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"Lost and Found"Written By: The Plotting Housewife Disclaimer: Gundam Wing belongs to Bandai, Sotsu
and associated Parties. This work is written for pleasure not profit. Rating: NC 17 Warnings: Yaoi,Friends to Lovers,Angst,Pining,Romance,Preventers,Alternate
Universe, Hurt/Comfort, Pining!Quat, Oblivious!Duo, Fluff, sap Pairings: 2x4, 5xS Summary: Duo keeps finding paper hearts in the
Preventers lost and found bin. "Lost and Found " Duo yawned loudly, his jaw popping as he poured himself a cup of coffee in the Preventers' break room and blinked blearily at the wall. Damn, but last night was a long one. Long, but so amazingly hot. He'd gotten laid and then some. Those guys he'd picked up, Shane and Brad, a couple with an open relationship, looked like they'd be great in the sack and he wasn't wrong about that. He'd been a delicious Duo sandwich, fucking one guy while getting fucked by the other. His body was a little stiff, pleasantly sore, and languid from the amazing sex and he hummed blissfully, immersed in memories that he would savor for a long time to come. He jolted with a yelp as a piping hot burning sensation on his hand snapped him out of his sensual reverie and he cursed, reaching for a wad of paper towel to clean up the spilled coffee. Pay attention, Maxwell. Get your head out of the clouds, or boss lady is going to be pissed. He mopped up the coffee off the laminate counter top, blushing and smiling at Wufei who raised an eyebrow at him. "Good night, Maxwell?" "Errr...yeah. You could say that." He dried off his hand and sniffed it, nose wrinkling at the coffee smell that clung to his skin. He turned to the sink to wash it properly. Wufei calmly sipped his green tea and turned the page of his book. "You'd better get your shit together. Une is not in the best of moods this morning." Duo snorted. "Is she ever?" He leaned over to peek at what his coworker was reading. Wufei tsked and brought the book up to his chest. "What'cha readin'? Something naughty?" Duo grinned and waggled his eyebrows. Wufei gazed at him with a droll expression. "You're such a pervert." "Well?" "If you simply must know, it's a book called The Art of War." Oh, yes. He'd heard of it. "So...it's Wufei porn." Wufei sputtered. Feathers ruffled, the Chinese man turned up his nose and left the room. Duo smirked and stirred his coffee, nodding at Sally as she walked in, fixing him with a knowing look. "What did you say to him?" He shrugged. "I just said he was reading Wufei porn." Sally glanced at him with exasperated affection. "The Art of War is a superb piece of literature. It's not porn." "It is for Fei." She shook her head and pulled her mug off the rack, nudging him out of the way so she could make her tea. "Would it kill you to not mess with him so much?" "Yes." "You're an ass." "I know." "Great job on finding that shipment that we lost, by the way. Fei was furious about it." "I'll bet it chaps his ass that we ended up finding it." "You know Wufei. He'll get over it. He knows the important thing is that it was found. Getting it off the streets is what matters." "There will be plenty more where that came from." "There always is. But, if there weren't, we'd be out of a job, I suppose." "I'd gladly open up a surf shoppe and live happily ever after if crime was somehow miraculously obliterated." Sally placed her mug of water into the microwave and closed the door, hesitating for a moment. "So, how was your night?" She asked with an ambiguous hint of expectancy that gave Duo pause. It almost felt like she was asking for reasons other than general cordiality. "Great. Met a couple of guys. Sexy times ensued." "What about Quatre?" Confused, he asked, "What about him?" She dipped her tea bag into the hot water, frown knitting her brows together. She looked up at him and he had the vague notion that he was being judged. Like he was a complete idiot. It was confirmed a moment later. "You're so dense." "What?" Why did he feel like everyone knew something he didn't? He was lost. Quat never seemed to mind. He knew Duo liked to have fun and usually just headed home which was what he preferred doing anyway. Duo was pretty sure Quat would have said something if it bothered him. Then again... She shot him a final, dubious look, like she knew was he was thinking and he blushed, though he wasn't sure why. She raised a brow, turned on her heel and left the room, leaving Duo standing there feeling like he was missing a part of the puzzle. He scratched his head, stumped. What was all that about? Maybe there was a full moon, or some weird virus going around that was making everybody act weird. He shrugged and sipped his coffee, drumming his fingers on the counter. He did feel a little bad about leaving Quatre behind, but it wasn't like it hadn't happened before. He usually just went home when Duo found someone to screw around with. They would see each other at work the next day and Quatre would lecture him about going home with strangers and making sure Duo used condoms. He was such a mother hen. It was endearingly adorable. Still, he was worried about his friend. He seemed off lately. Distracted, almost down. Quatre wasn't one to share his burdens with the world. He preferred to bottle his problems up which wasn't healthy for anyone. Duo practically had to pull teeth to get him to talk about anything involving himself. He usually had to trick him into it, or use some sort of coercion, and then Quatre typically would work himself into snit about it for a few days before it was all smoothed over again. He reached over to the plate of pastries that sat on the edge of the counter next to the coffee pot. That raspberry danish looked mighty tasty. He pulled at the cellophane wrapper and walked around the counter to throw it away. The lost and found bin stood directly in front of the waste basket and he just happened to glance down into it. Nestled in between pairless sneakers and old windbreakers, scarves, hats, and gloves, was another piece of red paper. A further look and he spotted two more. He picked one up and unfolded it. It was another red heart. He pulled all three out of the bin, but instead of throwing them away this time, he slipped them into his pocket. He didn't know what they meant, or who was leaving them in there, but it was a mystery he was intrigued by. Once could have been a mistake, twice, a coincidence. If it happened again, it could be considered deliberate. He meandered over to his desk, munching on his danish, mumbling, "Hey, Quat," as he sat down in his chair. Quatre was quiet for a moment before his voice drifted over the partition. "Morning, Duo." He sounded tired. Duo popped his head over the wall. "Rough night?" Quatre closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. "I just...didn't sleep well." He glanced up, his eyes slightly bloodshot. There was an edge to his voice that Duo had never heard before. "I hear you had a good night." Duo couldn't help the grin that spread across his face. "Chang was blabbing, was he?" "He may have said something about braided idiots who can't keep their dick in their pants." "Yeah, it was good, to say the least. Those two guys were hot, weren't they? A lot of fun, too. We went to that little Tiki bar at the other end of the beach for drinks and then we headed over to -" "You know what, Duo? I'm really tired and I'm not in the mood to listen to all the sordid details of your conquests." Duo was a little hurt by that, but he smiled to cover it up. This was new. Quat usually listened to him when he went on about his adventurous love life, albeit a little grudgingly at times. Duo paused, something he hadn't thought of before flickering on like a light bulb over his head. Was Quatre...was he jealous? "Hey, Quat, you know you could have joined us, right?" Quatre's face took on a strangely combative look. "Could I? Seems like you forgot all about me when you saw those guys. You didn't even look back. Like I wasn't even there anymore." He trailed off and turned back to his work, tension in every inch of his body language. Realization dawned on Duo then. He was jealous. How long had this been going on? "You know you're always welcome to join me, buddy. You know I've been trying to get you laid for months, years even." "I don't just want to 'get laid', Duo. I just - never mind." "What?" "Nothing. Just forget about it." Quatre turned away, expression closed, indicating the conversation was over. Duo knew full well when Quatre shut down like this, he was done talking and no amount of finagling was going to get him to spill the beans. Quatre was moody the whole rest of the day, a real buzzkill. It seemed everyone was which confirmed Duo's suspicions that some weird PMS virus was going around. *** They went out into the field for another case and Quatre, who was usually chatty, was uncharacteristically quiet. The atmosphere was somber despite Duo trying to lighten it with his joking small talk. The air between them was oppressive, reticent, as they waited in the car for their suspect. Duo glanced over to see Quatre gazing out the passenger side window, seemingly far away. He pinched a stray lock of blond hair and tugged gently. "Penny for your thoughts." "Pennies are worth dick nowadays," Quatre muttered. "Damn, Quat. You're having a day, aren't you?" It wasn't typically like him to talk like that. He sighed, rolling his head in Duo's direction, expression almost imploring. "Can we not talk about this?" "I won't force you. You know I'm here if you need to talk about whatever's on your mind though, right? I'm always here for you. I hate seeing you hurt, especially when I don't know what the problem is." Quatre observed him in silence, his eyes tracing over Duo's features. He seemed to be considering and Duo thought he was actually on the brink of telling him what was wrong. His mouth opened, then closed again, and he turned away, rubbing his eyes in frustration. "It's nothing." "Damn it, Quat! Why won't you talk to me?" "You wouldn't understand." "How do you know if you don't tell me?" Duo was hurt. What couldn't he possibly understand? He clamped down on his own frustration with some effort, a muscle in his jaw twitching. "Fine. You don't wanna tell me, don't tell me. I don't care." Quatre's head thumped against the window and his eyes closed wearily. "Don't be like that." Duo huffed. "I'm not doing anything you aren't. You started this with your morose attitude. You know, if I didn't know any - are you listening to me?" Now Quatre wasn't even acknowledging him. His attention was directed ahead of them, his hand wrapping around the door handle. Duo stopped ranting, his head swiveled around, following his partner's line of sight. Their suspect was across the street. "There he is." Duo instantly went into agent mode. Their little tiff would have to wait. "Yep. Got 'em." He raised his walkie talkie up to his mouth. "In front of the bike shop. White cap, black jacket. You guys ready?" Wufei's voice came through the speaker amidst the rustling sound of static. "Yeah, we see him. We're ready." They got out of the car and approached the suspect who glanced at them over his shoulder, taking notice of the advancing agents in front and behind him. He veered to the left and darted through a small gap between the shops. "He's fleeing!" Quatre shouted. "I got him!" Duo and Wufei ran around the other side of the line of shops to intercept, leaping over trashcans and tearing through the alley. Duo climbed up onto the fire escape, spotted the suspect hiding behind a dumpster and hollered, "Freeze!" The suspect tried to run again, but tripped over a few trash bins that were strewn around and Duo used the momentary advantage to jump down from the fire escape and onto his back, wrenching the suspect's arms behind him. "I said, 'freeze', dumb ass." Wufei helped get him into the cuffs as Quatre and Sally caught up. Duo hauled him onto his feet and Quatre patted him down. "You got any needles, or anything sharp in your pockets?" "I got a big one in my pants, pretty boy. Why don't you stick your hand in there and find out." The suspect made kissy noises at him and Duo wrenched his chin to the side and glared into the man's eyes, lip curling up in a sneer. "Maybe you don't quite understand the predicament you're in. Let me enlighten you. You're in deep shit, pal. So I'd suggest you leave the smart ass comments to me because that's my job and I can guarantee you will not beat me at it." "Kiss my ass, pig." Duo chuckled. "You might want to evoke your Fifth Amendment rights before I do it for you. Have you ever been to a prison dentist?" The criminal's eyes widened. "Yeah, that's what I thought. Shaddup." Sally stepped over and expertly maneuvered herself between Duo and the suspect. "Okay. Let's keep this from getting bloody. You're still on probation from last time." She shot Duo a stern look and he let go of the guy and held his hands up. "He's all yours." Quatre offered him a small smile as Sally and Wufei led the suspect away. "You did good." Duo grinned and stretched. "Yeah, I still got it." That got a laugh out of Quatre and Duo felt better about their little spat in the car. Quatre never could hold a grudge. Everything was okay, at least for now. He'd work on him and hopefully get some more information out of him later. Quatre was as stubborn as they came, unfortunately, but Duo had ways of making him talk. He wasn't the Preventers' top interrogator for nothing. They headed back to the office to write up their reports and Duo got a round of applause from the other agents, much to Wufei's chagrin. He rolled his eyes and left the room, muttering that he needed some tea and a lobotomy. Duo took the praise with about as much modesty and grace as he always did. He bowed dramatically. "Oh, thank you all. Please, please, no speeches. Oh, what the hell. You've twisted my arm. I would just like to say that there's no 'I' in team, but there is an 'I' in - in...there's an 'I' in...what's there an 'I' in?" "Settle down, Maxwell," Une snapped, acting quickly to disperse the snickering crowd. She shooed them back to their own workstations and turned a glare on him."This is not an awards ceremony." Duo pouted. "But my audience loves me." Une was not impressed. She held out her hand, rubbing her thumb and fingers together. "Report." Duo handed it over with a cheeky grin and she eyed him critically before pivoting on her heel and walking away. That was as close to approval as he was going to get. He went to to break room for a coffee and to annoy Wufei which didn't take long. His coworker stormed out of the room five minutes later with cheeks as red Sally's lipstick. Sally glared at him and went after her temperamental partner, most likely to try to calm him down. Duo chuckled as he blew the steam away from his coffee and took a sip. "Too easy." He didn't know what made him do it, but for some inexplicable reason, he peered down into the lost and found box, stunned when he saw that someone had evidently dumped a whole slew of red paper hearts into it. They lay scattered around the miscellaneous items, like they'd just been carelessly dropped there. He could count at least a dozen, just at a glance. Interest piqued even more, he set his coffee aside and reached in to pull them out. He was surprised find nearly three dozen hearts inside the bin and he gathered them into his hands and carried them over to his desk, dropping them into his drawer. He had no idea why he was keeping them and he idly wondered if Wufei was messing with him in some way. He approached Quatre as he was gathering his things and offered him a proposition. He didn't fail to notice that the lackluster expression on his friend's face was back and he hoped he'd be able to cheer him up. "Hey, how 'bout we go catch a movie? There's a new indie film showing at that obscure place you like." A film about two best friends who experienced the trials and tribulations of life, overcoming obstacles to come together as lovers. It was just the kind of sappy shit that Quatre's romantic heart went gaga over. He was sure the blond would jump at the opportunity. He was surprised when Quatre looked down, picking at the zipper of his bag. "I don't know, Duo. I'm still pretty tired. I think I might just go home." "Aw, c'mon, Quat. What good are you going to do yourself by sitting at home moping?" Quatre glanced up at him and Duo smiled and nodded, encouraged. "It'll be fun. We'll go grab a bite to eat and then go see the movie. It's supposed to be a real romantic type deal. I know you love that stuff." He winked and was vindicated when Quatre relented, his lips curling up slightly. "Oh, alright. Since you asked so nicely." They drove their separate cars to Duo's favorite pizza place which was only a few blocks away from the theater. They made wonderful Chicago style pizzas there and Duo had gotten Quatre hooked on their BBQ chicken pizza with extra pineapple. They ordered a medium with a couple of sodas and sat at one of the wrought iron tables outside the pizzeria. Quatre was moderately disgruntled by Duo's wandering eyes, tucking into his food even when Duo pointed out a few guys who were looking Quatre over. "Ooh, he's cute. I think he likes you, Quat. Why aren't you looking?" "Because I'm hanging out with you and it's rude to do that," he said, not bothering to hide his distaste. He dabbed his mouth with a paper napkin and glared up at Duo. Duo was a little floored at the hard edge in the usually gentle blue eyes and he felt a twinge of guilt. Was it rude? Isn't this what friends did? They weren't toge - Duo paused mid-thought, a revelation that he'd never considered before occurring to him and he kicked himself for not seeing it sooner. The jealousy, the moodiness, the fact that Quatre didn't seem interested in anyone Duo pointed out to him. Was all that because Quatre was interested in him? And how had he never noticed before? Quatre turned his attention back to his food and Duo stared at him in shock, his mouth hanging open. Quatre glanced back up and snapped, "What?" "Er, nothing. Nothing." "Why are you staring at me like you've never met me before?" Because I haven't. At least not this side of Quatre. He had no idea how he'd never seen it until now. Things, little things started to pop up in his mind that he'd never given credence to before, only furthered his theory. The little glances, something like longing in Quatre's eyes when he looked at Duo. The way he laughed at even Duo's dumbest jokes like they were the funniest he'd ever heard. The way his touch lingered when he handed Duo something. The way he'd press their sides together when they sat next to each other. The way he seemed to sigh in contentment and go soft whenever Duo showed him an inkling of affection. It all added up into a sum of Quatre was in love with Duo. Probably had been for some time and he'd been too blind to see it. Too absorbed in his own little world to realize his best friend was mooning over him like a love-sick school girl. It dawned on him that he'd probably been putting Quatre through hell with his constant flirting and taking off with other guys. He suddenly felt like the dumbest, shittiest friend in the world. He looked down at his pizza, no longer hungry which was a first. His stomach churned with uneasiness, not at the concept that Quatre was in love with him, but from what his friend must have been going through. What he must have been feeling. Quatre noticed his complete one eighty and raised a brow at him. "Something wrong?" Duo shook himself, strangely self-conscious in a way he'd never felt before. He could feel the flush of heat in his cheeks and he coughed awkwardly and took a sip of his drink in a pathetic attempt to cover it up. "No. Nothing...no..." Quatre wasn't buying it. "What is it?" "It's nothing, okay?" Duo snapped before he could stop himself. He was feeling defensive and he wasn't sure why. He was confused, uncomfortable, ashamed, frustrated. He didn't know what he was feeling because it was tumbling around inside his head like a full load of laundry. Quatre's eyes, always so expressive, reflected his hurt and Duo felt even worse. "Quat, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. I'm just..." He trailed off, not sure what he was trying to say. Shaking his head, he just decided to go with the truth. "I don't know what I'm feeling right now." Quatre looked alarmed. "Did I do something wrong?" There was an edge of panic in his voice. "I know I've been off lately. I'm sorry. I don't mean to be. It's - I -" "No, no. It's not you. It's me. I'm just...I'm just not feeling well all of a sudden." That much was true. He felt like he was going to puke, his head throbbing and swimming with emotions he couldn't decipher in the chaos of his mind. "I think I'm just going to head home and get some sleep." He stood from the table, nearly stumbling on his feet and Quatre shot up, instantly worried. "Duo? Duo, you're scaring me. What's wrong? Please tell me." He walked around the table and grasped Duo's arm. The touch burned with accusation. You fool! You blind fool, how could you not see? He wrenched it away, feeling terrible about the rejection that darkened Quatre's eyes, those pretty blue eyes. He didn't deserve this pain. And Duo had put it there. He tried to reassure him and ward him off at the same time. He needed space. And time. Time to think about things and figure out what he was feeling. "I'm sorry. I'm okay. You did nothing wrong, okay? I just need to be alone for a while. I will see you in the morning. I promise." His heart squeezed when Quatre's eyes misted over, blinking quickly in an attempt not to cry. He staggered away, leaving his best friend standing there, confused and afraid, but there was nothing he could do at the moment. He just needed to get away. Get away from it. From him. To sort out his tumultuous mind and figure out where he was going from here. Through his tunnel vision, his car was like a beacon of salvation, surrounded by gloom. He wrenched the door open, slumping into the driver's seat and immediately rolling the windows down. It was stuffy, stifling, and he sucked in great gulps of cool air as the breeze wafted in. He slouched forward, suddenly feeling weak, heavy. He rested his head on the steering wheel, trying to calm his mind. Deep breath, man. Slooooow down... His brief conversation with Sally that morning came back to him and comprehension dropped onto him like a ton of bricks. The way she'd asked how his night was. The derisive, almost disdainful looks. You're so dense. She knew. With a sickening lurch of his stomach, he wondered who else had been privvy to this information. If Sally knew, Wufei definitely did. He choked out a bitter laugh. God, he'd never live this down. He wondered how many conversations they'd had about it. Talking about Quatre like he was some smitten love-sick puppy. Laughing at Duo's stupidity for not seeing what everyone else saw. He had the sinking feeling more people than he cared to name probably knew. Quatre had been obvious if that was the case and still, Duo was oblivious. He banged his head against the steering wheel, groaning in helpless frustration. Tears leaked, unbidden, from between his lashes and he pounded a shaky fist on the dashboard, furious with himself. Furious with Quatre for not saying anything. He felt like a fool. Like the biggest fool in the world. "Oh, Christ. Oh fuck, Quat, why didn't you tell me?" "Because I knew you didn't feel the same," the soft, familiar voice drifted in through his open window. He jumped, startled, and glanced up, his heart breaking at the blond's defeated expression. He sniffled, wiping his face on his sleeve. He was embarrassed, humiliated. It made him edgy, snappy, belligerent. He leveled a glare on his best friend, feeling terrible about it, but his emotions were spiraling out of his control. "You still should have told me." Quatre threw up his hands. "How could I? You showed interest in everyone but me! You're constantly trying to get into everyone else's pants and never in mine. I'm not stupid, Duo." He snorted. "But apparently I am," he said grudgingly. He felt stupid. So fucking stupid. Like the stupidest man in the world. Quatre looked at him helplessly, with a hint of guilt. "I didn't say that." "You don't have to. It's true." He looked up, suddenly desperate to know. "Did you tell anyone else?" Quatre shook his head. "No. No, I - I never said anything to anyone." "So you were just obvious and everyone figured it out except me. Ergo, I'm a complete idiot." "Duo..." "No. No, it's...it's okay. I'll be fine. I'm just going to go hide under a rock for the next fifty years." "Oh, come on, Duo! Nothing has to change, okay?" "Of course it does! Everything has to change now. Do you think we can go back to where we were knowing what I know now?" Quatre's eyes widened, his face paled, and Duo felt like shit for inciting fear, the soft hitch of breath. "You...don't want to be friends anymore?" He could barely get the words out, choking on them with a voice that wavered, was tiny with the prospect of losing him. His bottom lip quivered and Duo's trembled in response. He felt stripped bare, almost betrayed, and so damn raw. He answered as honestly as he could. "I don't know what I want right now." He forced himself to turn away and started up his car. "Duo, please..." He shoved the gear in drive and pressed his foot on the gas, peeling away from the curb without another word. He didn't know where he was going, or what he was going to do. He just drove. Drove until he reached the water and could go no further. He got out and sat down on the hood, gazing out over the sea, his inner turmoil rolling within like the ocean at high tide. He felt gutted, exposed, and he flushed with mortification and rage. He punched the hood of his car and dropped his head to his chest, letting the tears fall. What do I do now?
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