself and his enemy- he was distantly aware of Wufei, screaming in fury as he destroyed the defending dolls, but that didn’t really matter to him- the mission was all important and superceded everything… But Duo could still be in there… Do you want to kill him, Heero? You couldn’t do it before… He levelled the buster rifle at the first of many buildings and squeezed the trigger controls- “Duo? God, no! Duo!” he screamed, as the bright flash of the explosion brought his mind back out from complete domination by the Zero system. He had blown up the Central Command Post- Duo and Relena would have been there, if they had been caught… He wasn’t there! He couldn’t have been there… Shots hit Wing’s heavily armoured back, but Heero paid it no attention, staring down at the crater he had just created. Please say he’s alive… “Shit, Heero, look out! HEERO!” He recognised that voice- Wufei’s yell brought his head around and he stared in fascination at the shot that was undoubtedly going to kill him… CLANG! Part VI Both Heero and Wufei gasped in amazement- the blast that should have killed him missed- but how? And why am I moving? I didn’t hit any of the controls… It was only then that he noticed a blinking signal- an incoming message. His heart in his throat, Heero slapped the comm link- “Jesus, man! Don’t you ever check your messages?! I’ve been trying to get in touch with you forever and you! You’re not paying any attention! Nearly getting yourself killed…” “Duo! You’re alive!” Heero felt his relief washing over him as he stared into the glinting violet-blue eyes of his maniacal partner. Duo winked at him. “Wouldn’t miss this for the world, bud!” He released his hold on Wing and watched as Heero took over his controls again. A voice cut in- “Charming love fest, but I need some HELP OVER HERE!” Heero abruptly felt his heart freeze again- he had forgotten about Wufei, still back there! He turned back towards the battle with a startled yelp and plunged back in. Duo grinned to himself and turned his head to speak over his shoulder, “Relena-sama, you might want to hold on tight. Shinigami is going on the rampage!” With a scream of the damned, Duo followed behind the Japanese pilot, uncloaking as he slashed his way past the mobile dolls that were mobbing Wufei. *** “Sir, there’s a problem…” The Watch Officer felt his temper finally snap at the comment- first, they had discovered that the jammers on the system were jamming their own signals, then that the gyroscopes in flight trajectory were off, what now?! “What the hell do you mean there’s a problem?!” The young man felt fear eating away at him. “It’s overloading, sir. We won’t be able to control them at all, soon, unless we shut down and restart it!” “SHUT DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF A BATTLE?! ARE YOU CRAZY! We can’t do that…” Sir, look!” The man gestured at his screen. “Reaction time’s down 22% and climbing- we don’t have a choice!” *** The three pilots felt their heart rates calming as it became obvious- the system was crashing! Duo keyed his comm link. “They should be trying to shut it down completely any second now!” He grimaced, but covered it with a smile. Now was not the time… Heero pointed at a doll as it shut down, plummeting towards the ground. “It’s working! It’s really working!” Wufei turned his Gundam around. “I’ll take the lead back to our base. All pilots check in.” “01, affirmative.” “02- gotcha.” They rocketed away as dolls began to fall from the sky, exploding upon impact. Relena, crouched inside of Shinigami, breathed a sigh of relief. But it was cut short as something dripped onto her arm. Something red. She looked up in shock- blood was dripping from the armrest of Duo’s chair! “Duo? Duo, answer me!” She crawled forward, knocking her head on an instrument panel as she craned her neck to get a look at the young man- His face was pale as a ghost, but he somehow managed to smile at her. “Don’t worry- I’ll make sure we land okay.” *** As the Watch Officer hit the main power switch to the system, two things happened. First, alert sirens went off throughout the complex. Second- everything came back online, but with one major difference. The System was gone, erased by Heero’s computer virus. Panic set in as officers and enlisted men alike deserted their posts and ran for the exits. Overhead, dolls began to fall from the sky, no longer receiving any signals from the Command Centre. *** “Heero?” The Japanese pilot’s eyes went wide, but then shrank back to slits of fury. What was she doing, making a call to him from Deathscythe? “What the hell do you want, Relena?” Her lips trembled slightly. “It’s Duo- he’s unconscious- he’s bleeding and it’s bad…” Heero felt a moment of heart-stopping fear. “What happened? Is he okay? Who’s flying?!” “Autopilot.” He looked down at his screens- they would reach the safe house in eight minutes. His eyes came back up and skewered Relena with their intensity. “We will land in eight minutes. Can you take care of him until then?” She nodded uneasily. “I th-think so…” His eyes burned. “I’ll kill you if he dies.” “That’s not going to help anyone, Yuy!”
Wufei snarled over the link. “Listen to me, onna! You have to
apply pressure to the wound- it’s gonna get you very dirty and
he might scream, but you have to do it!” Wufei nodded. “He’d use it, even if it hurt, onna. He had a mission to accomplish. WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, AN INVITATION FROM GOD!?” Relena whimpered a little as she turned back to the bloody mess that had been Duo’s shoulder and pressed the cloth in her hands against it- a red stain crept through the balled cloth towards her fingers, the smell and the warmth of it sickening her. Swallowing down her fear, she pressed harder, almost violently- Violet eyes snapped open as Duo tried to start away from the pain. “ITAI! Geez- Relena? Shit- sorry, ojousan!” He grimaced again as she applied more pressure. “Duo! How bad is it? How’d you get shot?” Heero was relieved to see the American open his eyes, but he still had a serious injury. Duo managed to crack a smile. “Got hit getting Relena out- clean shot- it just hurts like hell!” “God- I’m sorry. I did this…” Relena’s voice came through as a terrified squeak. Heero snorted. “Did you think this was a game, or something? Get it straight, Relena! This is a war, and I’m not some prince in shining armour! I’m not trying to protect you by turning you away- I’m not interested!” She sobbed silently. “I know. I was there… last night.” Even Duo’s eyes flew open at that. “Last night? Then you saw…” She gave a weak smile. “I saw you and Duo kissing, yes. And I understand now. I’m sorry.” The last words were barely a whisper. *** Duo came to slowly, his mind hazy, as though awakening from a pleasant dream. It felt sort of like floating, or free-fall, but then again not, because he was having some trouble moving his left arm properly, and… Left arm. Gunshot wound in my shoulder… Where am I? He opened his eyes slowly- Light was streaming in through the open window, curtains fluttering a little in the low breeze. He blinked his eyes to clear them. He was staring up at the ceiling, and everything felt… just quiet. Duo turned his head and let out a short laugh. His shoulder was bandaged up carefully with clean, crisp white bandages, but he could still feel a dull ache- enough to tell him that he had been given some sort of pain medication. He groaned, good arm coming up over his face- this was going to suck big time! He *hated* pain drugs! “D-duo? You’re awake!” A hand was suddenly holding his, and he turned his head in the other direction- Heero. He was looking up into the worried blue eyes of his partner. Duo smiled faintly. “I got shot, Heero.” “I noticed, baka. Damned near bled to death, too. I’ll kill you if you ever do something that dumb again, you hear me?!” Heero tried to make it sound threatening. Duo gave his cheekiest grin. “Aww, you know you love me!” Heero smiled down at the chestnut-haired boy fondly.
“Hai, I do.” He leaned over for a long, gentle kiss. “Hai, Duo. But you need to sleep for now, okay?” “Ryoukai. G’night…” Duo was already asleep again. Heero smiled down at the sleeping boy and pulled the blanket up over his shoulders again, tucking it around him carefully. Content that his koi was well-wrapped and indeed asleep, Heero lay down next to him and gently wrapped an arm around him, giving in to the impulse to sleep as well. Part VII “Maria, go and fetch Mr. Yuy. He’s waking.” He distantly recognised that voice. “Yes, Relena-sama.” He heard footsteps and a door closing softly. Well that explains it- we must be in Sank, but why is she here? She hates me… Something cool and wet wiped at his forehead gently, and her voice returned, “Duo, can you hear me? Wake up!” His eyelids fluttered as Duo struggled to wake from his drug-induced slumber. Violet eyes opened- so dilated that he squeezed them shut again as fast as he could, the light being too strong. “I’m sorry about that!” He could feel the intensity of the light dimming. “Go ahead- it’s safe now.” He chuckled a little at the idea of Relena trying to assure his safety, but dutifully opened his eyes and looked around. He was in a comfortably-sized room with a large window that was covered, for the moment. A sliver of light penetrated through the crack between the heavy red curtains, though- he could tell that it was a bright day outside. His eyes swung back around to Relena, and he gave her a small smile. “You okay?” She looked almost ready to cry. “Fine. Just a little… shell-shocked.” She was surprised- it was incredibly easy to talk to this boy, now that she was taking the time to do so. He seemed to put her at ease, as if she instinctively knew that she could trust him. He saved my life- of course I can trust him. Doesn’t mean that I like him, necessarily, but I can’t hate him, either. His face reflected understanding. “That mustn’t have been nice- I’m sorry. Did he threaten to kill you?” She matched his smile with one of her own. “Several times, actually. We didn’t think you’d make it, for a while.” “It wasn’t your fault…” “Yes, it was.” Her tone brooked no argument. “Lady Une as much as told me that she would never have found you out if I hadn’t shown up. I got in the way, and you almost died because of it.” Got in the way in more ways than one- didn’t she say that she saw us that night? He fixed her with a stare. “I love him, Relena. He loves me.” She actually smiled. “I know- Wufei had to practically force him out of here at swordpoint to get some real rest.” “I’m sorry- I know that you feel alone and a little lost.” Relena looked up into Duo’s face at the low-spoken words. How is it that he understands that? She tried to brush it off. “A girl can’t win every time…” “That’s not what I mean, and you know it,” he interrupted. “It hurts to be left behind, and you try to be strong, but it’s hard, isn’t it? I know.” She shook her head. “He’s always seemed so strong and sure of himself- I needed that…” Violet-blue eyes gleamed. “Yes, he is strong, but even he has weaknesses, and the strength you need comes from inside. Don’t listen to Wufei and all his ‘onna’ crap- Heero may be an example, but he is not the answer. The answer is you.” She swallowed back tears- Duo was brutally honest, as usual, but he was trying to be compassionate, and it touched her. He’s right, as much as I hate to admit it. Damn him- I wish I could hate you properly, Duo! That just wasn’t possible, though- she doubted that anyone could truly hate this boy.
Duo smiled at them. “My shoulder doesn’t hurt as much, but I think I could sleep for a week!” He tried to get up- Heero gently shoved him back down. “You lost a lot of blood- you shouldn’t get up yet.” Duo gave him a mischievous smile. “I think you are just trying to keep me in bed for your own, evil purposes!” Wufei gave a dry cough and took hold of Relena’s arm in a gentle, but firm grip. “I think that’s our cue to get out, onna.” “Stop calling me that! Even Duo shows more respect…” The door closed behind them. Duo gave a laugh. “You know she’s running out of things to say when she tries to defend herself by bringing me up!” Heero gave a small smile, sitting next to Duo on the bed. He reached out and took hold of Duo’s hand. “I was very worried about you.” Duo felt a rush and couldn’t hide a light blush. “Sorry,” he mumbled. The grip on his hand tightened until he looked up again. “Don’t apologise. It’s not like you tried to get shot! It was stupid to fly in that condition, though.” Pot, meet Kettle! “It was for the mission, Heero. The mission couldn’t fail,” Duo replied, wondering how Heero would take to this argument- his traditional argument. “To hell with the mission!” Heero growled, and kissed Duo forcefully, passionately, pressing the other boy back into his pillows. Heero pulled back, his eyes glittering with a plethora of emotions. “You are more important than the mission to me, dammit!” Duo fought to get his breathing under control as he stared up into Heero’s face. “We worked too hard for it to fail, Heero! I wasn’t gonna wear a skirt for nothing!” Heero laughed at that- cobalt blue eyes twinkled as Heero bent his head for another kiss, this time soft and teasing, his tongue dancing over Duo’s until the long-haired boy whimpered into him. The Japanese pilot moved to whisper in Duo’s ear, “You looked damn good in that skirt, love,” and he kissed the American’s neck just below the ear, lips parting to taste the sweet flesh. Duo gasped as Heero’s hot mouth worked its way down his throat, each teasing lick and nip sending heat streaking through him. “Please don’t stop, Heero…” “Ninmu…” Heero’s tongue flicked along Duo’s collarbone, “ryoukai.” He moved back up and claimed Duo’s lips again. The American pilot almost forgot to breathe as Heero kissed his way across his chest, stopping to nibble gently at his nipple, teasing him relentlessly before moving on to its twin. Strong, nimble fingers raked up and down his body gently, avoiding his injured shoulder as they teased nerves he hadn’t known existed into life. Duo groaned and fisted his hands in the sheets as Heero continued lower, peeling the sheet down to expose the rest of Duo’s well-muscled body. Heero paused to hook his fingers into the waistband of Duo’s boxers and quickly pulled them away, feeling his own hardness tighten painfully at the sight of the other boy, fully naked and aroused in front of him. He had been dreaming of this ever since that night when Duo had confessed his love. Duo’s hands sneaked up under Heero’s tank top and pushed it up weakly- the American grunted in frustration at his own weakness, but Heero silenced him, peeling the garment off and tossing it aside. “You’re hurt, Duo. Let me… take care of this…” he ran a finger along Duo’s hardened member from base to tip, “okay?” The long-haired boy groaned as Heero’s hand wrapped around him, stroking him gently but insistently. But when he felt the other boy’s weight shift on the bed, he opened his eyes in confusion. “Ahh… oh God, Heero!” he cried as the other boy’s hot mouth engulfed the head of his now throbbing cock, tongue twirling around him in long, masterful strokes. Duo writhed under Heero’s talented mouth as the Japanese boy’s lips slowly opened and sucked more of him exquisitely slowly, savouring him completely. “Heero… God, yes…” The Japanese boy bobbed his head, licking and sucking rhythmically as he pumped the rest of Duo’s shaft in his hand. Duo was almost mindlessly lost in pleasure, slender hips bucking upwards toward the wet heat that was driving him insane. Strong hands grabbed hold of him to immobilise him completely, and Duo moaned incoherently as Heero continued his divine torture. And just like that, Heero’s mouth was gone, and Duo’s eyes blinked open. “Heero? Ohh..” He looked up to see his soon-to-be lover peeling off the spandex shorts to reveal the tantalising body underneath. He walked around the side of the bed, not missing the hungry look in Duo’s eyes as they followed him. The long-haired boy sat up, his eyes wide and soulful as he grabbed Heero’s hands and pulled him down next to him. He leaned forward to kiss the other boy, sparks flying through his mind and body as lips, then whole bodies came into contact. Heero straddled his lap, hips grinding together in an unconscious imitation of their tongues. Duo’s arms went around his lover, hands cupping the boy’s ass and squeezing gently, so that Heero’s hips thrust forward again and again, hardened cocks rubbing together. Heero buried his hands in Duo’s silky curtain of hair as the smaller boy’s lips trailed down his jaw to his throat, kissing away the fine sweat that covered his body, nipping at the tender spot where neck met shoulder. He could feel shivers running down Duo’s body and thrust his hips forward again to feel it once more, this time accompanied by a low, throaty moan and a whimper of need. He pulled back from Duo and gently laid the American back, so as not to strain his shoulder. Their eyes met and locked as Heero reached one-handed to a side table drawer and fumbled there until his hand returned with a bottle of lotion. Never breaking the eye contact, he whispered, “Duo, would you let me…” “Yes. God- I want you, Heero. Please…” Heero cut off any other words the Shinigami pilot might have wanted to say with another burning kiss. He was surprised to find that he was so excited he was shaking a little, crying out into the American’s mouth as he slid one hand down the lean form and between spread legs to the boy’s opening. One slicked finger slid in- Duo trembled, but controlled his discomfort and forced himself to relax, giving over to the sensations his lover was bringing out in him. Heero’s mouth fastened over a nipple and Duo moaned again, his breath once again coming in short spurts as the finger inside him began pumping him gently and was joined by a second. The Japanese boy probed inside of his lover and felt his body react as he found the right spot and he watched as Duo’s eyes closed and a smile of pure elation spread over his handsome features, his hips thrusting forward mindlessly. Duo abandoned all conscious thought as Heero’s fingers continued to penetrate and stroke him, barely even noticing as a third was added. All he knew was that he wanted Heero inside of him, and he wanted it now! Grabbing for the bottle of lotion, Duo squeezed some into his palm and reached for Heero, his hand curling around his hard cock and stroking him, coating him in the lubricating lotion in preparation. Heero moaned, barely in control. “Duo… Kami-sama, Duo… I want… inside you…” Duo continued stroking for another moment, whimpering as Heero’s fingers withdrew from him. He released the other boy and, laying back, spread his legs as far as he could. Heero was kneeling between his lover’s legs- lifting Duo’s hips, he felt a moment of pure erotic shock as the head of his cock ran down Duo’s body to his stretched and ready opening. Biting back another moan of pleasure, Heero slowly thrust forward. The American boy’s eyes rolled back into his head and he whimpered, half in pain and half in pleasure as Heero filled him. He willed his body to relax as Heero paused, fully seated within him, to give him time to adjust. The Japanese boy bit his lip in the effort of holding back and not simply pounding into the beautiful boy he loved- Duo’s erotic whimpers were going straight to his head. He waited, though, until the other began squirming and thrusting back against him before he withdrew almost completely and thrust into Duo again- Duo cried out as Heero thrust again and hit his prostate- electric love running like quicksilver through his mind and body. “Heero… God- more, harder, please!” That was all Heero could take. Abandoning all caution, he withdrew and thrust hard into Duo over and over. One hand curled around Duo’s cock and pumped roughly, in time with his thrusts, as his breath quickened and the heat built to an almost impossible level. The Japanese pilot felt fire bursting through him as Duo’s head snapped back, face clouded with pleasure as his essence spurt onto their chests, lips parted with a cry of his name, his body clenching and searing around Heero’s cock- “Duo! Ai shiteru, Duo! DUO!” Heero’s orgasm burned though his mind and body- coming deep inside of his lover will one last thrust. Utterly spent, he collapsed on top of the American, his breathing harsh. Duo cradled Heero against his chest, wincing a little as his shoulder reminded him that he was injured. He didn’t care- it had been too special, too beautiful, too mind-blowingly incredible for something as small as a little gunshot wound to bother him at all! He kissed Heero’s sweaty forehead lovingly, hands stroking absently down the boy’s spine. Heero smiled against Duo’s shoulder as his breathing calmed. Lifting his head, he brushed chestnut bangs away from Duo’s eyes and kissed slightly swollen lips gently. “I love you, Duo. It is easy to say now- I love you.” Duo flashed a grin. “I love you, too.” Withdrawing from Duo’s body, Heero smirked as Duo gave a small, disapproving sound and pout of the lips. He licked at Duo’s lower lip, enjoying the hitch in the boy’s breathing. “I hope your shoulder is okay…” Duo smiled, head tilted back to give the other boy’s lips complete access to his neck. “No worries, love. Thanks.” Heero kissed him lingeringly before rolling off and pulling Duo into his arms comfortably. “No, Duo. Thank you.”
The Lady felt a strange mixture of anger and respect as she watched the screen and the images pouring across it. That boy, who claimed to have no worth and no honour, had risked his life and mission to get Relena Peacecraft out, and then completely broken protocol in calling Treize to warn him to get Une out before the place was destroyed. If that wasn’t contradictory, she didn’t know what was. Treize held her as she sobbed, finally, against his shoulder. When he asked her later, she couldn’t tell why she had begun to cry. She wasn’t sure, but if might have been one of the first times she had ever felt real remorse. Treize watched it happening and felt a great weight lifted from his heart- Une was slowly progressing along the road to being whole again- whatever had happened with Duo Maxwell on that base had given her quite a good push in the right direction. But now… Romefeller will depose me in a matter of days. But Une- they’d quietly dispose of her. She must get away from here… He waited until her tears quieted and then gently held her back by her shoulders. “Une, I have one last favour to ask- go. Get away from here- go to space and oversee the new battlestation, the Libra. You need to get away from here.” Her eyes widened- he was sending her away? I don’t want to leave him, but I will do what I have to do- if it’s the right thing. She bowed her head in acceptance. “Very well, sir.” He smiled and kissed her forehead gently. “Good.” *** Wufei couldn’t hide a small grin as Heero and Duo made their appearance that evening, the former carrying the latter into the room protectively and setting him down gently on a sofa. Duo gave a half-hearted sound of displeasure. “My legs work just fine, Heero! I just said I might need some help on the stairs…” “And if you fell, we’d have to sew you back up again and it would be back to bed rest. Do you want that?” Duo ‘eeped’ and meekly hung his head, eyes dancing with mirth. He turned bright red the next moment as Relena called out from behind them all, “You’ll have to watch that boy, Heero, or I will patch up his cute butt next time!” Heero rounded with wide eyes. “Cute Butt?” The girl laughed. “I’ll confess it- while I was burning with envy of the ‘girl’- yes, Duo, I thought you were a girl when we met- my mind made a comment about how she had a cute butt. Upon closer inspection, I’ve determined that he truly does.” Duo finally managed to stammer, “Thanks, I guess.” Heero cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention. “We will have to leave soon- leaving with you was a little… obvious. The three of us need to disappear for a while.” Relena nodded her understanding. “Of course! That’s not a problem- I won’t go looking for you this time, I promise, but could you leave me with a way of getting in touch, in case of an emergency?” She’s taking this better than I thought she would. Heero nodded. “Fine- an e-mail address. It descrambles to an emergency link to all the Gundams, but you should never use it unless it really is important- only the five of us get that frequency, so we don’t like to hear it buzzing.” Relena smiled. “I understand, and thank you.” She stood and flicked her hair over her shoulder. “Anyone for dinner, then?” Duo’s stomach rumbled loudly, and all four teenagers laughed. He grinned sheepishly. I think that was a yes.” *** Duo wrapped his arms around Heero from behind and gave him a small hug as they both stared out over the balcony of their room that night. “What’s next?” he whispered, his lips trailing over Heero’s jaw. The Japanese boy leaned back into the embrace. “We have to move out- we’re putting all of Sank in danger by staying here.” “I know.” Heero picked up one hand off his chest and opened the palm to gaze into it, finally pressing a kiss against into it. “We’ll stick together, though. You and me.” Duo smiled. “You bet- I’ve waited too long to let you go again.” He bent his head down to place a kiss at the base of Heero’s neck, smiling at the husky groan it drew from the normally silent boy. Who would have known that someone so quiet would be so vocal a lover? “I love you, Heero.” The Japanese boy turned and wrapped his arms around Duo’s slender waist. “I love you, too.” His hands found the end of Duo’s braid and quickly undid the elastic- waves of fragrant chestnut hair fell around them, and he stared in fascination. He buried his face in Duo’s shoulder, inhaling the mixed smells of boy and apple-cinnamon conditioner. Duo tipped Heero’s face back and kissed him lingeringly, and then took him by the hand and led him inside, shutting the balcony doors behind them. They would worry about leaving tomorrow. ~ * ~
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